Divine Daylilies

There is no other flower that says “July” like the daylily. The botanical name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words (hēmera) “day” and (kalos) “beautiful,” and daylilies are so named because each individual flower lasts for only one day, opening in the morning and closing at night. Daylily plants actually bloom over several weeks since each stem or flower scape holds several buds which open in succession. Although there are many varieties of daylilies with bloom times ranging from spring to fall, July is the month of daylily abundance!

Almost every garden has at least one daylily, the most common being the “tawny daylily” which blooms here in early July, just in time for Independence Day. Also known as “ditch daylily,” “orange daylily,” “tiger daylily,” and “Eve’s thread,” hemerocallis fulva was supposedly brought to this country by sailors who procured them in the Orient during the 1800’s. Because of its long history and tough constitution, it’s the most widely grown of all daylilies in this country. Here in New England, the stately orange flowers can be found blooming everywhere this month!

Gardeners often call the daylily the “perfect perennial” and there are many reasons for its popularity. Daylilies boast an array of colors including many varied shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, white and even purple. Some varieties are bi-colored, prettily ruffled, or sport an iridescent shimmer. Depending on the type, they have a look that can range from demure to brazen! Taller varieties, some with flower stems that can grow to six feet, are perfect for the back of the border while shorter ones form a softly mounding garden edge. They are extremely versatile in garden design, complementing cottage style as well as formal borders. Absolutely stunning when planted en masse with one color, their vigorous growth also makes them an excellent groundcover to crowd out weeds.

Daylilies are known for their ease of culture. In fact, the name “ditch daylily” comes from the habit of people actually throwing unfortunate daylilies along the side of the road or in ditches where they would take root and thrive in spite of the total lack of care. Wherever planted, they last for many years, slowly spreading into large clumps via tuberous fleshy roots and rhizomes which spread horizontally underground. Daylilies are also remarkably hardy, can tolerate full sun to partial shade, and thrive in U.S hardiness zones from 3 to 9. Although these plants will survive just fine on their own and are truly care-free, I like to add some compost around them in late fall or early spring to promote vigor and abundant flower buds come summer.

I have many different daylily varieties but three of my favorites happen to be yellow. The vintage lemon daylily, also known as “Flava,” is a medium-sized May bloomer with fine strappy foliage and star-like bright blooms. It’s the very first daylily to bloom in my gardens every year! “Happy Returns” is another medium-sized daylily with golden yellow blooms from late June into July; after resting, it puts on another show in late summer to early fall. My tallest daylily, “Hyperion,” dates back to the 1920’s and is a robust grower with fragrant canary yellow flowers that light up my partly shaded garden in July.

Some of my other July into August bloomers include “Pink Lavender Appeal” and “Catherine Woodbury” whose pastel pinky-purple flowers look lovely next to the soft blues of Ladybells or Peachleaf bellflower. Hemerocallis “Pizza Crust” is iridescent golden-pink with a brownish crust-colored ruffle which blends well with Rudbeckia “Goldsturm” and hardy geranium “Rozanne.” “Lady Elizabeth” is a pure white shimmering beauty which also reblooms later in the season and is stunning next to echinacea “Magnus.” “Indian Giver” is a rare rich purple that shines when planted next to pink companions.

If you’re new to gardening, I hope you’ll give care-free daylilies a try. If you’d like to add more of these gorgeous summer flowers to your garden, the varieties I’ve mentioned above will not disappoint, so go ahead and take a chance on growing divine daylilies!

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