Daylilies are the first perennial that a newbie should try, Mark Viette will say. And rightfully so. The third generation of his family to work with their development and breeding is Mark. He runs Viette Nurseries, a stunning retail garden center decorated with magnificent displays of daylilies and other perennials in the rolling hills of Fishersville, Virginia, with his parents, Andre and Claire.
Daylilies reach their full bloom in June. On stems that are between one and five feet tall, you’ll find blooms of all different colors. Although each flower only lasts for one day, plants often bloom repeatedly over the course of four to five weeks. While a small number of daylilies known as everbloomers flower almost the entire summer, rebloomers produce many performances each year. Here is Mark’s inside scoop on how to maximize the potential of these inexpensive beauties.
For the most blossoms, plant in full sun. Daylilies may grow in almost any well-drained soil, but for best results, amend the soil before planting with a lot of organic material, such as peat moss, chopped leaves, composted manure, and kitchen compost. Water thoroughly before mulching with 2 to 3 inches of pine straw or ground bark. Espoma Plant-tone 5-3-3, an organic fertilizer that delivers healthy soil bacteria, is fed to Mark’s plants in the spring and the fall.
Which month should daylilies be planted?
There aren’t many perennial plants that are simpler to grow than daylilies. Due of its low maintenance requirements and extensive color options, it is a favorite of both novice and seasoned gardeners. Similar to a broad-leaved ornamental grass, daylily leaves give texture to the garden when they are not in bloom.
How to Choose Daylilies
From the thousands of little yellow plants you find in office parks to the tall orange trees “Ditch lilies come in a variety of sizes and hues and are commonly found blooming beside rural roadsides. While some have distinctive colors, some kinds have ruffled petals (including purple). For season-long flowers, plant a blend of early-, mid-, and late-season kinds “Reblooming cultivars will maximize the floral power in your garden.
Where to Plant Daylilies
Daylilies are planted in large numbers along the sides of interstates for a reason—they are hardy plants! Plant daylilies in locations with six or more hours of direct sunlight each day and in soil that isn’t often wet for the best results. When planted in large groups, daylilies put on a spectacular display. They are perfect for providing color around home foundations in front of shrub plantings or to complete a perennial garden.
When to Plant Daylilies
For optimal results, plant daylilies in late spring or early fall. But if you come across a plant during a summer sale that you simply must have, bring it home right now and plant it. Simply watch it carefully and water it frequently throughout the first two weeks.
How to Prepare the Soil for Planting Daylilies
Daylilies can grow in a range of soil types, but they will grow best in slightly damp, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter. Utilize Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for Flowers to prepare fresh planting sites. The top 6 to 8 inches of native soil should be mixed with 3 inches of garden soil. Additionally, you can enhance the soil in each planting hole by mixing 50:50 Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for Flowers with the current soil. Be sure to read the section below on “How to Feed Daylilies” if you want to know how to combine the power of outstanding soil with the proper plant food for beautiful results.
How to Plant Daylilies
There are two ways to buy and sell daylilies. They occasionally arrive as bare-root plants, often known as “fans,” which are clumps of roots, leaves, and a developing stem. But the majority of daylilies are cultivated in containers. Prepare a hole that is twice as large and precisely as deep as the plant’s root system before planting either variety. If using a plant from a container, place it in the hole and then fill up the area around the roots. Make a mound in the planting hole with part of the removed soil mixture if you are planting a bare-root daylily. Place roots on top of the mound and surround them with vegetation. Make sure the plant’s crown, which is where the roots and stems meet the leaves, is just above the soil line when it is planted and not buried. Plants should be well-watered before mulch is applied to keep the soil evenly moist.
How to Water Daylilies
For the first few weeks following planting, you’ll need to water the plants every other day or so. For the remainder of the first growing season, water once or twice per week (depending on whether or not it has rained). If your region is not experiencing drought, you shouldn’t need to water daylilies during the second growing season and beyond (4 or more weeks without measurable rainfall). Daylilies can withstand drought once they are established.
