Daylilies or Hemerocallis have been the backbone in many gardens for a long time. They have been used not only for their beauty in the garden but also for culinary and medical purposes. Daylilies have been found in Chinese writings since 1000 BC.Daylilies hybridize very easily allowing many new cultivars to be introduced every year. There are now over 20,000 registered Daylilies and with more being added yearly. With this many types of Daylilies and more new ones be registered every year, they needed to be organized. Daylilies are classified as Dormant, Evergreen and Semi-Evergreen and then they are arranged according to height from dwarf to tall. They are also classified according to flowering time, diameter of flower, flower color and flower patterns. Daylilies come in every shade of yellow, red, pink, purple and melon.
Daylilies prefer full sun. Daylilies with yellow or pastel colored blooms do much better with full sun (6 hours) whereas rust or reds do better in part shade conditions (depending on your zone) due to absorbing to much heat from the sun. Soil should be well drained but moisture retentive. Propagation is by division in spring or fall. Planting is best done in the spring.
To keep your Daylilies looking their best, remove damaged, brown or diseased foliage as it appears during the growing season. After the blooming period, deadhead the flowers and remove the flower stalk after all the flowers have bloomed. Do not remove flowers and stalks if you are hybridizing. Stalks should be cut within a few inches of the ground.
Daylilies can have some pest problems like thrips, spider mites, aphids, slugs or snails. The disease problems that Daylilies have are Rust, Crown and Root Rot, Leaf Streak and Spring Sickness.
If you would like to learn more about Daylilies visit the American Hemerocallis Society website in my links.
Happy Gardening!
The Creative Gardener