(Photo Illustration - Backyard Gardener)

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! After a hot and dry week, we received some needed rain. Many backyard gardeners are harvesting vine-ripened tomatoes, bell peppers and green beans. One of my favorite summertime treats is a tomato sandwich. The question of the week is do you prefer mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?

This week I want to talk about a popular flower for the home landscape, the daylily (Hemerocallis). Why are these beautiful flowers (blooming now) so well liked?

Well, backyard gardeners know they are easy to grow, adaptable to just about any garden location and have a long bloom period. They will tolerate poor soils, heat, and even short periods of drought once well established.

Daylily species have been cultivated in Asia for a thousand years. The Chinese viewed them as having both edible and medicinal properties. Daylilies were introduced into Europe over 400 years ago, with many grown for their ornamental attributes.

The modern era of daylilies was introduced by Dr. Arlow Stout while he was working at the New York Botanical Garden from 1911-1948. He is considered the father of modern daylily breeding and introduced over 100 new hybrid cultivars. There are now over 90,000 named cultivars according to the American Daylily Society.

Daylilies grow in thick clumps or clusters of plants (also called fans of foliage). Each plant is connected to its own root system, but also joined to the other plants in its cluster. The leaves look grass-like and range from about 15 to 30 inches in length. The V-shaped leaves are typically 1-inch wide.

Daylily flowers are trumpet-shaped, with double and single versions that range in size from 2 to 6 inches. During the blooming season daylilies will produce long scapes (flower stalks) with multiple blooms each. The scapes of most cultivars range in height from 12 inches to 5 feet. Modern daylily cultivars commonly produce 15 or more flowers per scape.

A unique characteristic of this plant is each individual flower is open for just one day. The word for daylily, Hemerocallis, is derived from the Greek meaning “beauty” and “day.” However, the flowering period of an established clump is usually several weeks long.

Flower color can include white, yellow, pink, lavender, purple, orange, red and burgundy. Many daylily cultivars have interesting combinations of several colors along with wavy margins to the petals, colored edges or contrasting colors in the flower’s throat.

There are many varieties available, so it can be difficult to select the plants for your landscape. You can get started with divisions from friends and neighbors or purchase varieties which are hardy to zone 5. Daylilies have early, mid and late-season blooming varieties. Some cultivars have the ability to rebloom and will produce flowers at least twice per year.

Daylilies are low maintenance, thriving in full sun or partial shade. They also tolerate a wide range of soil conditions but prefer well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Avoid excessive fertilizer to prevent abundant foliage growth at the expense of flowering. Clean up dead foliage in late fall and remove damaged or yellow foliage and spent blooms and scapes throughout the season.

Daylilies are easily propagated by division. Plants can be divided as new growth emerges in spring or late summer. Dig up the entire clump with a spade and carefully pull the clump apart. Use a sharp knife to divide clumps. Each division should have two or three fans of leaves and a good root system.

When dividing daylilies in late summer, cut the foliage back to a height of 6 to 8 inches. Replant the divisions as soon as possible, spacing plants at least 2 feet apart. Place the area where the shoots and roots meet (called the crown) approximately 1 inch below the soil surface. Water thoroughly. Newly divided plants may take two years to bloom well.

Again, daylilies are low maintenance with few pest problems. The most-common insect pests are aphids and thrips. Daylily rust, identified by orange powder spots on the undersides of leaves can be an issue. Foliage from infected plants should be removed and destroyed.

Leaf streak is a common fungal problem during wet springs and summers. Small, dark-green spots appear along the mid-rib of the leaf. They soon turn brown and enlarge, followed by the leaves turning yellow. A thorough cleanup of the plants in the fall, after the foliage has been killed by freezing weather, can be of significant help in reducing this problem.

Overcrowding of plants can cause a decline in flower production, so I recommend thinning plants every three to five years in late fall or after plants have finished blooming. You can replant in other areas or share them with friends.

Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Good Luck and until next time Happy Gardening!