How to Feed Daylilies
Starting a month after planting, feed daylilies with Miracle-Gro Thanks in part to natural ingredients that help nourish plants above and below the soil, Shake ‘n Feed Rose & Bloom Plant Food will help them continue to grow big and strong. Shake the food onto the ground evenly. To begin the feeding, work the fertilizer into the top 1 to 3 inches of the soil. Make sure to heed the label’s instructions regarding how much and how frequently to apply.
How to Prevent Pest Problems with Daylilies
Although daylilies often don’t cause too many issues, deer do enjoy nibbling on the blooms. Spray plants with Tomcat Deer Repellent on a regular basis (as directed on the label) if deer are a concern. They dislike the taste and smell produced by the formula made with essential oils.
How to Deadhead Daylilies
Daylily blooms do indeed only bloom for one day. The following morning, remove any dead blooms from plants to keep them clean. Once all of the blooms have opened on a bloom stalk, cut it down to the ground level. Shear back foliage if it starts to look ragged in the middle of the summer.
How to Divide Daylilies
Plants that create clumps include daylilies. As the plants get older, clumps may get congested and produce fewer blooms. Digging up the entire plant, after flowering in the early fall, is how you divide plants. You can either use a pointed spade to cut the plant into pieces or shake the soil off and gently pry apart the roots. (The first method gives you more divisions, but the second method is quicker.) Replant immediately.
Getting ready to start daylily gardening? To learn more about a product, to buy it online, or to locate a retailer near you, click on any of the product links above.
Can daylilies be planted at any time?
After the summer’s final bloom, is when daylily roots are best suited for transplantation. Being the completely adaptable perennials that are, they may still be divided up to the end of the autumn, giving them plenty of time to grow in the ground and produce lovely blooms the following year.
What do daylilies have seasons?
Hemerocallis, sometimes known as daylilies, are not genuine lilies. Daylilies are perennial plants that develop from underground root systems rather than rhizomatous bulbs. The majority of daylilies have six sepals, and the majority of them have six vibrant stamens in the flower’s center. Due of their dense and durable foliage, daylilies can be distinguished from genuine lilies by their strap-shaped green leaves.
Hemerocallis, the daylily’s botanical name, literally means “beauty for a day.” The majority of daylilies do have flowers that only endure for one day, however these hardy bloomers produce multiple blossoms on each scape or stem. Sun-friendly daylilies are a popular choice for landscaping because of their lengthy blooming season, simple maintenance, and disease resistance, as well as a superb quality for filling in sparse sections of the garden! With numerous doubled, ruffled, and variegated variations, these well-liked perennials can now bloom in almost any shade and color imaginable. In order to locate the ideal plant for your requirements and area, daylilies come in a variety of sizes, including miniature varieties, tall varieties, and everything in between.
How long before daylilies bloom? By combining early, mid, and late flowering kinds, you may extend the blooming period from May through September. Daylilies typically bloom in June or July. Some species bloom twice a year, once in the spring and once in the late fall. Whatever you’re looking for, there’s a daylily out there that you’ll adore, we’re certain of it!
How can I purchase a daylily?
Let me start by saying that, aside from my yearly yardsale, I do not sell daylilies. I used to think that
I once thought about starting a daylily business, but I’ve chosen to maintain it as a pastime for now.
- My preferred source for daylilies is mail order nurseries. Since the plants are typically cultivated under optimal conditions, they typically have good size and quality, which helps keep pricing reasonable. Additionally, their overhead is typically not too high. Of course, there will always be exceptions, so it’s probably a good idea to place a little order on your first occasion with a supplier. The AHS source list contains a list of commercial daylily growers, or you can visit one of the numerous farmers directly (see Charlotte’s Daylily Diary) if you prefer.
- Plant sales at the nearby daylily club. Typically, plants pulled from community members’ gardens are sold at these fundraisers. For notices of neighborhood sales, check the gardening section of your local newspaper or get in touch with the daylily club in your area. There are now a lot of neighborhood clubs, and the American Hemerocallis Society offers a list of them (see my links page).
- nursery for daylilies. Daylily nurseries that are open to the public are multiplying as a result of the daylily’s rising popularity. Find out whether there are any daylily clubs in your area by asking the members.
