What are the Daylilies Planting Directions?

Daylilies offer gardeners a gorgeous color palette to choose from because they bloom in bright bursts of orange, purple, yellow, red and white. Some varieties have multicolor blossoms, seen in a three to four week bloom period in early to late summer. Most of these edible flowers reach heights of 1 to 4 feet, with the occasional flower stalk towering an impressive 6 feet. Blooms only last for a single day, so visit your garden often in the summer months to enjoy this colorful plant.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Manure
• Garden fork or tiller
• Garden spade or shovel
• Daylily
• Water
• Compost
• Mulch

1. Plant your daylilies in the spring in well-drained soil where they will receive full sun to partial shade. Daylilies grow best in soil with neutral pH levels of 6.5. Amend the soil with organic materials, such as well-rotted manure, before planting.
2. Space your daylilies 18 to 24 inches apart. Till the garden area with a gardening fork or tiller to loosen and break up clumps down 15 inches in the soil.
3. Use a small shovel or gardening spade to dig a hole that is twice the diameter of the plant pot. Allow for a small loose mound of soil in the bottom of the hole to tuck the roots of the plant around when planting.
4. Remove the plant from the pot and position it inside of the hole, fanning out the roots around the mound. Position the top of the root ball so it is level with the top surface of the soil.
5. Push the soil around the plant, gently tapping the soil down to remove any air pockets around the ball of the root.
6. Give the daylily a good, slow watering to ensure the roots are thoroughly saturated. Fertilize newly planted daylilies with a 10-10-10 mix three weeks after planting.

Tips & Warnings

• Areas of the country with hot summers should plant daylilies where they will receive light afternoon shade to help keep the flowers from wilting.

• Water your daylilies in the summer when rainfall falls below 1 inch per week.

• Help daylilies to retain moisture and combat weeds by spreading a light layer of compost over daylilies in the spring covered by a 2-inch layer of mulch, such as wood chips, pine needles or straw.