WHERE, HOW and WHEN 
SHOULD YOU PLANT 
Daylil (es 
AYLILIES can be used effectively in per- 
ennial borders, in groups of three to five 
interspersed with other plants. Their height 
should be kept in mind, of course, for there are 
those that grow only 12 inches tall and others as 
high as 6 feet. They can also be planted in the 
foreground of the shrubbery border, in a solid 
planting 2 to 3 feet wide or in groups of three to 
five between shrubs, thus solving the problem 
of filling unsightly gaps. Many people use them 
for naturalizing through partly shaded woods 
and long the banks of lakes and streams. 
You people who have grown Daylilies need 
no advice as to their culture, for you know all 
about their performance, but to those of you 
who have not grown them yet, let me give this 
brief information. To begin with, Daylilies are 
not bulbs at all, but a hardy herbaceous per- 
ennial. From Maine to California they have 
never been equaled for dependability by any 
other garden subject. 
Simply plant your divisions in full sun or 
part shade in ordinary soil. I like to set them 
from 18 inches to 2 feet apart, with the roots 
spread out, of course. They should be planted 
with the crown just even with the ground sur- 
face. Only about 1 inch soil over. Spread out 
roots. 
In my experience any time is the best time to 
plant Daylilies. The sooner you get them in the 
ground, the sooner they get established and give 
you blooms the following season. Of course, in 
the colder climates they cannot be planted when 
the ground is actually frozen. 
Now by carefully selecting your varieties you 
can have Daylilies in bloom for four or five months 
in the colder climates and a much longer time 
in the warmer states. The flowering time that 
we mention is for Texas; figure about a month 
later for the North. If you like a particular 
color, you can order several different varieties 
in that shade that bloom at different times. 
Kach variety will give you four to six weeks of 
bloom when established and will prolong the 
blooming season in your garden. 
Leave your plants alone from year to year 
and they will continue to grow in larger compact 
clumps and give you more blooms each season. 
Of course, after a few years they can be taken 
up and divided. I have seen a clump of Daylilies 
growing undisturbed in the same location and 
blooming most profusely for fifteen years and 
even longer. 
I have never known any disease or insect pests 
of any consequence to bother Daylilies in the 
least, and have never had to spend even five 
cents for insecticides in my fields. 
We will positively replace any plants that fail 
to live and get established on account of your 
climate. I believe Texas-grown Daylilies are 
better because of the husky, vigorous root 
growth, they start with when they are shipped 
RUSSELL GARDENS, SPRING, TEXAS 

from our nursery. I used 11,000 on one estate 
in hot, dry, windswept Oklahoma, and have 
sent thousands of plants to that state as the 
result of that planting. 
You may order when you like, and we will 
hold your plants until you wish them delivered. 
Ordering early avoids the disappointment of 
some varieties being sold out. See pages 17,18, 
and 19 for 1949 introductions. 
A WARNING 
The first flowers on a newly planted Daylily 
will not give you a full conception of the true 
character of that particular variety, for they are 
usually small and in some cases not so intense 
in color as they will be after becoming established. 
Give them a full season’s growth before you pass 
judgment, and I believe you will say that they 
are the most beautiful flowers and the easiest to 
grow that you have ever tried. 
Daylilies 
as Cut Flowers 
No garden subject is so satisfactory as the 
Russell Daylilies for cutting. After the stalks are 
placed in water they will last two or three weeks 
in the house and almost every bud will open. 
This makes them extremely useful for the dinner 
table, as our new varieties remain open so much 
longer in the evening. There is a fresh supply of 
newly opened blooms every morning for quite 
some time. 
4720 EF. 71st St., Indianapolis 20, Ind., August 6, 
1948. 
I want to tell you about our “‘Greatest Plea- 
sure” with our Daylilies, ‘““Queen of Gonzales.” 
Daughter has been in Europe serving Red Cross 
work and arrived home after an absence of al- 
most two years. We had a “Welcome Home 
Party”’ of her old friends—and ‘‘Queen of Gon- 
zales’” welcomed Ruth with huge yellow blooms. 
When the last guests left after midnight, blooms 
were still opened to bid the guests goodnight, as 
it stood right beside the front door entrance. 
“Queen of Gonzales” will always be dear to our 
hearts—Mrs. Lauret L. BENnToN. 
