Here Are the Answers to 
These are the questions most frequently recetved by us durmg the past 25 
years of Daylily handling. Extracted from H. G. Seyler’s article in Flower Grower, 
March 1946. 
How Much Space Do They Need? 
Individual Daylily plants should be spaced at 
least 2 feet apart. Plants spread and will fill the 
gaps in several years and will not overcrowd for 
a long time. Staggered arrangement permits a 
maximum number of plants to a solid Daylily 
bed or border. 
What Care After Planting? 
Daylilies require very little care after planting, 
if planted to the proper depth. Except weeding 
during the first year. In cases of severe drought 
and heat after planting, it is well to water and 
shade the plants until new foliage appears. 
Shading should consist of a cloth or wood strip 
lean-to so placed as to permit the morning and 
evening sun to enter. Remove this shelter as 
soon as cooler or cloudy weather occurs. 
What Soil Do They Prefer? 
There appears to be no fixed soil preference. 
Gravel, sand, silt, loam or clay—all support good 
Daylily plantings. The addition of compost, 
manure and/or commercial plant food improves 
growth and bloom appreciably. Except for ex- 
tremes of lime or acid, the analysis of the soil 
does not seem to have any noticeable effect on 
Daylilies. Any ordinary soil is fully suitable. 
Will Daylilies Thrive in Shade? 
Daylilies will survive but will not bloom well 
in continuous shade. There should be direct 
sunlight for at least half of the day. The mottled 
shade of open woodland is ideal. They never- 
theless enjoy direct, continuous and torrid sun. 
Are Daylilies Water Plants? 
Definitely no. They like to dip their root tips 
Into pools and streams, and they will thrive 
along the banks and margins of either, but they 
resent continuous moisture around their crowns. 
“‘Wet feet but dry heads” please them. Dro ght 
and dry slopes, however, are their specialty. 
Do They Stand Heat and Drought? 
They certainly do. They actually prefer heat 
and drought to clouds and rain during the bloom- 
ing season. Midwest and desert gardeners re- 
port profuse and unfailing bloom during months 
of drought and weeks of temperatures above 100°. 
How Should Daylilies Be Fed? 
Daylilies will thrive without feeding but will 
respond to extra food. Use well-rotted manure or 
compost. Add a light application of a balanced 
commercial fertilizer in the spring. It is easy to 
overdo Daylily feeding but undesirable to omit 
feeding entirely. 
How Soon Will They Bloom? 
In some cases an early spring planting may 
produce some flowers by Iate summer, or a fall 
planting by the following summer, but generally 
a Daylily needs the reestablishment and de- 
velopment of its root system during a summer’s 
growing season before producing normal blooms 
the next year. 
20 
Gain Time by Planting Clumps? 
No, because the Daylily is a long-lived plant. 
Clumps include excess and idle structure which 
permits the plant to rest and does not encourage 
the urge to grow. A strong division soon catches 
up with a transplanted clump and leaves it far 
behind. 
What About Winter Care? 
Once established, no winter will harm Day- 
lilies. Heavy winter mulching may merely pro- 
vide homes for mice which may injure the plants. 
Their own foliage usually provides adequate 
winter protection and should not be trimmed 
until spring. The most important factor is to 
avoid planting Daylilies in low and poorly drained 
areas, and to plant so as to avoid a depression 
around the plant after the ground settles. 
Mulch, if any, should be limited to light and airy 
materials such as salt hay and glass or wood wool. 
Should Clumps Be Thinned? 
Watch the crowns for unusually dense, crowded 
and heaved condition. If they’re merely spread- 
ing too much, reduce the spread with a sharp 
spade or trowel at any time. If they’re over- 
crowding themselves to the extent that the 
blooms are becoming sparse and sickly, thin or 
transplant during the last stage of the flowering 
season; this permits positive identity and a 
minimum interruption of the flowering period. 
What Insect Pests Trouble Them? 
Daylilies are reputed to be pest-free, but if 
overcrowded, near to uncut grass and if the 
weather is unfavorable, they may encounter 
some thrips trouble. In that case, the flower 
stems and foliage will appear rusty and some 
blooms will be malformed. The usual remedy 
for thrips is a spray consisting of 3 teaspoonfuls of 
tartar emetic and 14 pound of sugar to a gallon 
of water. I have yet to encounter thrips or any 
other insect pests on my Daylilies. 
How Are Flowers Borne? 
There is a wide variation in the types of 
Daylily flower branches. One class produces 
bunched heads of bloom like amaryllis. Another 
throws a high-headed, prolific and symmetrically 
branched structure of true garden majesty. 
Others are many-branched and profusely bloom- 
ing throughout their height. 
Are There White Daylilies? 
There are no white Daylilies and we don’t 
expect to see any in our lifetime. The nearest to 
white, thus far, are the pale yellows which bleach 
unattractively in the sun. See them before you 
buy. There are good pale yellows which do not 
bleach, notably Princess. 
When Can Daylilies Be Planted Safely? 
Daylilies can be safely planted from early 
spring, through summer and until a few weeks 
before the soil freezes in fall; any time in localities 
with open winters. There isn’t any desirable 
garden plant which reacts more favorably to 
shipping and transplanting rigors. 
