Here she is, my favourite perennial!
The daylily, often called the “lily of a day”, embodies this ephemeral grace while adding a touch of timeless splendor to any garden.
The ideal maintenance-free plant for the Breton garden!
Hemerocallis origins
Hemerocallis takes its name from the Greek “hemera” meaning “day” and “kalos” meaning “beautiful”, a poetic reference to the short lifespan of each flower. Native to East Asia, this delicate plant has captivated gardeners the world over for centuries with its ephemeral flowering and variety of colors. Often symbolizing passion and vitality, daylilies have become a popular choice for ornamental gardens, borders and beds.
Botanical features
Daylilies are characterized by their long, upright stems bearing funnel-shaped flowers, which usually bloom for a single day before fading. However, each stem can produce several successive flower buds, ensuring prolonged flowering for around a month. Flowers can range from white to bright yellow, through all shades of pink, red and purple, offering a rich palette of colors.
When buying, it’s important to pay attention to the size of the plant. Some flowers are very small, barely 30cm, while others are 1 metre long. It’s important to know this so as not to lose a small plant in the middle of a large bed.
- Zoological Name: Hemerocallis
- Family: Liliaceae
- Height: 30 to 100 cm
- Exposition: Sun to part shade
- Soil: Ordinary, rather clayey. Thrives in acid soil.
- Foliage: More or less evergreen
- Flowering: June to July
It’s said to be edible, but I’ll wait to see someone eat it in front of me to be sure.
Growing and caring for daylilies
Daylilies are easy to grow and undemanding, making them an ideal choice even for novice and lazy gardeners. It thrives in well-drained, fertile soil, and prefers a sunny or partially shaded location. At Meilland Richardier, they say that yellow flowers thrive in sun and dark red ones in shade. I haven’t verified this claim. Most of my plants are in sun or half-shade under peach trees. But if your daylily isn’t flowering, it may be that it’s not getting enough sun.
Planting
Here, it thrives in acid soil, but I don’t know if it tolerates limestone either.
The first year, you need to be careful of slugs and other invasive plants. Then, let it thrive for several years before dividing it.
Maintenance
It requires no weeding or treatment. The clump is so tight that even quackgrass doesn’t bother it.
To keep the clump looking nice, every morning I gently detach the wilted flowers, taking care not to break the little buds.
Then, when all the buds have bloomed, I cut the stem.
How to propagate daylilies
I propagate it by dividing the clump. You need to divide it in early spring when the leaves start to grow again, so you know exactly where the plant is. Then, with a little spade, you can divide it into several plants. It can then be replanted in potting soil, either directly in the ground or in a pot for gift-giving.
It can also be sown. If you save the seeds of your plants, you may be able to create new varieties!
Using daylilies in the garden
I’ve planted them all over the place and continue to buy new varieties. Plant them in the middle of beds for the larger varieties, and in borders for the smaller ones, just about anywhere. A very red variety will go very well with blue agapanthus.
Avoid using it in bouquets, as its flowers only last a day, and the other buds don’t open easily once cut.
