What Daylilies Need – Viet Nam Agriculture

Daylilies are rugged perennials that adapt to many garden situations. Daylilies get their name from the lifespan of the blossoms. Daylily flowers last around 24 hours. Some newer varieties bloom in the evening and last to the following evening. Many of these night-blooming flowers are fragrant. Each daylily plant produces abundant blooms over a long period of time. There are many colors of daylilies, including white, yellow, orange, and bicolor.

Plant daylilies in the spring after the risk of frost has passed. Prepare the soil at least as deep as the nursery plant roots. Although it is easier to prepare large beds with a rototiller, you can also loosen the soil by turning it and breaking it up with a hoe and rake. Work in a couple of inches of compost or other organic matter. Plant daylilies so that the union between the plant and roots is about an inch below the surface of the soil.

Daylilies do best in full sun. They will, however, tolerate a little shade. When selecting a planting location, find one that gets at least six hours of sun per day. If you live in a hot location, select a spot that gets shade in the hottest part of the afternoon. This will help keep the flowers fresh as long as possible. Daylilies can grow in most soils, but do best in soils that drain well and are high in organic matter.

Before the daylilies have started to grow in the spring, remove all weeds and cut away dead plant material from the previous year. If you mulch the plants over the summer, it will reduce the required amount of spring weeding. Daylilies need about an inch of water a week. Remove seed pods as they appear. Plants that are allowed to go to seed will produce fewer flowers the following year. Give your daylilies an inch of compost each year for maximum flower production.

Daylilies will overwinter with no mulch in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hardiness Zones 7 through 10. However, with several inches of mulch to protect the roots, they can overwinter in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 6. If you are concerned about overwintering, you can dig up the roots and store them in moist vermiculite or peat at between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.