In the Garden: Easygoing daylillies provide color, cheer almost anywhere

While I grow a wide variety of interesting perennials, I must admit the toughest ones are my favorites. I’m talking about coneflowers, Shasta daisies, sedums, black-eyed Susans and, especially, daylilies.

Daylilies greet us with narrow, arching green leaves throughout the season and reward us during the summer with cheerful, attractive flowers that are a joy to behold. My only complaint is the flowers don’t last long enough, but maybe that makes me appreciate them more.

Since the Inland Northwest ranges from USDA zones 5 to 6, you’ll be pleased to hear most daylilies are hardy to zones 3 and 4. The plants love sunshine yet will tolerate light shade. For the best flowering conditions, they really need at least six hours of sunlight daily.

They look terrific in perennial borders and cottage gardens, next to pools and water features, and along walkways and driveways. You’d think being planted next to an asphalt driveway would make a daylily wilt, but mine don’t even notice the heat.

They grow from fleshy, tuberous roots that gradually increase in size over the years. This gives you even more to enjoy along with having plenty to share with neighbors and friends.

Daylilies can be planted throughout the growing season and are very adaptable to a wide range of soil types. As easygoing as they are, they’d tell you that their preference is to be in well-drained, slightly-moist soil.

To get them off to a great start, I like to incorporate some compost into the planting hole and water them in well. If I plant a daylily in early fall, I know it’s important to mulch them thickly to reduce the chances of frost-heaving before they’ve had a chance to establish a strong root system.

Most daylilies grow between 2 1/2 to 4 feet in height but there are also dwarf varieties that grow a petite 1 to 2 feet tall.

Plants generally bloom in mid- to late summer, although purchasing different varieties with varying bloom times will extend the flowering period in your garden. As their name implies, each daylily flower lasts only a day. While it’s not necessary to remove the spent flowers, I find it tidies up the plant’s appearance and allows one to focus on the newly-opened blossoms even more.

Would you believe there are more than 35,000 named varieties of daylilies? That statistic can seem daunting when it comes to choosing one that’s right for your garden. My advice is to visit local parks like Manito Park and nurseries when plants are in bloom and choose varieties that really speak to you.

Some of my favorites include Chicago Apache, My Sweet Rose, Strutters Ball, Grape Velvet, Strawberry Fields Forever and Joan Senior.

In recent years, plant breeders have produced reblooming daylilies. According to local gardeners I’ve spoken to, our season isn’t long enough for those to be successful. However, everblooming varieties such as Stella d’Oro, Happy Returns and Rosy Returns tend to flower continuously during the summer.

Daylilies can be divided once a clump gets too large for its location. The best time is late summer, after the plant has finished blooming. This allows the roots time to settle in before the colder months arrive. Dividing plants will affect blooming for a season or two while the plants get reestablished.

I’ve never experienced any pest problems with my daylilies, not even deer. If you were wavering about adding some to your garden, that should be the clincher.