Robin Sweetser Sandy Agrafiotis

Related Articles

“Daylilies are the perfect plant for beginning gardeners,” according to Rennie Timm, who grows more than 500 varieties of the hardy perennials with her husband George at Davis Brook Farm, their nursery in Hancock, New Hampshire. “They are absolutely the easiest perennial to have—no maintenance and you can’t kill them!” says Rennie. They are virtually disease- and pest-free and are able to withstand drought, poor soil and shade. The red lily leaf beetle, which has been decimating Asiatic and Oriental lilies, shows no interest in daylilies.

Originally from Asia, daylilies have a long history both in the garden and in the kitchen. The tender foliage was eaten as a spring green, the buds and flowers were consumed raw and in soups, and the swollen portions of the root were boiled and eaten. All parts have a mild peppery taste and a thickening effect when cooked in soups, stews or sauces. Imagine the excitement of a sixteenth-century explorer cruising the Orient and finding these gorgeous plants! European gardeners welcomed them and when the earliest settlers sailed for the New World, daylilies made the crossing with them. They have adapted so well that most people think of them as native plants.

Their botanical name, Hemerocallis, means “beauty for a day” because each blossom lasts for only one day. Unlike true lilies that grow from bulbs, daylilies grow from fleshy roots and the flowers form on a leafless stalk called a scape, which rises above the strap-like foliage. Each scape has twelve to fifteen buds on it, one opening every other day. A mature plant can have four to six scapes, resulting in a long flowering period. Plant heights refer to the length of the scape and some can reach six feet tall!

How to grow daylilies

To propagate them, divide the clumps in early spring or right after flowering. “Depending on how long the roots have been growing together, they can be a beast to separate,” Rennie says. “On some, the root structure is so fine they will come apart quite easily, while others require prying apart using two garden forks or cutting into divisions with a knife or hatchet. Use whatever means necessary.”

If the clump is not too tangled, one of the easiest methods is to dig up the roots and briefly soak them in water till most of the soil is gone. Then it is a matter of pulling the clumps apart into individual fans. Rennie reminds us that each division needs to have a piece of the crown to survive and bloom. When replanting, the crown of the plant (where the roots and leaves meet) should be buried as deep as it grew originally. There will be a white band at the base of the foliage indicating the part that was underground.

Rennie advises us to cut back the foliage on newly planted divisions to six to eight inches to encourage them to put their energy into root growth. Though they will survive in less than ideal conditions, daylilies will perform best if given full sun and a spot that has well-drained, fertile soil. Keep a newly planted daylily watered and mulch it to keep it moist. Rennie says daylilies are light feeders and need fertilizing only once in the spring and again in the early fall. She recommends using a low nitrogen fertilizer in the fall to encourage more root growth than foliage.

What daylilies can look like

Modern daylilies have come a long way from those first found in the wild. Dr. A. B. Stout of the New York Botanical Garden is considered the father of the modern daylily. About a hundred years ago he cracked daylilies’ genetic code and carried out more than 50,000 crosses of these easily pollinated plants, producing one hundred intensely colored, new hybrid daylilies between 1911 and 1947. Further innovations in daylily breeding have resulted in larger flowers, richer colors, heavier textures and more blooms. Gardeners of 100 years ago would be astonished at today’s daylilies, which are available in every color but blue with ruffles, stripes and even what growers call “diamond dusting,” which makes the flowers glitter in the sun. Today more than 40,000 named varieties of daylilies are registered with the American Hemerocallis Society. Most of these were developed by amateurs and hobby gardeners.

The lemon lily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus) is the first species daylily to bloom in New England, its fragrance filling the air in June after the lilacs have faded. The tall orange tawny daylily (H. fulva) is in bloom right now. This hardy species escaped from farm gardens long ago to become a familiar sight along back roads all over the country. Some people refer to them as “ditch lilies.”

For those of you who have plenty of yellow and orange daylilies, try the knockout red of ‘Samoan Sunset,’ ‘Mallard,’ or ‘Red Volunteer.’ These are tall midsummer bloomers that hold their color despite the heat. For pinks check out ‘Catherine Woodbury,’ ‘Preppy Pink,’ or ‘Strawberry Candy.’ If you love purple, look into ‘Russian Rhapsody,’ ‘Bela Lugosi,’ or ‘Indian Giver.’ ‘Siloam Bo Peep’ is a pale lavender with a purple eye and ‘Grand Ways’ is a ruffled lilac with diamond dusting. For fragrance try salmon pink ‘Siloam Double Classic,’ rose-banded pink ‘Chorus Line’ or ‘Hyperion,’ a fragrant yellow that blooms in August. Black daylilies like ‘Crawley Crow’ or ‘Midnight Oil’ are actually the darkest purple. Add a few of them to a patch of yellow or orange daylilies for contrast.

‘Stella D’Oro’ is a popular yellow repeat bloomer that you see in many commercial plantings because it is practically bulletproof. It is only one-foot tall, blends well with other plants and blooms all season long. Other repeat bloomers are ‘Rosy Returns,’ lemon-cream ‘When My Sweetheart Returns’ and fragrant pink ‘Persian Market.’

Rennie suggests that we also try nocturnals. These are daylilies that actually bloom at night! “They open up in late afternoon, are open all night long and bloom into the next day,” Rennie says. “The light colors shimmer at night and most of them are very fragrant. They are perfect for a patio or pool or along a path.” She recommends ‘Rose Emily,’ ‘White Temptation’ and the fragrant yellow ‘Evening Bell.’

There are thousands of beautiful daylilies to choose from. By combining early, mid-, and late-blooming varieties and repeat bloomers, you can have daylilies in flower from late spring through autumn. Look at plants in a display garden to pick varieties that appeal to you and are right for your landscape.
 

Robin Sweetser has written a biweekly gardening column for the Sunday Concord Monitor for 12 years, is a regular contributor to ACCENT and writes for the Old Farmer’s Almanac. A former Seacoast resident, she now lives and gardens in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

Sandy Agrafiotis, a long-time resident of South Berwick, Maine, is a commercial photographer whose work focuses on architectural, industrial and editorial photography.