Daylily Care
A Guide to Daylily Care
Daylilies are beautiful ornamental plants which would definitely add a sparkle of sophisticated beauty and charm to any garden.
Besides their beauty, they are exceedingly easy to grow and to maintain.
The plants are quite hardy and vigorous, with a good resistance to the winter cold weather.
Sometimes the daylily plant is mistaken for lilies, but in fact that is not true. The scientific name of these plants is Hemerocallis, which originates from two Greek words – ‘day’ and ‘beauty’.
And this name was not given without good reason. The Daylily flowers are really beautiful… but they bloom for only one single day.
However, fortunately there are some new species which start blooming in the evening and continue till the next evening. At night you can enjoy their strong and very pleasant fragrance.
Every plant of Daylily provides a lot of flower buds, and they keep opening through a long time period.
The colours of the flowers depend on the variety, and they come in a wide range of varieties.
The plants keep blooming even in the hottest summer weather.
Soil and Location
The first step in caring for the Daylily plant is to know the soil.
These plants grow extremely well if exposed to direct sunlight. This is what makes them especially valuable, as most other plants usually prefer shaded locations. Daylilies can therefore happily occupy the open spaces of your garden without the slightest hesitation and they will not suffer in sunlight.
Tips on Daylily care for shade garden: Most daylilies bloom best in full sun but they will tolerate part-shade conditions. They do need a bit of shade during the afternoon heat, but the slightest shading would be enough for these plants.
Daylilies can tolerate any soil, but the best growth is guaranteed in a moist and well-drained soil, slightly acidic along with being rich in organic components.
Planting Daylilies
The second step in Daylily care is to know where to plant.
These versatile plants can be put in the ground at any time when the soil is tillable. You will need to work the soil well before planting them, and make sure that you add enough compost or manure to ensure that the soil is fertile enough.
You should base the amount of compost that you add on soil test. When you finally do plant your Daylilies, ensure that the hole you dig for them is large enough so that the roots can fit into it without being bent or crowded in any way.
The most favourable time for this sort of planting is in early spring or just after the plants flower. Remember that if you divide a plant in spring, it is possible that it will not flower in the summer of that same year.
Daylily Care
Daylily care starts at the beginning of spring. At this time you should remove the previous year’s weeds, as well as any dead leaves. You will have fewer problems with weeds if you had mulched the ground during the previous summer.
Remember that though the Daylilies are hardy plants, and will probably survive a short drought, they will only look their best if you provide them with well-drained soil that is always moist.
The recommended amount of water for Daylilies is about an inch every week; though you may need to give them more water if you plant them in sandy soils.
It is very important to detach the seed pods after the flowering period. This prevents the plants from producing seeds, and this is of crucial importance as plants that produce seeds usually have fewer flowers the next year.
Putting in fertilizer annually will greatly help in producing a large number of beautiful flowers. Add manure or compost in the spring for the best results.
Another important factor that you should pay attention to in daylily care is the insects, pests and diseases.
Buy
To buy visit… Daylily Varieties
Summary
Daylily is one of America’s favourite perennials, as pest free as one can hope for and there are many different colours to choose from to brighten up your garden.
They grow from tubers that can be divided into more plants every few years, 4 to 5 years apart on average. You can find a Daylily of many different heights and bloom times… from early spring up to late fall.
Plant your daylilies 5 to 6 inches deep and space them as you like depending on how often you are willing to separate them, generally 5 to 6 inches apart will suffice.
Daylilies can be planted anytime the soil is workable, and mulched in the fall to prevent winter damage. Be careful of root rot, they don’t like to be in standing water.
A good rich humus soil will do best as this will feed the plants and no fertilizer will then be necessary. One last and important thought.
Tips on Daylily care:
Just before and during bloom time water heavily, don’t leave in standing water, and this will produce bigger and longer lasting bloom period.
Trimming dead areas of foliage is also a crucial part of Daylily care, particularly during the growing season, as this provides the plants with room for new growth.