Planting and maintaining Hemerocallis (Daylilies)
HEMEROCALLIS in Greek means: beauty of one single day; this is why they are named Daylilies in English.
The flower generally opens in the evening and lasts for one day only. However the buds are so numerous, that the flowering period is quite long and even more so once the plants are well established.
The advantages of hemerocallis
- They flower at a period when relatively few other plants are in bloom.
- They adapt to all kinds of soil (dry or moist, light or heavy..)
- They do not require treating with fungicides.
- They offer a very wide variety of colours, sizes, flower shapes and heights.
- They can remain in the same spot where planted for a long time (6 to 7 years).
How to grow hemerocallis
- Position - Full sun to half-shade. However, the more sun, the more they flower;
- Soil -acid or chalky, dry or moist (for example on the banks of water features).
- Spacing - at least 50cm between clumps.
- Planting time - September until the end of April or early May.
- Depth - The crown should be covered with 3cm of soil.
- Watering - Although drought resistant, if hemerocallis are watered during the flowering season they produce bigger flowers.
- Fertilizer: useful to give a multi-purpose fertilizer (preferably organic), low in nitrogen at the time of planting or in early spring.
- Splitting up - by dividing the clumps every 5 to 6 years