Daylilies

Daylilies are very unique and beautiful flowers that offer color, vibrancy, and beauty to their surroundings.

Their name is derived from Greek meaning beautiful day as the generally bloom in the morning and wither each night (though several species are night-blooming). They are also perennials, meaning that each plant should live for two years or more.

Some dictionaries will spell the flowers as Day Lilies, a two word noun. In actuality they are not part of the Lily genus, but the operative word "day" is noted for their daily blooms. A bloom from a Day Lily, or as I will spell the flower, daylily, will open with the sun coming up and will wilt and die come nightfall. The fascinating thing about this flower is that although the blooms have short lifespan, there are new buds that sometimes bloom each successive day.

The daylily is a fairly low maintenance plant that easily repays you for the work you put in by producing vibrant, colorful blooms all season long. The following are some suggested care tips.

Daylilies are flowers that like sunlight! To maintain the best quality flowers, your daylily should be grown in a place where they can get a lot of sun. The more light you have on the plant, the more blooms will produce.

While daylilies can grow in light shade, this will probably induce fewer blooms and you'll get more grassy type leaves and foliage that surround the flower. So if you want the greens with fewer blooms, you can have some great green foliage accented with the occasional flower, which may be good for bordering a fence or landscape design outline.

One factor to consider: the color of the bloom can be a factor of deciding how much sun a daylily needs. With darker color blooms like reds, purples will require less light due to the heat absorption of dark pigments. The dark colors will trap the heat longer and with too much heat can die. They benefit more from partially shaded spots.

To do their best daylilies need liberal amounts of water and food.Water is key for the plant to bloom well. Daylilies should not be planted too close to trees or shrubs. This creates completion for moisture and nutrients with the other plants.

During the spring the plants need a good deal of water to stimulate good growth. However the plants have been bread to have a remarkable amount of heartiness during dry spells. They are quite resistant to water shortages. Even though the daylily can tolerate drought, it will perform best when it can receive a deep watering of an inch of water or more each week. This amount should be increased if your daylilies are planted in sandy or rocky soils (due to water loss to seepage).

Daylilies prefer slightly acidic (a pH of 6.5 to 7.0) soil that is well drained and very high in organic content. Again this isn't 100 percent necessary, but it creates an ideal growing environment.

For best fertilization, a springtime pre-bloom application of manure, compost, or complete fertilizer is very beneficial. A low nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in the late summer or early fall. You should also remove any unintended seedpods. These can weaken the plant and will increase the number of blooms for the following season.

Before planting the flowers, make sure to incorporate a good deal of mulch material for the soil. Daylilies flowers need a good amount of drainage, so some planters create a raised bed of soil mixed with organic matter. If the soil is claylike and sticky, add wood chips, straw or any other high fiber diet material. Find a happy medium, so if you have too loose of soil, add some humus or peat moss so the water can gather around the roots.