Want to know how to grow daylilies? It is easy to add the “perfect perennial” to your landscape. Following are tips for selecting, protecting, and caring for the wondrous daylily.

Reasons To Grow This Top Performing Plant  

The birth of the modern daylily occurred decades ago at the New York Botanical Garden. Dr. Arlow Stout, daylily hybridization specialist, successfully cross-pollinated wild varieties to create hybrids. Today, there are thousands of daylily choices in every imaginable color and style. Following are some of the plusses of growing daylilies:

*Bloom from late spring until autumn.

*Thrive in a wide range of climates, soils, and light conditions.  

*Tough and low maintenance.

*Suitable for all landscape styles.

*Experience few pest or disease issues.

*Excellent at shading out weeds.

Making Daylily Selections 

Daylilies, members of the Hemerocallis family and not true lilies, deliver top beauty and form all around the landscape. Add splendor to flower and rain gardens, create mass plantings, grow daylilies as weed-proof groundcover. Dress up containers with dwarf varieties. The list of possibilities goes on.

Here are a few suggestions to help you make your selections:

-Identify where you want to plant and determine how much sun/shade the areas get.

-Peruse daylily catalogs and visit nurseries for ideas on colors, shapes, and growing habits.

-Become inspired and informed with this article “All American Daylilies” which includes a list of top ten varieties!

Tips On How To Grow Daylilies

Do not be misled by the meaning of the word daylily – “only flowers for a day”. A daylily has 4-6 “scapes” (stems) and each scape has over a dozen flower buds, so one plant may yield close to a hundred flowers in a season.

Daylilies are very easy-going, even rugged, once established. Take care of their basic needs and they will reciprocate with magnificent blooms!

Planting: Dot your landscape spring or fall with the cheerful daylily. Some varieties can even go into the soil during summer.

Light/Watering: Full sun (6 hours) is the general guide for many varieties. However, there are some shade-tolerant daylilies that will transform shaded areas into bright delights! Keep daylilies moist as they develop. Once established, they toughen and can tolerate occasional drought.

Companion Plants: Pair daylilies with other plants for even more visual interest. Good choices for sun include Liatris, Rudbeckia and Shasta Daisy. Ferns, Hosta, and Solomon’s Seal are lovely shade companion options.

Dividing/Transplanting: Clumps may eventually become so leafy that blooms are few and infrequent. This means it is time to divide and transplant. Share some with friends and neighbors!

Protect Your Daylilies

Deer love daylilies and will eat the buds, flowers, and leaves if the plants are left unprotected. Be proactive in keeping deer and other animal pests away.  

* Surround your daylilies with plants deer generally don’t like, such as Butterfly Bush, Common Boxwood and Moonglow Juniper.

*Cover plants with a thin netting, which will keep deer away but not obstruct the view of your plants.

*Set up deer-netting fastened to wooden or metal garden posts.

*Grow daylilies on a slope, which will help prevent erosion and deter deer, as they don’t like to climb.

*Create a daylily container garden on an above-ground deck or patio.

*Provide eco-friendly on-plant protection with Bobbex Deer Repellent. It is easy to use, sprays on clear, and won’t wash off in the rain. Bobbex repellents are made from ingredients such as fish oil, garlic, clove oil, and more, and they deter animals through smell and taste. What’s more, all Bobbex products are safe for people, pets, wildlife, and aquatic life.

An Enchanting Garden

Create an enchanting garden filled with the unique charm of daylilies. You can grow these gorgeous and tough perennials without deer interference. Establish plans to divert deer and keep daylilies protected, and soon you will be treated to a special brand of beauty!