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I think that perhaps the Daylillies, or Yellow Daylilies, (Hemerocallis) are truly the delight of my garden. These flowers give a maximum amount of pleasure with a miminum amount of work. They will adapt to a variety of soil and climatic conditions more so than any other perennial.
They are grown from Washington to California, through New England, Wisconsin to Florida, Canada and even in parts of Alaska.
The Greek word 'Hemerocallis' really means 'beautiful for a day,' which I think is one of the more unfortunate traits of the plant, as their blossoms live for only 24 hours. A single stalk can carry 50 or more flower buds which open in succession, so that the plant could be in bloom for a month to even six weeks. Since the stalks don't develop at the same time, the foliage is always effective and so very graceful and the entire plant is beautiful for so many months.
The Lemon Daylily was first described in 1570, and two Daylillies received the generic name Hemerocallis when Linnaeus published his Species Plantarum in l753. The yellow one was Hemerocallis Lilio-Asphodelus flavus and the deep orange and tawny one was called Hemerocallis Lilio-Asphodelus fulvus. The botanical names were shortened to Hemerocallis flava and Hemerocallis fulva in the l8th century.
You have to first of all realize that daylillies
are very unique and they flourish in sun or shade, and in dry or wet soil, although you don't want to treat them as bog plants. The Hemerocallis fulva is so tough that it has become widely naturalized in fields, hedgerows and along pools or stream, where it can create endless beauty. Have you ever been out in the woodlands and looked upon a flowing stream with beautiful daylillies in bloom?
These plants do not need constant division and replanting and once you place them they will stay satisfied and growing for many years. Also, they can be planted in ordinary garden soil almost any time that the ground is open, using either group divisions or large vigorous plants.
In the maintaining of these plants there is hardly any work: maintainance is practically non-existent. It even has been said that no pests like them: that fact alone is a reason to grow these wonderful flowers. However, there are a few insects that like them, especially on the H. citrina and the H. multiflora: Japanese Beetles.
In spite of the possiblities of disease and some winter loss it is still my thought that these daylillies are well worth the minimum effort it takes to grown them.
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