Daylilies are one of the most popular flowers in the world, and for good reason! They are easy to care for, come in a variety of colors, and can be used in a number of different ways. If you’re interested in learning more about these amazing flowers and what they can do for your yard, this is the place for you!
What Are Daylilies?
Daylilies are a type of colorful, perennial flower from the Hemerocallis genus, which means ‘beauty for a day’ in Greek. They are native to many parts of the world, including Asia and North America, and come in a number of different colors such as yellow, orange, red, pink, and white. They are known for their flowers that last only one day before being replaced with a new one, and they will continue to bloom throughout the summer months.
Daylilies are an easy plant to care for; they require minimal maintenance and will thrive in almost any soil type or climate. A single plant can produce over 100 individual blooms each season, making them ideal for mass planting or even just one specimen in your garden.
- DID YOU KNOW? Besides being beautiful garden plants, daylilies also have culinary uses, as the petals are edible! The leaves and roots can also be used medicinally for treating skin irritations and ailments like fever or headaches. Daylilies have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and today they remain an important part of many healing practices around the world.
How To Identify Daylilies
Even if you are a novice when it comes to flowers and gardening, daylilies are one of the easiest flowers to identify. They will typically have large, trumpet-shaped flowers that come in a variety of colors, such as yellow, orange, red, pink and white. The flowers will typically have 3 large outer petals and 3 smaller inner sepals. The very center of the flowers’ bloom will often display faint markings of different colors than the rest of the petals, and 6 stamens are found at the center of every flower.
The foliage will be thin and grass-like with pointed tips. The leaves may be between 4-8 inches long and up to half an inch wide, and they will typically grow in a fan shape. The foliage can remain attractive even after the flowers have faded, meaning your garden will stay green in between blooms. Daylilies exhibit clump-type growth, spreading by both rhizomes and stolons, so they need plenty of space in your garden to spread their legs and put on a show!
Key Characteristics:
- Many bright colors
- Trumpet-shaped flowers
- 3 large petals on 3 smaller sepals
- 6 stamens in center
- May have markings in center
- Grass-like foliage
Where To Find Daylilies
In the United States, daylilies can survive anywhere within hardiness zones 3-9, which include areas as far north as Minnesota and as far south as Florida. A fertile, loamy soil is ideal for this flower, but daylilies are resilient enough to grow in most soil types and conditions. Though daylilies are drought tolerant, areas that receive 6 or more hours of sunlight per day and are not overly saturated with water are the perfect places to plant some daylilies.
Because of the natural resilience and tolerance of this flower, it is common to find certain species of daylilies along roadsides, where sunlight is unobstructed and soil is not too compacted. In the garden, daylilies will continue to be one of your strongest performers. Remember that this flower spreads quickly by seed, but its clump-type growth allows for any gaps in the soil to quickly be filled in, eliminating the possibility of other plants competing for space.
When To Plant Daylilies
Daylilies are best planted in the springtime after the last frost has passed. Planting them during this time will give them plenty of warm weather to become established and bloom throughout the summer months. In colder climates, you may need to wait until early summer to plant your daylilies, so as not to risk them being damaged by a late frost. When preparing your soil for daylilies, be sure it is well-draining, but make sure it still retains moisture and nutrients. If you have heavier clay soils, adding organic matter, such as compost or aged manure, can help break up the soil particles and improve water retention.
- DAYLILIES DON’T CARE! Though early spring is a fine time to plant daylilies, this flower will perform well during any time of year, as long as the soil is workable! If ground temperatures are warm enough for water and nutrients to penetrate, daylilies will find a way!
Why Your Yard Needs Daylilies!
Hopefully, the information presented in this post opens your eyes to the beauty and benefits of adding daylilies to your garden! They require little maintenance, and the soft textures and bright colors are sure to add to your yard’s aesthetics! We will leave you with a few final thoughts to try to convince you about why your yard needs daylilies. Be sure to check with a yard care company near you for more gardening services!
- Made For Gardens – Daylilies are not actually lilies! True lilies belong to the Lilium genus, though they are similar in appearance. Daylilies are actually more closely related to asparagus than lilies, and they have been cultivated to be perfect for your backyard garden!
- Highly Adaptable – As they have been cultivated for ideal garden performance, daylilies will always be one of the most adaptable plants in your yard, meaning less work for you!
- Great Ground Cover – We have already discussed how this plant will spread quickly, but what we didn’t mention is that the leaves of daylilies can also help keep out weeds! The clump growth of daylilies are perfect for choking out harmful weeds!
- Erosion Control – The tuberous root system of daylilies helps hold soil in place. In fact, many gardeners plant daylilies primarily as a soil stabilizer, and the gorgeous blooms are just a bonus!
- Perfect For Ground Or Containers – Put daylilies anywhere you like! The cascading, fan-like foliage of daylilies, coupled with dependable blooms, are sure to fill and optimize any garden containers if that is more your style! No matter what you want in your yard, daylilies will help!
