THE TRUTH ABOUT DAYLILIES AND IMPORTANT CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
If you area flower grower and want an abundance of blooms, if you want a per- 
ennial that is very hardy, and needs very little care, choose the Daylily. Daylilies 
do not require spraying for insects or diseases. They don’t require digging or 
storing for winter. Winter protection is not necessary. 
It is important that Daylilies be planted as early as possible in the season so that 
- they can become established before winter. In some sections of the country, es- 
pecially where heaving and thawing is a problem, many shallow rooted plants are 
heaved out of the earth and the crowns frozen and killed. This is because they 
do not have deep enough roots to anchor them in. The Daylily if planted too late 
may not be able to grow enough roots to anchor them, and in this event they might 
also heave. If Daylilies are planted within 2 months of your frost date it is advis- 
able as an extra precaution to mulch with some hay, excelsior, or other loose ma- 
terial. After the first winter this will not be necessary, as the Daylilies will, by the 
second winter be well rooted and anchored in. We lose very few late divided plants 
here and yet we don’t mulch, but mulching is good insurance the first winter. 
Plant the crowns of the Daylilies, 1 inch below the surface, the crown is where 
the root joins the foliage. 
Plant Daylilies where drainage is good, and any good garden soil is ok. Daylilies 
will grow in sandy or clay soil but is happier in a loamy type. 
A cup of bonemeal with a shovelful of rotted manure or compost mixed in soil be- 
fore planting is a good fertilizer for Daylilies. 
Daylilies like lots of moisture when they are blooming, and will bloom better 
and make nicer clumps if given water when it is dry. As you know plants are 
composed mainly of water, but Daylilies are about as drought resistant as the 
cactus if water is not supplied, and in most all cases bloom and grow well without 
any additional watering. 
Do not judge a bloom or the number of blooms or scapes on a one year plant, 
even on a few 2 year clumps judgement should not be made as to the quality of 
the bloom or the abundance of blooms. The blooming habits, as to quantity vary 
with each variety, but all make a grand display from 2 to 3 years. Do not divide 
daylilies after 2, 3 or 4 years if they are blooming good, as they are usually at 
their best from 2 to 10 years in the same location. Dividing can be made when 
the plant becomes too crowded in its location and this will be evident by the scar- 
city of blooms and the tendency of the bloom to become smaller. Divide by wash- 
ing the earth from the roots with a hose and cutting apart with a kitchen knife 
into 2 or 3 fan divisions. Spring or right after they bloom is a good time to 
divide. In most cases a light shifting shade as one finds in an open woodland is 
an ideal place to plant Daylilies, but they will bloom in half shade, but not quite 
so abundant, and bloom heaviest in full sun. A few varieties if placed in full sun 
will burn or wilt a little, especially the first two years, while some of the yellows 
will have a tendency to scorch if the sun is especially hot. So it would be wise to 
give some shade to your Daylilies until you will be able to judge their reaction to 
different locations. Placement will have to be determined by the grower. 
Spacing Daylilies 3 feet will take care of future growth of plants, and in the first 
or second year other perennials or annuals may be used between these plants to 
fill the gap. 
Descriptions are as close as we can make under the circumstances, as weather, 
soil, and location, (sun or shade) has a direct bearing as to their specific color in 
your garden. On cloudy days, reds are sometimes darker. Colors are truer on 
older clumps. 
Height indicated is a general average, as some scapes may be shorter, while others 
will be taller than indicated. You will also exprience a truer heigh on a more 
established plant, (2 or more years old.) 
Season of bloom will vary 2 or more weeks at certain locations, due to the differ- 
ence in climate. 
As to reblooming habits, here at Kansas City we have an average of 6 months of 
frost free weather, with about 4% months of 75 degrees or more temperature 
during the day. Daylilies love hot weather and will not open up well if the days 
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