Infuse Your Garden with the Colour, Resilience, and Easy-Care Beauty of Daylilies

In my early days of perennial gardening, I didn't understand (frankly, a lot of things) why anyone would grow a plant with blossoms that only lasted for 24 hours, but now I fully celebrate the stunning beauty, resilience, and ease of care of Daylilies, also known as Hemerocallis.

Let's delve into some fun trivia & botanical facts, garden uses, and care of Daylilies.

About Daylilies

• Daylilies are hardy in zones 3-9, making them an excellent option for most of North America.
  
  
• Daylilies are native to far eastern Asia, and their botanical name, 'Hemerocallis', is derived from the Greek, meaning "beautiful for a day."
  
  
• Each bloom opens at dawn and fades by dusk, only to be replaced by a new bud the next day.
  
  
• Despite the short-lived nature of each individual flower, mature clumps continually have colour as they produce scores of buds, ensuring weeks of continuous colour during the blooming season.
  
  
• The arching, grass-like foliage provides a lush backdrop for the vibrant flowers, which come in almost every imaginable hue—ranging in unique combinations of orange, yellow, pink, red, purple, and white.

Where to Use Daylilies in Your Garden - Daylilies have many uses in an ornamental garden. 

• Daylilies can hold their own as focal or accent plants; they shine in pollinator gardens, work well in mixed plantings, create impressive borders along sidewalks, fences, and driveways, and in mass plantings, they are dramatic. Depending on the variety, they can range from compact to tall, so be sure to consider their size when planning your garden layout.
  
  
• Daylilies can naturalize, forming dense clumps that suppress weeds and prevent soil erosion, making them an excellent choice for slopes and low-maintenance landscapes.
  
  
• In warm growing zones (zones 7 or higher), Daylilies can be used in large pots or containers, making them a suitable option for patios, decks, and balconies.

Caring for Daylilies

• Daylilies are renowned for their resilience and ease of care.
  
  
• They thrive in full sun locations, and once established, they are remarkably drought tolerant. However, they do benefit from regular watering, especially during dry spells.
  
  
• They adapt well to different soil types, though well-drained, evenly moist, slightly acidic soil is ideal.
  
  
• Remove spent flowers to prevent seed production and to encourage continued flower development.

Spotlight These Proven Winner Daylilies in Your Gardening Space

• Proven Winners offers an impressive selection of Daylilies; the difficulty will only be deciding which of the Rainbow Rhythm^® plants you'd like to plant in your garden next.
  
  
• My ever-favourite Daylily is 'Storm Shelter'. 'Going Bananas' is a lemon-coloured repeat bloomer, 'Blood, Sweat, and Tears' showcases rose pink and red colours, and 'Siloam Peony Display' highlights double, ruffled, and fragrant blossoms.

Which Daylily will be your next choice?