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Growing Requirements of the Daylily

Hemerocallis

April 24, 1999
Daylilies, Hemerocallis, produce an abundance of flowers which open over a long period of time. They are useful in the perennial flower border, as a garden centerpiece, or any corner of the garden which needs to be brightened up. They will form a quite large cluster in just a few years.

A well established daylily clump may produce as many as 400 flowers in a single season. Each plant will produce blooms for 30–40 days between early and late summer, depending on the variety. By planting several different cultivars, it's easy to have continuous show of blooms throughout the entire summer. There are literally hundreds of different types of daylilies in many colors, shades, and even a few fragrant nocturnal varieties.
(A nocturnal 'Day'lily, hmmmmmm.......)

Daylily culture

For the best quality flowers, daylilies should be grown in full sun, however they will tolerate light shade. Daylilies take quite a bit of water and food so they shouldn't be planted to close to trees or shrubs which compete for the moisture and nutrients. Daylilies grow best in slightly acidic, well drained soil which has a high organic content. A pH of 6 to 6.5 might be considered ideal. Although daylilies can tolerate drought, they perform best when they receive a deep watering of an inch of water or more each week. More frequent watering may be necessary if they are planted in sandy soils.
A spring application of manure, compost, or a good complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 is very beneficial. A low nitrogen fertilizer (3-12-12) should be applied in the late summer or early fall.
Remove the seed capsules after the bloom has faded to prevent seed production which weakens the plant and would decrease the number of flowers next year.
Daylilies can be divided every three to four years. The best time to transplant or divide plants is in early spring or immediately after they finish flowering. Dig the entire plant up and gently pull the leaf fans apart, with each division having a minimum of 3 fans. (Newly divided plants may not flower the first summer)

Planting daylilies

Prepare the planting area by digging a hole larger than the root ball, and down down at least a foot to loosen the soil. Mix in compost, well-rotted manure, sand, or peat moss thoroughly, and then form a mound in the center of the hole. Set the plant in place with the roots spread on all sides of the mound, at the depth at which it was originally growing. Never plant daylilies so that the crown (where foliage and roots join) is more than an inch deep. Add the soil around the roots firming it as you go. When the hole is half filled with soil, water it very well to insure good soil to root contact, and then add the remaining soil. Firm the soil again, leaving a slight depression around the plant to act as a reservoir and water thoroughly.
A good mulch of wood chips or bark will help to preserve the moisture in the summer, as well as helping to control the weeds.

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