If
you're looking for a very reliable plant to add color to your perennial garden,
Daylilies are what you're looking for. Daylilies belong to the Hemerocallis
family and they thrive here in Zone 5. The daylily's botanical name
Hemerocallis, means "beauty for a day" and it's true the individual
daylily flowers open in the morning and are often done blooming by
nightfall.
The good news is, each flower
stem (called a scape) has multiple flower buds, so the plant stays in bloom for
several weeks. You may also choose varieties that bloom early, mid-season and
late, giving you color throughout the growing season. Your daylilies will grow
and flower best when planted in full sun. Daylilies like well-drained soils, so
amend the planting site soil with a mixture of compost and peat moss. Add some
Bone Meal to the planting site and set your new daylily in the ground at the
same level it was in the pot. Space your daylily plants 12" to 18' apart,
so there will be plenty of room to grow. Fertilize daylilies every 3-4 weeks
during the growing season, using an 11-15-11 fertilizer. Besides watering and
monthly feeding during the growing season, daylilies don't require much
maintenance, other than to cut back the flower stalks once they are done
blooming. Plan to divide daylilies every 4 to 5 years. You'll know it's time to
divide them if they don't bloom as well as they used to and the plants look
overcrowded. Fall is a really good time
to divide daylilies. Once replanted, they have all fall to re-establish. Use a
garden fork to dig up each clump, than divide them and replant. Daylilies are
very reliable, low maintenance plants that will provide color to your garden
for many seasons. They are the ideal perennial for your garden because they are
available in a rainbow of colors and they thrive with little care. Popular daylilies include:
'Bela Lugosi',
'Early Snow',
'Little Grapette',
'Pardon Me',
Pizza Crust'
'Stella De'Oro',
'Strawberry Candy',
'When My Sweetheart Returns'
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