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| Green & Growing: My neighbor's gift (Fall 2008) |
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By Bob Tracinski
Soon after we moved to the country, we
learned that some neighbors like to
stay to themselves way back in the
woods, while others reach out and make
friends. Our next door neighbor reached
out by offering us clumps of daylilies from her
extensive garden. It was a gracious gesture
that we appreciated, and an opportunity to
learn more about these amazing plants.
Tough plants. The great advantages of daylilies are hardiness, variety, and length of blooming time. They’re tough because they survive with little care in many different climates, adapt to acid or alkaline soil, and resist drought, disease, and insects. They provide a wide range of colors, heights, spreads, and tolerance for light or shade. Some are evergreen, some semi-evergreen, and many
are called dormants because they survive a
hard frost by sleeping through winter. Daylilies
can be planted in perennial flower borders,
or massed for dramatic displays, or used
as a ground cover on slopes. And they bloom
from mid-spring right through fall, depending
on the varieties planted.
The scientific name for daylily is Hemerocallis
from two Greek words that mean day
and beauty because each bloom lasts only
a day. But new flowers form every day and
plants continue to bloom for weeks.
A clump includes a root system, leaves,
a crown (white stems that connect roots to
leaves), and a leafless stalk that supports the
flowers. This stalk is called a scape. Flowers
come in a variety of shapes, from circular to
triangular, trumpet to spidery. The center of
the bloom is called a throat. It’s surrounded
by three petals and three green-leaf sepals; together they’re referred to as tepals. Most plants are diploid, meaning they have two identical sets of chromosomes in each cell. Some are tetraploid (called "Tets" by enthusiasts) and
have four sets of chromosomes and double the
number of petals on each flower. Tets produce
larger flowers and more blooms per stem over
a longer period. A few are triploid with even
larger flowers. It helps to know this vocabulary
when buying daylilies because the terms are
not usually explained in catalogs.
How to care for them. There are more than 60,000 varieties, ranging from 15 inches to 4 feet high, with a spread from 2 to 4 feet after several years of growth. Evergreens should be planted only in spring, but the others can be planted spring or fall. For best results, set clumps shallowly 18 to 24 inches apart in
well-drained soil and water well. The crown
should be lightly covered with soil. Most
daylilies prefer full sun, but some do well in
partial shade. Water regularly, especially from
spring to the time when buds appear. Apply
a balanced liquid fertilizer every two to three
weeks to nourish the plants and ensure vigorous
blooming. Remove dead leaves in spring
and cover soil with mulch in late summer to
hold moisture. Or do whatever you have time
for. Daylilies are fairly trouble-free plants for
a low-maintenance garden.
Every two to three years separate the
clumps to keep plants vigorous. Use the
extras for reaching out to neighbors with a
thoughtful gardener's gift.
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