Daylily Culture

 

Most daylilies bloom best in full sun; they will tolerate part-shade conditions, but require a minimum of six hours of direct sun per day. Many red and purple varieties benefit from partial shade in the hottest part of the day since dark colors absorb heat and do not withstand the sun as well as lighter colors.

 

Any good garden soil is appropriate for growing daylilies. Humus or peat moss and sand should be added to heavy clay soil. Compost must be incorporated into sandy soil to increase water retention. Mulching your new plant acts not only as a weed barrier, but helps retain moisture and keep the roots cooler.

 

Fertilize with a well balanced 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 slow release fertilizer after your daylily has had time to establish.

 

If you cannot plant immediately after receiving your daylilies, place in a pail of cool water in the shade (they can be left for several days before planting). Water your new daylily well for the first 2 weeks after planting. You may notice some outer leaves turn yellow, this is normal, within several weeks you should see new leaf growth. Your daylily may still bloom this year, although the scape and bloom may be slightly smaller this year, again this is normal.

 

Soil temperatures as well as ph can effect petal color. High soil ph, above 6-6.5 can result in some pinks and lavenders washing out to melon or orange

Key

In parentheses:

Hybridizer - daylily's creator & year of registration with AHS

 

Next is height of scape (bloom stalk)

 

Bloom time:

VE – very early

E – early

EM – early midseason

M - midseason

ML – late midseason

L – late

VL - Very Late

 

Re – the plant has more than one flush of bloom per season

 

Size of Bloom

 

Growth Habit: DOR=dormant, SEV=semievergreen, EV=evergreen

 

Other Descriptors

 

F – fragrant or VF - very fragrant

 

OE – blooms opening in am remain open until late evening

 

DIP - diploid - daylilies with 22 chromosomes

TET – tetraploid – daylilies which have 44 chromosomes to the cell instead of 22

 

NOC - appear if the blooms open at dusk or in the dark (rather than near or after daybreak)

 

EXT - show if the blooms remain open in the evening or into the night (instead of closing up around sunset)

 

DBL - if the bloom has three sepals, but more than three petals

 

SP -  if the blooms are spidery (5:0 or greater ratio, length of petal to width of petal) or spider-variants (4:1 or greater ratio, up to 5.0)