Daylilies are one of my favorite perennial plants. They are
pretty, hardy and very easy to take care of. They have arching,
sword shaped leaves and lily shaped flowers that come in all
shades of yellow, orange and red. They grow to a height of
about 18 inches usually and are best placed in the middle of the
flower bed because of this. Daylilies are called this because
their large lily like blooms only last one day. This is okay
though because the next day there will be a new bloom right
next to the old one on the same stem.
Daylilies will grow in all zones and like full sun, but if your
area is very hot, plant them in semi shade. They will usually
adapt to any type of soil. They need quite a bit of water during
bloom and should be fed with complete fertilizer during spring
and summer.
When your daylily plant starts looking crowded and pretty
large, it’s probably time to divide it. This is a great time to
share with your friends and family. Just dig it up and pull (or
whack) it apart. It will take some forceful pulling (maybe even
some wrestling) to get the roots apart. It’s a tough plant, so
don’t worry too much about hurting it. The best time for this
is in early spring or late fall.
Daylilies look beautiful planted near Shasta Daisies or Poker
plant. They do well on banks, near pools in the flower bed,
and in containers. You can even try them in the vegetable
garden planted near some salad ingredients.
The petals are edible. I know this sounds weird, but they are
really good. It is crunchy like lettuce and goes very well in
tossed salads, not only for it’s flavor and texture, but to make
the salad pretty. If you can bring yourself to try a petal, please
do, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Even though the
blooms only last one day, they still make great cut flowers
because the buds are in clusters on one stem. This means one
stem with 5 or 6 buds will probably last a week in a vase
provided the water is changed daily.
If you don’t have a daylily yet, I recommend you get one.
Before you go buy one, check to see if your family and friends
have a plant that needs dividing. This way, when you look at
the plant in the future, you’ll have a pleasant memory of who
gave it to you.
Copyright ©, 2000, Monica Resinger
About the Author:
Monica Resinger publishes an e-mail newsletter for homemakers that poses fun questions to
readers about organizing, crafting, gardening, frugal living and other homemaking subjects;
readers can respond to the questions and receive the resulting, very informative 'tip sheet'.
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Perennial & Landscaping Resources
Breck's: Bulbs & Plants
Spring Hill Nursery
Michigan Bulb
Henry Field's
Gurney's Seed & Nursery
Jackson & Perkins
White
Flower Farm
Nature Hills Nursery
