Daylilies are not real lilies; they are members of the genus Hemerocallis. This Greek word’s two components are hemera, which means day, and kallos, which means beauty. The name fits because each flower only blooms for a day.
Flowers on some of the more recent kinds open in the evening and stay open into the evening of the following day. Many of these plants that bloom at night have wonderful fragrances.
Daylilies typically reach a height of one to four feet. Each daylily plant generates a large number of flower buds that take a while to open. The flowers continue to bloom throughout the sweltering summer since there are so many different kinds and a large variety of floral hues.
How broad can daylilies get?
The height of a daylily clump can range from six inches to five feet. Space bare roots about three feet apart since they can grow to a span of two to four feet wide (or for a more dramatic show in the early years, space about 18 inches apart).
Does the daylily spread?
Daylilies grow more and more crowded as they quickly form larger clumps, which finally prevents them from blooming as well. Every few years, you might want to divide your daylilies, especially if you observe fewer flowers.
Planting Instructions
Daylilies need 4-6 hours of direct sunlight every day, thus they should be planted in full sun or mild shade. Even though daylilies require full sun, there are occasionally blossoms under the cover of large trees. The daylily blossoms will always face away from any shadow and upward toward the sky. Avoid high dry locations above ledges where the soil is shallow and low wet spots where water collects during rainy spells.
Any time the ground can be worked, whether it’s in the spring, summer, or fall, daylilies can be planted with great success. To avoid winter frost heaving, mulch should be applied to daylilies planted in the fall. We advise you to plant your daylilies as soon as you get them. The roots should be placed in water for an hour before planting, but, if they will be stored for several days.
Approximately the size of the pot, dig the hole. Remove the daylily from the pot, untangle the roots, and set it into the hole with the surrounding dirt tightly packed.
Until you are ready to plant, keep in a cool area. Roots should be soaked in water for an hour prior to planting if kept for several days. Create a hole and place a cone of earth inside. Cone-shaped roots should be spread out, and the crown should be slightly below ground. One inch of earth should be pressed down tightly around the plant’s crown. Give newly planted daylilies plenty of water.
The best soil is loose, loamy soil. Clay, gravel, and sand quality is very low. Compost, decaying leaves or wood chips, old manure, or almost any other organic substance can enhance poor soil.
If the daylily will be divided and replanted in a border of mixed perennial flowers in three to five years, leave a circle of 16 to 18 inches in diameter. It needs a 24–30 inch spacing if you plan to leave the daylily clump in place for 10–15 years. A border of daylily flowers follows the same rules. Daylily plants should be placed in a triangle configuration with each plant 24 inches apart from its neighbors in a landscape setting, such as a bank that will be covered in the flowers. 30 daylily plants will consequently be needed for a bank that is 100 square feet. (Add 0.304 to the square footage.) Plant the daylily seeds 12 to 18 inches apart in a straight line as an edging along a walkway.
Mulch between one and four inches thick will help keep the soil moist and prevent weeds from growing among the daylily plants. While grass clippings, leaves, hay, wood chips, and other organic materials are appropriate, their slow breakdown draws nitrogen from the soil. Particularly with recently cut wood chips, you might want to add some fertilizer. Daylilies planted in the fall should have a thick layer of mulch applied to the area the first year to keep the earth from freezing and heaving them out of the ground.
Plant nutrients are rarely insufficient in organic compost soil. Add any slow-releasing, composted organic matter, such as horse, sheep, or cow manure, or your own compost, in the spring or the fall to sustain good daylily growth.
How long do daylilies live?
Daylilies are hardy plants that can live for many years. To ensure that their roots have enough room to expand, it is advised to divide them every three to six years.
How can you ensure that daylilies bloom all summer long?
To promote more blossoms, frequently deadhead daylilies. Every day, remove any spent blooms. After all blooms have vanished, cut the blooming stem back to the ground. Using sharp scissors or pruners is the ideal technique to deadhead daylilies because of their thick stems, as doing so risks snapping off any nearby blossoms.
How many daylilies can you plant in a single planting?
I had a variety of roles as a founding worker at Gardener’s Supply over the years. I currently run my own business, which is called Johnnie Brook Creative. A huge vegetable garden, a seasonal greenhouse, a cutting garden, perennial gardens, a rock garden, a shade garden, berry plantings, numerous container plants, and a meadow garden are among the gardens surrounding my Richmond, Vermont, home. The garden is the only place I would rather be. Check out this Garden Gate magazine video interview from January 2021 if you’re interested in learning more.
