Group effect: Each spectacular daylily bloom lasts a day

Last May, I had the pleasure and privilege of visiting Marsha Crisler’s beautiful Crawford Daylily Gardens in Crawfordville. As the numerous deer that regularly visit my yard prevent me from successfully growing daylilies, being in the presence of so many gorgeous flowers reminded me how much I love daylilies.

I’d certainly grow them if I could. But I’d like to recommend that you consider adding these easy-to-grow beauties to your landscape.

Daylilies are members of the lily family, in the genus Hemerocallis. ‘Hemero’ is Greek for ‘day,” and ‘callis’ for ‘beauty,’ a reflection of the fact that each beautiful daylily bloom lasts for only a day.

The varieties of daylilies available today have been developed from native Chinese species. Early settlers from Europe and Asia brought many original species with them to America. During the last 75 or so years, hybridizers in the US and the UK have made great improvements in daylily varieties, creating new forms and colors.

These are among the most popular perennials grown in Florida, and, in our area, they can bloom from April through October depending on the variety. They are hardy plants that are relatively pest-free.

Choosing your daylilies

Originally, the only colors available were yellow, orange, and rusty red. Now daylily colors range from near-whites, to pastels, yellows, oranges, pinks, vivid reds, green, deep crimson, purple, neon pink, and nearly true-blue, as well as many fabulous blends and eye-popping multi-colored patterns.

The typical blooming period is four to seven weeks, although some varieties bloom even longer and others bloom more than once during the growing season. The flowers may vary in size from a few inches to up to 10 inches, but most are five to six inches across. In height, daylilies range from dwarfs of five to six inches to almost five feet.

Color patterns range from pure colors to blends of two, three, or more colors. Some have petals and sepals of different colors, and others have colored throats or contrasting midribs or edges. Daylily blooms are also available in a wide variety of shapes and forms from the simplest single (three petals and three sepals) to double, spider, and highly unusual shapes that twist, curl, or cascade. The variety available in size, color, and form is quite remarkable.

When you select daylilies to add to your yard, consider that there are three types of foliage growth. Dormant foliage dies back after frost followed by new foliage that grows in the spring. Evergreen varieties have foliage that remains green throughout the year, while semi-evergreen plants have foliage that may be dormant or evergreen in the winter depending on where they are grown. In the case of dormant varieties, consider marking the spots where your daylilies will return in the spring to avoid disturbing them.

To extend the flowering season, select a combination of early- and late-blooming varieties. Your flowers will make the biggest impact in your garden beds if you group multiple plants of the same color or hue together. You’ll find daylilies for sale at local nurseries and at big box stores as well as directly from local and long-distance growers. While potted daylilies will be found at nurseries, local growers may sell you bare root plants at their sites.

Planting your Daylilies

Daylilies are easy to establish in your garden and can be planted throughout the year, with spring and fall being the most ideal seasons for planting. Choose a location in full to filtered sun and amend the soil generously with organic matter such as compost or peat. Space your plants 18 to 24 inches apart to allow some room for spreading. Some varieties multiply more quickly than others and can become crowded before you know it.

After planting, water them well, provide a layer of mulch, and keep them evenly moist until they are established. These plants are quite drought tolerant because of their extensive root system.

Daylilies do not have many pests, with aphids, thrips, spider mites and grasshoppers being the main problems (other than browsing deer). Daylily rust is a possible disease that is unlikely to kill a healthy plant but can make the foliage ugly. Look for varieties that are resistant to the disease and remove any infected leaves or plant material as soon as it is seen.

Propagating your daylilies

One of the best things about daylilies is that they will continue to provide you with additional garden beauty as they multiply. To create more plants though plant division, dig them up immediately after they finish flowering and make sure that you remove the entire clump, not just part of it. Then, either shake off the soil or wash it off carefully to avoid damaging the roots.

Using a sharp clean knife, cut the leaves off about six inches above the crown (the point where the foliage and roots join) and divide the clump. Prune off some of the roots to encourage new root development, and your divided daylilies are now ready to plant.

Sometimes the flower stems of daylilies will develop small plantlets. These can be removed and then rooted to form new plants. Note that like many other kinds of garden lilies, daylilies contain toxic alkaloids, and using garden gloves when handling them is recommended.

For much more information about these wonderful plants, I suggest you visit the great website for the American Daylily Society (daylilies.org).

You’ll especially enjoy the photos of recently developed varieties. And if you’d like to become active with other local daylily enthusiasts, consider joining this organization dedicated to educating people about daylilies and promoting the cultivation and enjoyment of these beautiful flowers.

So why not consider adding some beauty to your yard with daylilies? Or, if you already have some, why not shop for something new and different? The possibility of finding something new that you like is just about a sure thing.

Susan Barnes is a Master Gardener Volunteer with UF/IFAS Leon County Extension, an Equal Opportunity Institution. For gardening questions, email AskAMasterGardener@ifas.ufl.edu.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Brighten your landscape with a sunny bed of daylilies