How to Plant Daylilies (Hemerocallis)

Daylilies are one of the hardiest and most adaptable flowers around. They come in many varieties and flower colors and flower all summer long. The name daylily comes from the fact that the flower only lasts for a day and then dies off. Fortunately, the plant will produce many flowers that will open over a long period of time. The flowers are beautiful and fragrant and make a wonderful border for your garden or ground cover for open areas in your yard.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Daylily plants or roots Garden tiller Compost Sand Shovel Mulch

1. Select a location with at least six hours of full sun and partial shade during the hottest part of the day. The daylilies should be planted away from trees and shrubs that will take their water and nutrients.
2. Till the soil well where you will be planting the daylilies to a depth of about nine inches. Add a couple shovels full of compost and sand to the soil and mix it together. This will add nutrition and allow the soil to drain better. If you have sandy soil already, you will not need to add the sand.
3. Plant the daylilies in the spring, so the crown of the roots is about 1 inch under the soil. Make sure the roots are spread out and bent or crowed. Fill in the soil around the roots and water in. Fill in more soil as the water compresses it down. Press down firmly to hold the plant in straight.
4. Mulch around the plants to prevent weeds and grass from growing around the plants. Water with 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Allow the plants to die off in late fall and leave the foliage in place. Use a grass or straw mulch over the area for the winter.
5. In the following spring, take off the mulch and remove the old foliage along with any weeds that have sprung up. Apply compost to the top of the soil around the plants each spring. Water well and allow the daylilies to bloom. After the bloom, remove any seed pods that have developed or you will not have a very good bloom the following year.