The daylily is the only perennial that can be considered a “guaranteed thing.” They do well in zones 3 to 9 (from Minnesota to Florida), can survive a wide range of soil types, are unaffected by diseases or pests, and consistently bloom for years with hardly any care. Hemerocallis, the daylily’s botanical name, literally translates to “beauty for a day,” and in fact, the majority of daylily flowers open in the morning and wither by dusk. The plant blooms for several weeks because each flower stem, also known as a scape, often bears at least a dozen flower buds.
Daylilies, unlike the majority of perennials, can be used in a variety of ways in the garden and landscape. The shorter, more compact kinds grow nicely when planted straight into perennial borders, where their blossoms provide the landscape a much-needed lift in the middle of summer. Daylilies are best planted in groups of three or five for landscapes, especially when combined with tiny shrubs and decorative grasses. Daylilies make the ideal plant for mass plantings along fences or walkways since they create a weed-free display that is thick and attractive.
How quickly do daylilies grow?
The easiest to maintain perennial flowering plant is the daylily. The plants have rapid growth and a long lifespan. They can grow in practically any type of soil, in full sun or partial shade, and are rarely bothered by disease or insect pests. Although daylilies are renowned for their hardiness, their vibrant and many blossoms are equally stunning. With new blossoms emerging every day, blooming begins in the middle of summer and lasts through the beginning of autumn.
Plan for Success
Sun and Shade: Daylilies grow best in broad sunlight. Even in partial shade, the plants can thrive, though they could yield fewer flowers.
Zones 4-9. Hardiness zones are where most daylilies can flourish. Uncertain of your growing zone? Look at this USDA zone map.
Daylilies should be planted bareroot in the early spring while they are still dormant. You can plant daylilies in pots at any point during the growth season.
How to Plant Daylilies
To a depth of twelve, loosen the ground. Compost and general-purpose granular fertilizer should be combined (if desired).
Place the daylily in the hole with its crown—where the roots and stem meet—one inch below the soil line.
Where to Plant Daylilies
Continual Gardens Daylilies give flower beds and borders color in the middle of summer. They flower at the same time as Shasta daisies, bee balm, and garden phlox, which are high summer bloomers. It’s simple to pick a height, bloom time, and color combination that work for your garden from the thousands of types available.
Nature Reserves Despite the fact that daylilies are not native to a region, their flowers and foliage complement ornamental grasses, asters, echinacea, rudbeckia, and other plants with an unstructured growth pattern and the strength to survive on their own.
Grassy Slopes Daylilies can be an attractive, low-maintenance option for sloped or otherwise challenging-to-mow lawn areas. Their extensive root network prevents soil erosion and can suffocate the majority of weeds. Daffodils are best paired with daylilies. In late April, the daylily foliage emerges and covers the dying back daffodil foliage.
Wet Regions Daylilies can withstand dry conditions as well as wet feet. They work well in rain gardens and are ideal for planting next to ponds or streams.
Building Blocks and Fence Lines The use of daylilies to create a low-maintenance border along a fence, by a walkway or driveway, or up against an outbuilding is highly recommended. They’ll ease the burden of pruning and mowing by softerening sharp lines.
Containers Daylilies do well in pots, especially some of the dwarf types. The luxuriant foliage serves as an excellent backdrop for other flowers even when they are not in bloom.
What to Expect
Daylilies don’t care much about the soil and can grow in conditions that would be too damp or dry for most other perennials. Having said that, good, well-drained soil is ideal for growing daylilies.
Daylilies need watering in dry weather throughout their initial growing season. They will establish themselves more swiftly as a result. Water sparingly but thoroughly, ensuring that the water reaches the root zone. Mulching will help keep the soil moist and lessen weed competition around newly planted daylilies.
Daylilies need a year or two to establish themselves and find their footing, like the majority of perennials. They will bloom consistently after that for many years.
How to Care for Daylilies
A daylily flower only blooms once. Snap off the spent blooms to maintain the plants looking their best, being careful not to disrupt neighboring buds. Cut the scapes down to the ground once they have finished blooming to maintain the plants’ clean appearance and stop them from investing energy in seed formation. Additionally, this might help the plant to grow more flower spikes.
Although certain species of daylilies maintain their green color far into the winter, the foliage often starts to turn yellow in late fall. Late fall or early spring are good times to remove spent leaves. Waiting until spring will make it simple to remove.
Daylilies benefit from an annual spring application of granular all-purpose fertilizer, depending on the soil’s fertility (follow package directions). When you remove the foliage from the previous year, scatter the fertilizer all around the base of the plant.
Daylilies benefit from having bark, leaves, or other organic materials mulched around them. It makes weed management simple and maintains soil moisture.
