Planting, Growing, and Caring for Daylilies
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The daylily is an amazingly low-maintenance perennial. It’s virtually disease-free, pest-free, and drought-resistant; it’s also not picky about soil quality. Plus, the flower has a long bloom period! Here’s how to plant and care for daylilies in your garden, as well as how to easily propagate them for more plants!
About Daylilies
The daylily’s botanical name, Hemerocallis, comes from the Greek hemera (“day”) and kallos (“beauty”). The name is appropriate since each flower lasts only one day! However, each scape has 12 to 15 buds on it, and a mature plant can have 4 to 6 scapes, which is why the flower seems to bloom continuously.
Originally from Asia, these plants have adapted so well that many of us think of them as natives. Imagine the excitement of a 16th-century explorer cruising the Orient and finding these gorgeous plants! European gardeners welcomed daylilies into their gardens, and when early colonists sailed for the New World, daylilies made the crossing with them.
Despite their name, daylilies are not “true lilies” and grow from fleshy roots. True lilies grow from onion-like bulbs and are of the genus Lilium, as are Asiatic and Oriental lilies. In the case of daylilies, leaves grow from a crown, and the flowers form on leafless stems—called “scapes”—which rise above the foliage.
There are thousands of beautiful daylilies to choose from. Combine early, midseason, late blooming varieties, and repeat bloomers to have daylilies in flower from late spring through the first frost of fall. If you see a height listed alongside a daylily variety, this refers to the length of the scape. Some can reach 6 feet tall!
Growing
How to Care for Daylilies
Daylilies require little to no care and can even survive with neglect, but if you want these flowers to thrive and perform at their best, here’s how to give them a little TLC.
- Water newly planted daylilies once a week until established.
- Daylilies are fairly hardy and drought-tolerant, so they can survive without watering. However, they prefer about an inch of water per week; normal rainfall will supply much of that amount. If you’re suffering from a dry spell or live in a drier climate, water them, and they will reward you with more blooms. Add mulch around the plant to keep it moist and to help minimize weeding.
- Daylilies do not require fertilization as long as the soil is reasonably fertile. However, you can encourage stronger bloom performance with a little general-purpose fertilizer (10-10-10) once a year in early spring as new daylily top grow emerges. Spread a handful at the base of each daylily clump and water if dry. If you wish, you could fertilize daylilies a second time after they are finished blooming to help your plants multiply faster in the future.
- Deadheading is not necessary but you can remove spent blooms to prevent seed production and to encourage more blooming. Just snip off their blossoms as you see them wilting. Most daylilies do not self-sow; you need to divide daylilies to create new plants (see how below).
- Once all of the flowers have blossomed on a daylily scape, you can cut the entire scape back to the ground right away or in the fall or not at all. If you do not cut it back, it will simply turn brown and remain standing.
- However, in early spring, remove the dead foliage from the previous year’s growth before new growth resumes in the spring.
- Add aged manure or compost to the soil around the plants in the spring.
Dividing and Transplanting Daylilies
Daylilies can be aggressive spreaders and will likely require dividing at some point (usually every 3 to 5 years). In addition to controlling their spread, dividing will also reinvigorate plants, resulting in better and more frequent blooms.
To propagate them, divide the daylily clumps in early spring (February through April) or in the late summer to fall after flowering (late July through mid-September) prior to the autumnal equinox. The plants need at least six weeks to get re-established before winter.
Here’s how to divide daylilies:
- Though dividing can be done any time the soil is workable, it is best done right after the daylily has finished blooming. Note: The plants need at least 6 weeks to get re-established before winter.
- Dig up the entire root clump.
- Remove as much soil from the roots as possible. Soaking the roots in a bucket of water helps to get rid of excess soil.
- Locate the crown of the plant. Starting from the outer edge, break it into smaller clumps (usually 3 to 4 per plant). Each clump should have healthy roots and at least a few leaves.
- Cut the leaves back to approximately one-third of their original length (5 to 6 inches, generally).
- Replant and water thoroughly.
There are thousands of beautiful daylilies to choose from! Combine early, midseason, late blossoming varieties, and repeat bloomers to have daylilies in flower from late spring into fall.
Daylily flowers may be fragrant and come in many colors, shades, and color combinations. Some flowers are full and round, others have wide petals with ruffled edges. Daylilies called “spiders” are spider-like in shape, while “doubles” have double the number of petals and sepals. Some new cultivars are even night-blooming and very fragrant.
Some of our favorite cultivars include:
- ‘Stella de Oro’ has numerous yellow flowers per scape and blooms all summer.
- ‘Little Grapette’ has small purple flowers and blooms in early summer. This daylily is only 12 inches tall.
- ‘So Sweet’ has yellow flowers. Its leaves remain green over winter.
- ‘Ruby Spider’ has large, up to 9-inches wide, scarlet-red flowers with golden throats.
- ‘Catherine Woodbury’ blooms in mid- to late-summer with fragrant lavender-pink flowers.
- ‘Indian Giver’ has large rich-purple flowers and blooms early to late summer. It’s semi-evergreen.
- ‘Siloam Double Classic’ has fragrant, salmon-pink, double blossoms in early to mid-summer. It’s ideal for containers.
Reblooming daylilies have the ability to rebloom during the growing season:
- ‘Good Fairy’, ‘Mini Stella’, ‘Happy Returns’
Evergreen daylilies have leaves that remain green over winter:
- ‘Wind Frills’, ‘So Sweet’, ‘Joan Senior’
Looking for a specific color? No problem! Here are a few options:
- Pink: ‘Lullaby Baby’, ‘Chicago Candy Cane’, ‘Halls Pink’
- Lavender/Purple: ‘Mountain Violet’, ‘Velvet Shadows’, ‘Summer Wine’
- Red: ‘Hearts Afire’, ‘Oriental Ruby’, ‘Red Mittens’
- Orange: ‘Rocket City’, ‘Carrot Top’, ‘By Myself’
- Yellow: ‘Lemon Lollypop’, ‘Mini Stella’, ‘Paradise Prince’
- White: ‘Crispin’, ‘Ice Carnival’, ‘May May’, ‘So Lovely’
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!
Catherine Boeckmann
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How far apart should you plant daily lilies in a smaller garden area to achieve coverage?
Hi, Tommy. It depends on what size daylilies you are planting. If you have small to medium daylilies, you should space your plants 12 to 18 inches apart. If you are growing the large type, they need to be about 2 feet apart.
What are the bulbous pods on the ends of my daylily scapes...????
What do i do with them..???
Those are called aerial bulbs. They contain the genetic material needed to start a new flower. In nature, they drop to the ground to eventually form flowering bulbs. You can simply pull them off, you make sure there is more energy to form flowers next year. Or, you can harvest and plant in a furrow (similar to peas) in a protected area that won’t be disturbed; in a few years, they’ll grow into bulbs.
I have what looks like an entire new plant growing on the side (stem) of my daylily scapes. Can I plant this and get a new plant?
Yes, you can. I’ve done this many times.
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.
