How Do I Start Daylilies?

Daylily flowers bloom for only one day, but each plant produces such an abundance of blooms that the flowers seem to last much longer. These perennial summer flowers come in nearly any color desired, with single colored, bi-colored and variegated types available. While daylilies are often grown from plant division, you may also start new plants from seed. The seeds must be planted indoors in order to have the correct conditions that allow them to become healthy mature plants.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Seedling pots
• Potting soil
• Daylily seeds
• Plastic bags
• 5-inch pots

1. Fill seedling pots with a well-drained, sterile potting mix. Use pots that have at least one bottom drainage hole and place them on top of a tray that catches any water drips.
2. Sow one seed per pot, planting the seed 1/4 inch deep in the soil. Use purchased seeds or seeds collected from your garden daylilies.
3. Water the soil just enough so it is evenly moist throughout but not soggy. Cover the pots with a plastic bag, which helps retain the moisture during germination.
4. Set the pots in an area that receives bright, indirect sunlight to germinate. Water the soil again if it begins to dry out prior to germination. Daylilies take approximately two weeks to sprout.
5. Remove the plastic bags once seedlings emerge. Move the pots into direct sunlight and continue to water them as necessary to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
6. Repot each plant into an individual 5-inch diameter pot once it is 4 to 6 inches tall. Water the daylilies when the soil surface begins to feel dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Daylilies require two years before they are able to flower. Transplant the young plants outdoors when they are 1 year old.

• Garden collected seeds must be planted soon after harvesting or they lose viability.