Daylily planting and care tips - Daylilies

Daylily planting and care tips

Daylily planting and care tips
Flower Gardening Made Easy

Follow these daylily planting and care tips to grow this versatile,
easy-going perennial successfully in your flower garden.

Although tolerant of neglect, like most plants, daylilies respond better to careful treatment, including full sun and decent soil.

Daylilies create the most impact when planted in masses or sweeping groups to provide lots of mid-summer color.

These hardy perennials are particularly effective in country gardens.

Step-by-step planting and care tips

Planting: The best time to plant daylilies is in spring or autumn, but if you buy container-grown plants you can plant them out any time during the growing season. Just avoid periods of drought, unless you are prepared to water your new plants faithfully.

Improve your soil by working in some compost in before planting. Recommended planting distance is 18 to 24 inches apart. Your planting hole should be a little larger than the root mass.

The crown (band of white on the foliage) is the indicator for depth as this should be just below the surface. Set the plant so that the crown is no deeper than inch below the surface of the soil. Firm the soil after planting, using your hands (pressing or stomping with your feet can cause root damage).

Watering: Water plants thoroughly after planting, and continue to deep soak them at least weekly until established (about six to eight weeks). Although daylilies are drought-tolerant once established, consistent watering while they are budding and flowering will produce better-quality flowers.

Mulching and fertilizing: Mulch your daylily beds with compost in spring. Avoid giving daylilies high nitrogen fertilizers as this promotes more foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Fertilizers with 5-10-15 and 6-12-12 are low in nitrogen and provide good ratios of phosphorous and potash.

Daylily planting and care tips: Keep your plants looking their best

Grooming: Daylilies look best if you give them some grooming through the season. At the beginning of the growing season remove any old damaged foliage from around the clumps.

Remove spent blooms and seedheads after flowering to keep your plants neat looking and to encourage rebloom. When all the flowers on a scape (flower stalk) are finished, cut off the scape close to ground level. Remove dead foliage from daylilies as they die back in the fall.

Dividing: Division is not essential but can revitalize flowering if the plants have crowded and overgrown. The job is usually done after flowering, but daylilies are such tough plants that they will tolerate division throughout the growing season.

To divide a clump, cut into the soil around the plant with a spade and then lift the entire clump out of the soil with a garden fork. To separate the plant into individual fans (a grouping of leaves with roots attached), shake it to remove as much soil as possible. If necessary, use a hose to wash away excess soil, then work the roots apart into good-sized clumps.

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