Gardening in Larimer County

Hemerocallis, the daylily's scientific  name, comes from two Greek words and roughly means "beautiful for a day."  However, a mature plant produces so many buds that a plant usually remains in bloom for several weeks.  If flowers are injured by wind or rain, the damage lasts only one day, the next day you are greeted by a whole new crop of blossoms.

Though they share part of their common name with true lilies, daylilies are botanically quite different.  While lilies grow from corms or bulbs, daylilies have thick fibrous roots forming a penetrating mass in the soil.  True lilies have thick, leafy stems with the flower clustered at the top.  Daylily flowers appear at the tip of a long, leafless scape (which looks like a stem), which in turn rises from a fan-shaped clump of leaves called, not surprisingly, a fan.  The true daylily stem is hidden at ground level at the crown.

Native to the Far East, the Chinese were using daylilies before the development of written language.  Daylilies were originally grown to be eaten, not admired.  Confucius prescribed daylilies as a remedy for grief.  Fresh and dried daylily flower buds are still a popular ingredient in oriental cooking.  Daylily bud and flower flavor has been compared in taste to something between green beans and asparagus. (Avoid eating the roots.)

Daylilies are easy to hybridize.  Today, well over 40,000 individually named daylilies are registered by the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS).

Consider the following tips for growing daylilies in Colorado:

WHEN AND WHERE TO PLANT

Freshly dug, daylilies can be planted throughout the growing season.  Bare root daylilies, received in the mail, can be first planted into gallon sized pots.  This helps reduce shock.  A few weeks later, the established daylily can be planted in the garden.

Most daylilies bloom best in full sun, but tolerate half-day sun.  Red and purple daylilies benefit from filtered shade in the hottest part of the day.  Avoid planting near water-greedy tree roots or shrubs.  Daylilies can be grown in containers.  However, hard winter freezes can kill unprotected container-grown daylilies.

SOIL PREPARATION

Prepare the soil to about a depth of ten to twelve inches.  Work compost, peat moss or other organic material into the soil.  A loose soil enables roots to grow rapidly and become established.

PLANTING

Mail-order bare root daylilies should be soaked in water for a few hours or even overnight before planting.  Freshly dug daylilies can be planted right away.  With a sharp knife clean away damaged or decayed roots.  Plant at the same depth as they originally grew.  The crown (the point where the foliage and roots join) should not be set more than one inch below the surface of the soil.  Firm the soil around the new plant and water well.  Space no less than 18-24 inches apart.

BLOOM

Most daylilies are diurnal, opening in the morning and closing at night.  A few are nocturnal, opening in the early evening and closing by late morning or early afternoon.  Either type can be an extended bloomer which means they stay open for sixteen hours or more.  The height of the plant refers to the flower scape.  Deadheading -- removing spent blossoms -- keeps the plants attractive.  Cut dead scapes below the foliage to keep the plant presentable in the garden all season.  Scapes can be used for cut flower bouquets.

FEEDING AND WATERING

Use a fertilizer designed for flowering plants.  Avoid those high in nitrogen, the first number in the formula, and look instead for fertilizer high in phosphorus, the second number.  For example, formulas like 5-10-10- or 5-10-5 would be acceptable.  Fertilizing once or twice a year is sufficient.  Avoid fertilizing newly planted day lilies until they are established.

Watering is most important in the spring when plants are making scapes and buds and in the summer during the bloom season.  Daylilies can withstand drought conditions without extensive irrigation although bloom size, number of blooms, plant increase and overall health can be affected by prolonged lack of water.  Check the soil.  If it has dried out at the root level watering is necessary.

TRANSPLANTING AND DIVIDING

The easiest way to get more of a favorite daylily is to let the plant increase in size, then dig up and divide it into smaller plants.  Make sure each section has leaves, an intact crown and roots.  Vigorously established plants may take two garden forks to pry them apart.

SANITATION

In the spring, dead foliage and debris should be cleared away from the plant.  Damaged foliage can be removed during the growing season.  Cut off bloom scapes when spent.  Hoeing or mulching will control weeds.

For more information about other perennials see Fact Sheet, #7.411 - Spring planted bulbs, corms and roots.   You may also call PlantTalk Colorado at 1-888-666-3063 and listen to message #1032 about daylilies.

Q: Should I buy lady beetles to use as beneficial insects in my garden?

A: Insect predators or parasites available for purchase include lady beetles, praying mantids, green lacewing eggs and others.  For now, CSU entomologists cannot recommend any of these beneficial "bugs" for insect control in the yard or garden.  These artificial releases have not clearly been demonstrated to affect pest insect populations.  However, some benefit has been documented for greenhouse insect management.  For more information on beneficial insects in the yard and garden, look at  Fact Sheet 5.550 - Beneficial Insects and Other Arthropods.  Or you may call PlantTalk Colorado at 1-888-666-3063 and request message #1421 on Beneficial Insects

Q: Why does the bottom of my hedge not look as healthy as the top?

A: Possibly it is due to its shape.  Sunlight is shaded by the upper part of the hedge growth and cannot reach the lower limbs of the plant.  The better shape for a formal hedge is narrower at the top than at the bottom.  This allows more light to reach the base branches, thus reducing the amount of "legginess."  Hedges in an east-west orientation should be sheared so the side facing north is sloping more than the south side.  This allows more light to penetrate the shaded north side and results in a more uniform appearing hedge.  For more information look at Fact Sheet #7.208 - Hedges.

Leaving lawn clippings on the grass does not promote thatch.  It does provide additional slow-release nutrients for the lawn and saves work and space in the landfill.

Do not be tempted to add charcoal grill ashes (or any ashes) to the soil for disposal.  Ashes are not good for Colorado soil as they raise alkalinity and add no valuable nutrients.

Rhubarb may be harvested now.  Pull stalks gently from the bottom of the clump.  Do not harvest a first year plant.  Give it a year to get established.  Large, tough outer leaves on older plants should be removed and composted.

The author has received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.

Fact Sheets are available at the Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado, telephone (970) 498-6000, or contact us by e-mail at larimer@coop.ext.colostate.edu

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This page updated:  June 2, 2000