Could the Daylily be the perfect perenial?

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

Is the daylily the perfect perennial? Daylilies can grow in a wide range of soil and light conditions, have few insect problems, can tolerate drier conditions and come in hundreds of varieties.
Daylilies can be planted in a variety of landscape settings; positioned to make wonderful background plantings; naturalized in ditches, property lines or slopes; planted to camouflage unsightly areas; or just be a focal point in a garden. The plant has numerous leaves that resemble thick grass and leafless stems that each produce numerous flowers. The flowering period usually covers a few months in the later part of the summer. With literally hundreds of varieties to chose from, I am sure you will find something that suits your needs.
When planting daylilies consider the following:
•For maximum flower production, daylilies need sunlight for at least half of the day with morning sun preferable avoiding the scorching afternoon sun, especially with the darker shade of flowers.
•Most varieties will grow quite well in partial shade. But check the tag first.
•They are adaptable to most soil conditions, obviously preferring a rich fertile soil but can adapt to drier (sandy) or moister soils. Just do not let them sit in waterlogged soil as they will rot and when in drought conditions, supplement with watering.
Daylilies are available in hundreds of varieties. Most plants are the tall variety growing up to thirty-six inches tall. My favourites are the dwarf varieties that grow between twelve and eighteen inches tall. Although harder to find, I prefer the dwarf varieties as they stay more compact and look neater in the late summer after flowering.
When planting daylilies, set the plant so that the point where roots and foilage meet (the crown) is no deeper than one inch below the surface of the soil.  Your planting hole should be a little larger than the root mass. Cover the roots with the soil. Water immediately and continue to water until the plants are well established.  Planting too deep may stunt daylily growth, cause poor flowering and yellowing or browning of the leaves.  Recommended planting distance is eighteen to twenty-four inches apart.
Generous watering is necessary if you wish to have increased growth in plants and produce excellent scapes and flowers during the blooming season.  During the blooming season, water every couple of days.  This keeps the blooms large and the plants green and healthy.
Most gardeners transplant daylilies soon after the flowering period has ended, but unlike many other perennials, daylilies can be moved or divided during their flowering season.  The advantage of moving during the flowering season is that color groupings can be made more easily.  However, it is recommended that excess foliage and scapes be cut off, allowing for quicker plant growth with the least amount of transplant shock.  Vigorous daylily varieties respond to division every three to four years.  If allowed to remain longer, the vigor of the clump may be reduced due to competition.  Often considerable force is usually necessary to pull old clumps up and apart so cutting into sections with a knife or sharp shovel is recommended.  
Before dividing, cut back the foliage to 6-8 inches.  Roots should be pruned of broken and extra long roots to about 6 inches.  You will notice that different cultivars may have different looking roots.  Some have enlarged roots and others very thin roots; this is a varietal characteristic. If planting is done during a hot, dry period, it is advisable to water the plants until good growth resumes. The great thing about daylilies is even if they are not crowded or overgrown you can still divide the plants to create more plantings around the garden.
Daylilies do much better when fertilized twice a year.  Once in early May (for our area) and again in August/September after flowering or you are finished dividing and replanting in fall. You will have best results using a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. 
ÍDaylilies look best if you give them some grooming throughout 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.
The daylily may just be the perfect perennial, they grow almost anywhere, flower prolifically, almost never have insect or disease problems and are available in hundreds of varieties so you may want to try some in your garden.