Hart’s Daylilies

Daylily Planting Guide

Few plants are as rugged, widely adapted, or versatile as daylilies. With more than 13,000 cultivars available, there's a size and flower color for every garden.

About Daylilies
Plant breeders continue to expand the color palette available in daylilies, which now includes yellow, orange, red, white, pink and purple flowers. Varieties with multicolored blooms, often with a contrasting "eye," or center, are increasingly popular. Most daylilies have a distinct, 3- to 4-week bloom period in early to late summer, although some varieties continue to bloom sporadically all season long. Individual flowers last just one day but new ones open daily for the duration of the bloom time. Foliage height ranges from 1 to 4 feet, depending on variety. Insects and disease are not a problem here in the north.

Choose close to Full sun if possible

Daylilies like sunny locations, but can tolerate light shade if there are no closely overhanging tree branches. Provide full sun for best results. If your plants are shy on bloom after the second year, move them to a sunnier spot. If already in full sun, check to make sure the fans are not set too deep or that the mulch is not thick against the base of the plants. Red flowers may tend to fade somewhat in full sun.

Unpack and check plants

If any part of your order is missing, or was damaged in shipping, call immediately. Your plants are bare root and dried to prevent any mold from forming on the roots. The outside leaves will continue to dry and yellow, as new growth will emerge from the center of the "fan" after planting. This is normal with all transplanted daylilies and is not a cause for concern.

Determine soil composition and amend if necessary

Daylilies like even amounts of moisture and will bloom better, with larger flowers, if given about one inch of water per week throughout summer. Established plants can survive less water, but will have a reduced number and size of flowers. Daylilies tolerate, and can thrive, in much wetter conditions than most true Lily bulbs.

Soak daylily roots before planting.

Place the entire plant in a bucket of water to soak for a few hours or overnight before planting. This will plump up the roots and give your plant the signal to begin growing.

Planting shallow

Set 18" to 24" apart, spreading roots into hole, with the crown (junction of root and shoot) only one inch below soil surface. Water well after planting to settle the roots, keep weeded and/or mulched to allow establishment without competition from aggressive plants. The occasional high wind or midsummer hailstorm is not a problem with the versatile daylily. If flowers are damaged by unusual weather, the next flush of bloom will revive appearances, and restore order to the garden.

Water & Mulch

Provide regular watering the first summer of growth, keeping soil moist but not soggy. You may wish to lightly mulch around the plants to reduce time weeding and watering. Keep mulch at least four to five inches away from the crown of the plant, with only 2 to 3 inches of mulch covering the roots for best results. Keep in mind that the depth of mulch counts toward the total depth that the roots are buried.

Add fertilizer to soil in bottom of hole

New planting sites should be amended with 10-10-10 fertilizer, well-rotted manure or compost. Later, small amounts of 10-10-10 fertilizer put near (not on) the plants in the spring and again in mid summer may increase flowering and plant health.

Water

Lots in the first season! Daylilies grow new roots right away, and bloom sooner, if deeply watered each week. After the second summer, established clumps are OK for several weeks without harm if well mulched, but the number and size of blooms will be greatly reduced. They usually grow best with about an inch of water a week. If you need to water, make sure that the water soaks well into the soil. Shallow watering tends to encourage shallow roots.

Winter protection

To be safe, it is best to mulch the plants with straw or some other loose form of mulch the first year. Leaves tend to pack and may create problems. After the first winter, most daylilies can withstand our winters with little problem. Some, such as evergreen ones, may be tenderer than others.

Dividing daylily plants

If you wish to share plants with a friend, daylily plants are very forgiving; they can be dug and divided spring through fall, without harm. Carefully dig under the root ball, divide by cutting so that each division has green leaves (fans), a section of the crown, and its own set of roots. Trim foliage to 3 or 6 inches. Keep well watered the first summer.

724-225-4851 or mthart@pulsenet.com. All plants may not flower the first year. We usually expect one half to two thirds will flower the first year after planting.