An Abundance of Re-Blooming Daylilies in my Garden...

Don't confuse daylily varieties with the true lilies: A Daylily is not really true lily. In fact, they are quite different. I travel to the Neepawa Lily Festival each year (in Neepawa, Manitoba) and here is a lesson learned:

True lilies grow on tall stems with flowers at the top. Daylily flower stems (called "scapes") are generally much shorter, and grow from a fountain of grass-like foliage at ground level. Daylilies are members of the genus, Hemerocallis, not Lilium, which is the genus name of true lilies.

Also, they don't grow from bulbs like true lilies. They grow from roots. They form a mass of thickened, fleshy roots, making them easy to divide and ergo once you have them, you have them for years.

TIP: I plant the dwarf varieties like the 'Little Business' (see link below) as a groundcover. Because the dwarf varieties form a thick clump of grass like leaves, they can starve out the weeds. How's that for double duty!

A bit of Daylily information:

Do you know what a diploid is? I didn't. The difference between a diploid, a triploid and a tetraploid? Nope, didn't know that either. Well, here's the answer. The diploid has two identical sets of chromosomes in each cell while the tetraploid has 4 sets and the triploid has 3 sets. What's the difference? Most say that the more sets of chromosomes the larger the flowers, the sturdier the scapes and the colors are more intense. Now you know!

Did you know that there may be 32,000 documented varieties? In my garden design I tend to grow the ones I know are hardy for my Zone 3.

A very undemanding plant, they can grow almost anywhere. I use them for for plantings in my middle island garden and as pond edging plants. Using them in your pond landscaping softens the look of any stones or boulders used.

Even though each flower blooms for only one day (hence the name), each plant has many flowers, some up to 30, which keeps the plant blooming for quite some time.

Categories

There are a mix of daylilies available to the gardener's flowerbed design. They are categorized as (E) Early, (EM) Early Midseason, (M) Midseason, (LM) Late Midseason, (L) Late, and (VL) Very Late. If you see the (RE) letters, it means Re-bloomer.

Generally there are three height sizes:

• Low scapes are 6" to 24"
• Medium scapes are 24" to 36"
• Tall scapes are 36"+

As always, the blooming time really depends on your own climate. Mine usually start blooming by the mid to end of June and bloom right through September (bearing no frost). In my flower gardens, the peak bloom time is usually mid July to mid August.

I am partial to the re-bloomers, but enjoy other varieties as well. And I do try and mix the blooming times in concert with other perennials close by. The above image is the Purple D'Oro.

They prefer at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. I always add organic matter each year as the plants like a fertile soil that drains well. TIP: Don't over fertilize or you will get more leaves, less blooms.

If you are considering these wonderful plants (and you should), here are some great companion plants:

• Any type of grasses. I love the 'slightly' invasive: Ribbon Grass
• Barberry Shrubs
• Dogwood Shrub
• Loosestrife Firecracker
• Loosestrife Yellow
• Coreopsis Moonbeam

Even a grey/silver sage or Russian Sage matched with purple daylilies would look smashing.

Can you imagine mixing a yellow variety with Sunset Coreopsis. A match made in heaven.

Dividing Daylilies

1. Very easy to do. Can be done either in the spring or fall. (usually done every 3 to 5 years) Lift the clump from the ground and remove any excess dirt or wash off dirt with garden hose

2. Check the roots for damage or dead sections and remove

3. Using two garden rakes back to back (or your hands) gently pull the rakes apart thereby slowly pulling apart the roots

4. Re-plant the rhizomes (spread out) at least 4 inches deep and water.(try and create about 3 shoots per set)

TIP: Add a tablespoon of MYKE growth support to the hole prior to planting.

Below are links to other Daylilies I planted in 2008 and 2009.

Check out my Site Index Page for a listing of additional annuals and perennials to plant in your flower garden design.

Related pages:

Go back from Daylilies Page to GLM Home Page

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