SO...YOU JUST BOUGHT SOME DAYLILIES, NOW WHAT TO DO? Print E-mail

 

Sun: While the common orange daylily will grow just about anywhere, modern daylilies require at least four to six hours of sun a day for best performance. In other words, half a day of sun and skylight for the remainder of the day is fine. Some mid day or afternoon filtered shade is acceptable for dark red and purple varieties.


Soil:  Daylilies will grow in a wide range of soils, from sand to heavy clay, and in a wide range of pH’s. However they prefer rich, organic well drained soil with a pH of between 5.5-6.8. It is more important to properly prepare the soil than to have the best garden soil to start with. Humus, peat moss, and sand should be added to heavy clay soil to make it more friable. Compost or peat moss should be added to sandy soil to lessen its porosity and increase water retention. A soil test of your garden bed will help determine what soil preparation is needed and fertilization requirements for optimum growth. 


Water:  Daylilies are drought tolerant plants, meaning they can withstand severe water shortages. However to get the biggest and best blooms, daylilies love water. Water is essential in the spring for bud and scape development, as well as in the summer for spectacular blooms. We recommend approximately 1 inch of water per week.


Fertilizing:  Daylilies require a light feeding of 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 a month after being planted in the ground to continue peak performance.  Once established, and depending on your soil type, feeding in the spring and late summer is usually sufficient. A low nitrogen fertilizer should be used in the fall to encourage more root growth rather than foliage.


When and how to plant:  Plant your daylilies any time from spring through fall, but no later than 6 weeks before you expect the first hard freeze. This holds true for container daylilies but is more important for those just divided or purchased bare-root. Bare-root plants should be soaked for an hour prior to planting. Remove any dead or damaged roots, and if not already done so, cut back the foliage to 6-8”. We start dividing our beds in mid August and like to be done around Labor Day. Evergreen and semi-evergreen varieties should be mulched with a 4-6” layer of pine needles or hay their first winter to protect them from damage due to frost heaves. (Do not mulch for winter till the ground freezes, late fall-early winter) When planting your container grown daylilies allow the soil to cover the top of the root ball by one-half inch. Bare-root plants should be set as deep as they grew originally. The band of white at the base of the foliage indicates the part of the plant which was underground. Small types should be spaced 18-24 in. apart, medium to large types should be spaced 24-36 in. apart, this will ensure adequate room for growth of your plants.


Dividing:  Dividing is the easiest and most common way for a home gardener to start new plants. In approximately 3-5 years your daylily clumps can be divided by simply digging up the clump and separating individual fans. Daylily plants can be left as long as 10-12 years or more as long as the surrounding soil is loose and friable. Daylilies grow outward from the center and if the ground is loose they can do this, otherwise they grow sort of on top of the present growth, and eventually get so tight that their blossoms get smaller all the time. Division can be done from spring through mid September in our region. Usually it is done just after flowering so you can enjoy the blossoms that year. Dig the entire plant from the ground, cut back the foliage to 6” from the crown, then shake or wash off the soil. This exposes the root system and makes it easier to see how many divisions can be made. The clump may be divided with either a pocket knife, or large kitchen knife unless it is possible to simply pull the clump apart. Large older clumps may need to be split with a sharp spade, hatchet, or machete. Plant divisions as per instructions above. Good Luck! 


FARM NOTES:  About repeat bloomers.....there is a lot of public attention given to what are referred to as repeat bloomers. They are highly recommended in many gardening publications as daylilies that will bloom a second time in a given season. The first bloom is a spectacular display of colorful blooms, with an encore performance later in the season. Many of these varieties are being bred in the southern states. It has been our experience that rebloomers need ideal conditions to produce their encore presentation; a lot of warm, sunny days, with adequate water, a combination of conditions that are infrequently seen here in the northeast. So we suggest you make your selection by looking for daylilies with great bud count, multiple scapes and branching, or are nocturnal to extend the beauty and performance of your daylily garden. 


Bloom time varies depending on one’s geographic location and local weather. It is our experience here on the farm that early bloomers begin their display of color the end of June, beginning of July. Mid season daylilies bloom the middle of July through mid August. Our late blooming daylilies begin blooming mid August through September. Most daylily plants will provide a profusion of color for approximately 4 weeks, some even longer.