Daylilies can flourish for many years without any care, although dividing the plants around every five years will increase flower production. After the plants have stopped blooming in the late summer, this is a work to be done. The entire plant should be dug out and laid out on a tarp. To make the clump easier to handle, cut or pull it apart. Use scissors to cut the leaves back to 5 or 6 inches before transplanting.
Hummingbirds are attracted to daylilies?
Let the hummingbirds fly! The elegance and aerobatics of these flying jewels have captivated gardeners for generations. Planting nectar-rich blooms and offering a welcoming environment are the keys to luring hummingbirds to your yard. Check out our plant list and advice!
Flowers that Attract Hummingbirds
The greatest nectar is typically produced by tubular, brightly colored flowers because they are particularly alluring to hummingbirds. These include several annuals, such as cleomes, impatiens, and petunias, as well as perennials like bee balms, columbines, daylilies, and lupines as well as biennials like foxgloves and hollyhocks.
Here is a list of hummingbird-friendly floral plants. Select cultivars with red and orange undertones.
How should daylilies be arranged in my garden?
The gardens of collectors, which are frequently a jumble of color, show that daylilies of many hues typically get along well together. However, color contrast needs to be taken into account when designing properly for daylily plantings. Some color combinations complement one another far better than others. When two to ten or more complementing hues are randomly mixed in a mass planting of yellow and gold cultivars, the result can be spectacular. Such a planting can be made even more dramatic by include a yellow daylily with a vivid purple eyezone, such as “El Desperado.”
Similar to this, strikingly contrasting hues like the deep purple “Strutter’s Ball” or the orange and red “Bold Tiger” look fantastic when interplanted at random with daylilies that are nearly white, like “Sunday Gloves.” Although such stark contrasts are a matter of taste, bright yellows also function effectively.
While most daylilies blend in well with other perennials in the yard, you’ll need to take extra caution when planting white daylilies close to other perennials with white flowers. Even while daylily breeders have made incredible strides in the direction of creating a truly white cultivar, their best successes are better characterized as near-white. On the other hand, many other perennials, including shasta daisies, produce real white flowers. It is ideal to place nearly-white daylilies next to perennials with flowers of different hues in order to achieve the best color effect. The daylily will seem off-white if not.
What vegetation does daylilies favor?
Even yet, most gardeners prefer to include a range of other perennials to liven up their perennial beds, even though daylilies can be used to create a beautiful long-blooming perennial garden.
Daylilies can be an excellent center of attention or a vibrant accent among a variety of other plants. What an accent, too.
400 flowers may be produced by a well-established daylily clump in just one season! Each plant can flower over a 4-5 week period, or even longer for the everbloomers or rebloomers, depending on the variety you select. That adds a lot of color to your perennial bed, I must say.
You will constantly have vivid bursts of daylily color popping up in your garden, first here, then there, always changing, always delightful, if you carefully choose your varieties and position them throughout your bed.
You will struggle to make a decision because there are so many fantastic perennials for the sun garden that work perfectly with daylilies! If you plant wisely, you can make a garden that is vibrant from the first days of spring to the end of the season, with thrilling new and unusual blossoms popping up every month. Simply stroll through the Viette’s display gardens once every two to three weeks to observe how these lovely pairings produce a dynamic, constantly-changing scene throughout the season in a thoughtful perennial garden.
Make sure to select perennials that can flourish in bright shade or full sun when choosing partners for your daylilies. To have vibrant blooms throughout the year, choose a mix of perennials and shrubs that flower in the spring, summer, and fall. Your garden will come to life with the flitting of butterflies and hummingbirds thanks to the magnificent daylily companions Echinacea, Perovskia, Achillea, Coreopsis, Phlox, Salvia, and Buddleia. Daylilies look amazing against decorative grasses.
Don’t restrict yourself to merely get color from flowers. Consider the stunning seasonal color provided by foliage. Finding perennials with foliage that nearly matches every shade of perennial bloom doesn’t need much searching! A few examples include the brilliant silver of Artemisia ‘Silver Mound,’ the stunning silvery blue of Perovskia (Russian Sage), the reds, yellows, and blues of Sedums, and of course, my personal favorite, the wonderful Heuchera. Heuchera ‘Caramel’s’ vibrant apricot leaves are eye-catching on their own, but when there’s even the slightest breeze, flashes of ruby red from the undersides of the leaves add an entirely new level, like dancing “Rockettes” flashing their petticoats! Many other Heuchera varieties’ vibrant leaf offers comparable “surprises” of unexpected color, but that’s a whole other tale.