Dayliliesare not only beautiful and varied , they ’re nearly undestroyable !
When I first began gardening some 40 years ago , my energies went into yearbook that spawned great expectations of brilliant rosiness to come . Unfortunately , despite my initial zeal , I ’d end up killing most of them through naïve optimism . Somehow , I thought they would water and eat themselves !
Of course they do not , so as I learned from my mistakes I looked for ways to get the dear long - term amplification from both my financial and labor investment . My gramps , who drop his life working in his yard , was hounded for information . I stopped to peck the brain of random stranger with beautiful railway yard , and say every gardening leger I could get my hands on . ( Personal pet were “ Tasha Tudor ’s Garden ” and “ Crockett ’s Victory Garden . )
In this clause
The discovery of perennials
What I divulge was that real gardeners in your own arena are the best source of hardheaded selective information on what will and will not work , and all that research into their personal experience lead me to a lifetime love affair with perennial , one of which is the day lily .
When new gardening friend first peach about these treasures , I had a vision of tall , scraggly orange things that I could remember never being particularly impressed with . But then , I found out there were not just other form of these troopers of disregard , there werethousandsof them .
A deal at any price
Once I became aware of the crossbreed , I went searching on Ebay . Lo and behold , there they were , by the stacks , and tinny as could be ! Back then , Ebay was a fabulously inexpensive seed for these plants , so I bought dozens not realize that it would n’t take many seasons for one plant to be ready to divide into many more . ( EBay still offer them at enough prices , but not at the steal they once were . But no matter of what you pay , you ’ll come out forwards in the end . )
So many choices
I bought every color , grain , size and flesh that was tender , and they were brilliant . Gardens popped up all over my yard , with daylilies becoming the lynchpin of each one .
My pet mixture has always been one called Pandora ’s Box ( creamy white with a royal purple throat ) , and a close endorsement is the Condilla ( cryptic amber and rippled ) . In between are Fairy Tale Pinks , Stella D’Oro , Vera Bigelow and Ida ’s Magic , and so many more I ’ve forgotten the name of now .
Why daylilies?
What makes these looker such a marvelous selection ? First of all , they ’re drought tolerant , pest resistant , and most do well in geographical zone 3 - 9 . They ’ll grow in nearly any kind of soil ( though like all plant life they do best in well - prepared ground ) , with or without sun .
In short , they ’ll withstand anything you throw at them ! ( My preferred story to tell in regard to their tenacity is one of having provide a isolated plant lie on a Oliver Stone wall when separate them . I did n’t notice until the works in reality started to flower well-nigh two months later – without dirt , without body of water , baking in the hot sun on Harlan Fiske Stone ! I still ca n’t believe it ! )
They also derive in all color combinations , shapes , sizes , and heights . There ’s a suitable type for every smirch in your garden , and each works has a plethora of bud that flower at different times from recent springtime into other declination ( though each individual flower only lasts one day , hence the name ) !
One plant becomes many
The very best matter about them , though , is that within a few years one plant becomes four or five ( or more ) . They bloom more abundantly if divided periodically , and it ’s well-heeled to do . My common method is stab up the clunk with a pitchfork , hack down through the industrial plant ( not the least bit gently ! ) with a spade , and then pull them apart with my handwriting . This past summertime , I totally redesign my three tiers of gardens and part all my daylilies . I literally gave away more than 300 plant to friends and neighbors , and replant a hundred more .
The best metre to divide most works is very early spring or later summer ( before the blooms come or after they have faded ) because the root systems will have a fortune to take hold before winter .
If you ’re looking for nearly happy-go-lucky sweetheart that gives a big flush for the buck , you ca n’t go wrong with daylilies(irisesare in the same family ) .. Check out the picture of my own garden below , and call up I started out with minuscule knowledge . you may do it , too ! well-chosen horticulture !
