Welcome to my Daylily garden.
Click on The Daylily Exchange for additional
information.
Click on award winning daylilies for
some beautiful pictures.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful
perennials!
golden harvest
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THE PERFECT PERENNIAL In years gone by, daylilies or Hemerocallis were limited to the common orange variety found along roadsides across the county. Daylilies have thousands of varieties in almost every size, shape and color imaginable.
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DAYLILY CULTURE
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What is the right
daylily for my garden?
To find the answer to this question, you must know yourself and your reason for growing daylilies. New gardeners tend to focus exclusively on the daylily bloom.
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How much do
daylilies cost?
Daylily prices range from as low as $3 to as much as $300 for a single plant. |
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Daylily
Culture
LOCATION: Full sun or partial shade, well-drained soil,
away from greedy hedge or tree roots. Ideal light is provided with filtering by
tall pine trees. Daylilies thrive in well-drained clay pots and thrive up to
five years without repotting.
SOIL:
MULCH: Oak leaves and pine needles are good, as they are
light and improve the soil. Also ideal is composted pine bark. The best in pine
bark that has been aged with the cambium layer removed.
WATER: Daylilies enjoy liberal watering but do not thrive
long with wet feet, particularly in warm climates or hard-packed clay-based
soils.
PLANTING: Plants are best at least 18 inches apart.
Loosen the soil thoroughly to a depth of 24" in the center of the hole.
Construct a mound, with the top of the mound only 1/2 inch to 1 inch below soil
level. Place the plant on this mound and arrange the roots toward the bottom of
the hole. Firm the soil in place.
FERTILIZER: Select a quality, balanced fertilizer such as
6-6-6 with trace elements. Apply according to instructions. Use less on younger
plants. Milorganite may be worked into soil at planting. Most states have a
county Ag center that can analyze your soil for nutritional diagnosis with
recommendations. Many will test your pH, as well.
FUNGUS: Daylilies are susceptible to "leave
streak" fungus as well as to daylily rust. Both can be controlled using
fungicides -- either contact or systemic. Daconil, Banner Max, Heritage,
Bayleton 50, and Dithane are effective.
PESTS: Spray only when necessary. Organic controls such
as ladybugs, predatory mites, lacewings, and orius are wonderful. Avid and
Orthene are two of the best spays for insects. If you do spray, never use
Kelthane, which is toxic to daylilies under most conditions. Wolves, big cats,
shotguns and other predators are most effective for controlling armadillo, deer
and other disruptive mammals.
*The daylily is one of the most popular herbaceous
perennials in the world, being hardy in most climates, and thriving with a
minimum of care. Very nutritious, many recipes call for daylilies in salads,
like any plant, it has certain cultural preferences. Recognizing and filling
its basic needs results in greater beauty and performance year after year. With
the advent of their meteoric rise in popularity as a perennial and thousands of
people enjoying creating new varieties each year through hybridization, various
"new world" pests have discovered Hemerocallis over the years.
**In the year 2000, we first heard of something called
rust. Rust is a fungus, and it can spread throughout a garden. It presents a
new dilemma because as with any disease it takes time and patience to overcome.
Extensive research is being conducted in both public and private sector.
Various protocols have evolved and are very effective. We will never send a
plant showing rust, although its spores can hide anywhere and may travel on the
wind.
