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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Daylilies
Cooking Notes
Daylilies are edible and have a long history in the kitchen. The tender foliage was eaten as a spring green, the buds and flowers were eaten raw and added to soups, and the swollen portions of the root were boiled and eaten. All parts have a mild peppery taste and act as a thickening agent when cooked in stews, soups, or sauces.
- Try sautéeing daylily buds in some butter and garlic. They taste like a cross between green peas and asparagus.
- Dip daylily buds in a light batter and deep-fry them. Sprinkle with salt, and you have a special summer treat!
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Will day lilies survive in soil that get a lot of winter sidewalk salt?
Yes, daylilies are salt-tolerant. You’ll see they are popular perennials planted near roads and sidewalks.
Are the orange day lilies good for bees? Are they good pollinators?
Hi, Peggy. Bees and many other pollinators love orange daylilies. They are an excellent choice to welcome nature’s beneficial insects (little heroes!) to your garden.
Another consideration (at least in Central Maryland) is that Daylilies (and any Lily for that matter) are like candy to White-tailed Deer. We went away for a few days one June as our Daylilies were budding. When we returned every bud had been nipped off by the deer. I must constantly use Deer Repellent to keep our lilies intact.
I was just about to leave a comment about the deer factor (I'm in upstate NY) but you got here first!
Daylilies are on the list of invasive plants in our area (Ontario Canada). It’s a good idea to check to make sure any non-native is invasive in your area, before planting. There is a lot of good information out there about how invasive plants are a real problem. There are also many beautiful native alternatives to these invasive lilies - the Michigan lily, for instance. Native plant species tend to benefit a much wider range of native fauna without harming the environment.
Enjoyed the read! Planting my first day lilies soon
How do you winterize day lillys? Do you have to cut them back?
Hi Nancy,
There is not anything you need to do for your daylilies before winter. Once the flowers have died back, you can cut the stems and foliage to the ground in the fall or in the spring. There is no benefit to leaving the foliage until the spring, so if you want a more tidy look to your garden area, cut back in the fall. The foliage just needs to be removed before new growth emerges in the spring.