It only confirmed my suspicion that this flower would always have a place in my heart.
In this article
Where did Daylilies come from?
There gives the impression of several lines of thought about this.
Some believe that they came from China: others from other parts of the Orient.
The Daylily has been a major plant in China since the first days of ancient Chinese culture.
There is something unique about the Daylily as it seems to grow in all kinds of soil or weather.
The Chinese gave the plant as a gift to the grieving and melancholy.
Since it is so adaptable, it rewards all who provide even the most minuscule care.
There is no other plant that lifts your spirits with so little care.
The first written record about the Daylily is about 2697 B.C.
when Emperor Huan Ti arranged for a Materia Medica to be written for him by Chi Pai.
Daylilies were used as food at that time.
They were thought to benefit the mind and strengthen willpower.
The plants grew wild in the woods and were moved to the garden for use at the table.
There were also references in the canonical writings of Confucianism.
These were done around 551-479 B.C.
while Confucius could grab the inclusions and edit the manuscript.
There are accounts that the Daylily was grown in the Mediterranean around the time of St. Paul.
There were three herbalists in Europe who were friends and thus gave observations to each other.
There were Rembert Dodoens, Charles de IEcluse, both from Belgium, and Mathias de IObel from France.
The actual routes taken when the traders brought the Daylilies to Europe were not known.
There was no way I could stay at work and miss this garden tour.
4th of July always seems to me the beginning of the daylily season.
Or, because of the daylily garden open house listings in the July issue of the local garden magazine.
All I know is that the daylilies are now blooming and the summer gardens are beautiful.
Located on the outskirts of town, this garden boasts of having 800 varieties of daylilies.
At the entrance of the property is a sign that readsThin Wallet Ranch.
Winding down thegravel driveway, visitors pass several groupings of mature Staghorn Sumac.
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There are daylilies everywhere!
The homeowner is a member of a local daylily club and is truly passionate about the plants.
Around the house and swimming pool are her newest favorites.
Throughout the property, each grouping is labeled with the variety and flower colors.
The description of the colors is helpful for the ones that arent blooming yet or have finished flowering.
The homeowner has daylilies planted in locations with the light ranging from full sun to part shade.
As expected, the plants in the sunny locations have the most flowers.
Daylilies that fall from favor are transplanted to areas farther from the house.
The plants appreciate a little soaking before you plant.
The plants themselves should be clipped to one third their total height.
Clip off any dead or broken roots.
Power any cuts with a fungicide such as benomyl.
Use 1 1/2 teaspoon per quart of water.
I have also used a dilute solution of bleach.
Use one teaspoon per quart of water.
Watering
How much water to daylilies require?
What does it mean one inch a week?
It means if the soil is wet one inch beneath the surface, you have soaked them enough.
Water thoroughly, then let them dry out between waterings.
Fertilizing
You may fertilize at the beginning of the season and at the end.
The throw in of fertilizer depends on your pocketbook and the number of Daylilies that you have.
When you only have a few Daylilies, the timed release fertilizers are great.
Mushroom compost is also wonderful because it does double duty.
It not too high in nitrogen and conditions the soil.
A mulch keeps the soil cooler and retains water during the summer season.
One warning is not to mulch before the soil has warmed up.
Cultivating
What about weeds?
If you use mulch, there should not be many.
This formula is usually applied to the soil in the spring.
I have never used this because I like to use the mushroom compost.
It is composted at very high temperatures, which kills the weed seeds that might be in it.
What does this mean to you?
It depends on your climate.
What may be early in Florida is not the same as early in Tennessee.
Attending Conferences
In May, I attended my first American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) conference.
It was in Jacksonville, Florida and was wonderful.
It was the middle of May when we went.
One of the growers said that he had about 20-30% bloom.
There were still a lot of daylilies blooming so the first peak must have been astounding.
They attempt to schedule the conferences when bloom is near or at its peak.
It is one way of determining the bloom time in various parts of the country!
When do Daylilies Bloom?
His favorite late bloomers were Autumn Prince (Yellow) and of course their creation Jen Melon.
As you have guessed by now, bloom time varies according to your climate.
Check with the nurseries near you for your seasons bloom time.
I know that there is still bloom in the northern areas from reading the Daylily Robin posts.
What is a Rebloomer?
Rebloom is what quite a few Daylily aficionados are interested in.
There are many DayliIies listed as rebloomers, but do they really?
To further confuse the issue, some catalogues list the extended bloomers as rebloomers.
If we cant have rebloom, what can we do?
This was so disappointing.
Planting Daylilies with staggered bloom or some rebloomers is one way of creating a longer bloom time.
The Better Homes and Gardens magazine listed quite a few in their May, 1997 issue.
They included those shown in the following table.
hey note that your results could vary depending on your climate, soil, and plant cultivation.
We will go into the early, midseason, late and later season bloom some other time.
They offered the some other plants that seem to have extended bloom or rebloom.
