How to Plant and Care for Daylilies

You’ll see them blooming all around the city this time of year, often planted in less-than-ideal situations. Their hardiness, adaptability and low maintenance are among the attributes that make daylilies one of the most popular perennials. Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) are ideal for borders and edging, they’re tolerant of drought, seemingly unaffected by high temperatures, and able to grow in most soils. You'll find them planted along streets and sidewalks, often under rock mulch, blooming away.  

Daylilies belong to the genus Hemerocallis, a Greek word made up of two parts: Hemera meaning day and Kallos meaning beauty. An appropriate name, since each flower lasts only one day. 

When it comes to planting daylilies in the garden, first choose a site that will receive full sun. Daylilies will tolerate light shade but flower best when exposed to least 6 hours of sunlight a day.  

You can plant daylilies anytime you're transplanting container-grown plants with well-established root systems. Avoid planting during the hottest part of the day. It’s better to plant in the evening or on a cloudy day. 

 

 

Once the site has been selected, it’s important to amend the soil with organic material. Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost is a good choice. Mix the Sheep, Peat and Compost with the native soil at a 50:50 ratio. Make the planting hole twice as wide and one and a half times as deep as the one-gallon container your daylily came in. Remove the daylily from its pot and place in the planting hole so the crown of the plant is even with the surrounding ground. Next, add enough soil to cover the root system.   

Now mix three and one-half tablespoons of Root Stimulator in one gallon of water and pour into the planting hole. Finish up by filling the rest of the planting hole with amended soil. 

Established daylilies produce an abundance of flowers through much of the season, especially if you are diligent about removing spent blooms soon after flowering will keep your plants looking well-groomed and encourages re-blooming.  

 

   

  

Cultivated in a variety of colors such as  

Mauna Loa 

Stella De Oro

Strawberry Candy 

 

How to Plant and Grow Raspberries

Growing raspberries successfully along the Front Range is a matter of providing the right growing culture. This includes choosing varieties that are suitable for our climate, selecting a spot in full sun and amending the planting site soil with organic material.  Whether you choose summer bearing or fall bearing, raspberries are a good choice for your edible garden. Raspberry varieties that will do well in our climate include:  

‘Latham’ (Rubus idaeus), a summer bearing red raspberry (floricane). 

‘Nova’ (Rubus idaeus) a hardy, midseason summer red raspberry. Blooms on second year canes (floricane). 

‘Fall Gold’ (Rubus idaeus), an everbearing yellow raspberry, produces its best crop in late summer into fall.   

For prolonged harvest, consider planting a mix of summer and fall bearing varieties.  

Raspberries are members of the Rose family. They are often called caneberries, because they fruit on woody stems called canes. The roots of raspberry plants are perennial, but the canes have a life cycle of two years. The first-year cane is called a primocane and consists mainly of vegetation, though some varieties such as Fall Gold will bloom on primocanes.  Floricanes appear in the second year of the cycle. Floricanes will produce fruit before they die back in the fall. Once established, raspberries will have both primocanes and floricanes, during the season. For most varieties planted now, there will be no harvest as all the canes will be primocanes.   The second year, a new set of primocanes will emerge and the floricanes will produce berries.  

You can plant raspberries anytime you're transplanting container-grown plants with well-established root systems, such as this one. Avoid planting during the hottest part of the day. It’s better to plant in the evening or on a cloudy day. Choose a spot in the garden that receives full sun and is sheltered from strong winds.  Avoid planting where potatoes, peppers and tomatoes have grown in the last three years. These crops may have been infected with insects and diseases that can affect raspberries. 

Prepare the soil with locally produced amendments such as Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost. This will improve soil structure and help lower pH. Remove the raspberry plant from its container and position it at the same level it was in the container. Backfill with amended soil, creating a basin to retain water around the plant.  

Fertilize raspberries at planting time with organic Happy Frog Fruit and Flower. Feed again one month later. In subsequent seasons, feed in spring and again in one month and two months. Water thoroughly, then apply two to three inches of natural mulch to help retain moisture. Mountain Magic Soil Pep is a good choice.  

Pruning raspberries is an important part of the growing, fruiting process. Without pruning, you’ll see a reduction in the amount of fruit produced. Summer-bearing raspberries bloom on canes that grew the season before (floricanes) or old wood. Canes need to overwinter to produce a crop. They should be pruned right after they fruit. Late summer and fall fruiting raspberries bear on the current season’s growth (primocanes). Primocanes are pruned in late fall or early spring. A fresh set of canes will emerge in the spring. Remove weak, damaged and diseased canes at any time.  

All varieties of raspberries will benefit from some type of support system. An existing fence or a post and wire trellis will work. Set two to three post spaced along the length of the raspberry bed and string two or three levels of wire or garden twine between them. Tie off canes individually to the horizontal wires or garden twine. This will keep canes upright and fruit off the ground as well as facilitate harvesting and maintenance.