Each red, orange or yellow trumpet opens for barely a day, yet new ones keep rising on long, slender stems above dense, evergreen leaves. The daylily (Hemerocallis) is unbeatable for edging beds, drives and walls, or cut for a vase. Give it light sun that never scorches, sheltered from wind, and it is extremely striking.
| Name | Hemerocallis |
|---|---|
| Family | Liliaceae (lily family) |
| Type | Perennial |
| Height | 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) |
| Exposure | Full sun, part sun |
| Soil | Ordinary, rather clayish |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Flowering | Early summer to early autumn |
Both in pots and directly in the ground, it requires a little care to make the blooming more expansive.
Hemerocallis blooms atop long, slender stems. This means you must make sure it doesn’t get any strong winds. Also, make sure it doesn’t get scorching hot, since this would wilt the short-lived flowers even faster.
It is recommended to plant hemerocallis in fall even though you can plant all the way up to spring if you avoid frost spells.
To keep your hemerocallis as long as possible, proceed to divide the clump after the blooming.
Repotting in spring will let the plant develop well.
Select flower plant soil mix for this.
This plant loves slightly shade-covered emplacements or sunny spots that don’t get too hot.
Both in pots and directly in the ground, prefer light sun and a spot that seems sheltered enough from wind.
Traditionally, Hemerocallis is a great plant to line the edges of flower beds, driveways and walls. It grows dense leafage and marks perimeters quite well.
Daylilies ask for very little, but each task has its moment. Here is the whole cycle, from planting to winter protection, set out season by season.
| Task | When | How to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Planting in the ground | Mid-autumn, or up to early spring outside frost spells | Ordinary, rather clayish soil, out of strong winds |
| Potting and repotting | Early to mid-spring | Use flower plant soil mix so the plant develops well |
| Dividing the clump | After flowering, from early autumn | Split the clump to keep the plant going as long as possible |
| Removing spent stems | Early summer to early autumn, as flowers fade | Cut away stems bearing wilted flowers regularly |
| Cutting back | Late autumn | Cut the plant back to the shortest |
| Winter protection | Midwinter, if colder than usual | Mound dead leaf mulch over the base of the plant |
Enriching the soil at planting time with soil mix, manure and seaweed compost gives the clump the best possible start.
Eliminate stems with wilted flowers regularly.
Cut back to the shortest at the end of fall.
In case of winter that is colder than usual, it is best to protect the base of the plant with dead leaf mulch.
This perennial, native to Asia, is also called “Hemerocallis“ and its blooming is very cute but lasts for only 24h.
It has the advantage of bearing evergreen leaves and boasting very beautiful flowers that appear in ranges of red, orange and yellow.
In a flower bed or as a cut flower in a vase, it is extremely striking.
Upon planting, feel free to enrich the soil with soil mix and even manure and seaweed compost.