- Dayily auction online. I haven’t utilized this website, but I’ve heard great things about it. You should exercise caution, as with any internet auction.
- local retail home and garden stores. These haven’t historically been the best places to get daylilies because they frequently sell pots labeled “red daylily” or “yellow daylily” rather than registered cultivars. Even when they do contain designated kinds, it is frequently noted that they are tagged improperly as a result of careless handling by staff. However, they do frequently sell daylilies, and there are some stores that sell cultivars that are properly tagged, so I’m including them here.
- Trades – Daylilies grow quickly, therefore it’s common to trade your extras with other daylily growers to expand your collection.
- All 50 states, from Alaska to Florida, have daylilies, although not all of them will thrive in every environment. Try to choose those who perform well in your area. The more delicate, evergreen cultivars should be avoided if you live in a region with hard winters, while the dormant cultivars should be avoided if you live in a region with frequent, prolonged cold snaps. Although it considerably raises your chances, doing this does not ensure that a particular cultivar will succeed in your area.
Get in touch with the local daylily nursery if you have one. They would be more than delighted to assist you in choosing daylilies that will flourish in your garden. After all, satisfied clients are those who come back.
- Choose cultivars that have proven successful in other nearby gardens. These are a wise choice because you are already aware of how effectively they work in your location.
- Finally, ask daylily farmers in your region for recommendations. Find a daylily club in your area and attend one of their meetings. Daylily enthusiasts are a pleasant bunch, and the majority will be delighted to share their personal favorites with you.
- Prices for daylilies can range from a few dollars for a double fan to well over $200 or more for a single fan. Therefore, why do daylilies fetch such a range of prices? In essence, it’s a case of supply and demand. A new cultivar may be released with a $100.00 beginning price. Due to its rarity, it can sell for this much. This plant grows less rare and costs less as more growers acquire it and spread it out. The price will remain high for a longer period of time if the cultivar is well-liked or grows slowly. Likewise, the cost will decrease pretty quickly if the daylily grows swiftly or is not very well-liked.
- Does this imply that the less expensive cultivars are inferior to the more costly ones? No, not always. The availability of that cultivar is simply increased. As a result of their longevity and the volume of growers that sell them, hundreds of lovely varieties may be found in the $5–$10 price range.
- Different producers’ prices for the same cultivar will frequently range, sometimes significantly. This can be as a result of the cultivar being in greater supply with one farmer than another. The costs for several nurseries were previously provided in a publication called Eureka Daylily Reference Guide. Sadly, it is no longer published, making it more difficult to comparison shop for the cheapest prices.
- When analyzing a mail order grower’s prices, there are other aspects other than list price to take into account. Do the grower’s orders come with free plants as gifts? Although most do, some are significantly more giving than others. Whom does the grower send fans to? The majority will send two, but some will transmit a full clump. It was really unusual for me to receive 12 fans of a cultivar for the price of 2, as additional fans could mean higher shipping charges. Does the grower deliver robust, big plants? I’ve received plants that were no larger than a pencil’s diameter and others that were over three inches in diameter. It is advised to just place a small order with a grower from whom you have never placed an order before. If the order meets your standards, you can then place larger orders.
- You can still order catalogs from many of the larger producers by calling, writing, or emailing them. Due of the expense of generating a catalog with color images, some growers, particularly the smaller growers, will just supply pricing lists.
- You will receive quarterly periodicals from the American Hemerocallis Society, which are filled with advertisements from producers across the nation. A lot of catalogs will also be sent to you. AHS membership as a whole receives catalogs from many of the farmers.
- Nowadays, a lot of nurseries have online catalogs. Over the past few years, there had been a significant increase in the number of these online catalogs. The list of growers on Charlotte’s Daylily Diary is carefully structured, and many of them have online catalogs.
- Growing daylilies from seed to many is an exciting method to increase the number of them you grow, but if you are new to growing daylilies, you should read steps 4 through 6 on my daylily growing guide.
Before you begin, see the Hybridizing for Beginners page. If you decide you want to give it a try, seeds are available on the Lily Auction website.