that season.
Daylilies can remain attractive into
late autumn, and in mild areas some
varieties may remain semi-evergreen.
In these instances, cutting plants back
in the spring is preferable to cutting
them down for winter. In most cases,
though, the foliage gets pretty tatty
over the winter and should be cut back
after several killing frosts. Sometimes
the foliage can be pulled off by hand.
other maintenance Despite all
the pruning requirements, daylilies
are tough, long-lived, cold hardy, and
tolerant of neglect. As with most
perennials, daylilies prefer a
high-organic, well-draining soil, but
they are flexible, although they will rot
if the soil is too poorly drained. They
are fairly drought tolerant. Daylilies
are easily divided using the
double-fork method, and this can be
done at any time, although spring or
autumn is best. Normally division is
not needed for many years on older
species, but the hybrids can get
crowded and may require division
every 4–5 years—even sooner for
repeat bloomers. Part shade is
preferable for daylilies with
pastel-colored flowers.
Reblooming daylilies require
frequent division—about every 2 yearsto keep them vigorous and blooming
strongly—because it is the new
rhizomes that produce the new
flowers. They are also heavy feeders
and should be given both a spring
granular and a summer liquid feeding.
Deadheading is critical for good
rebloom. Deadleafing is more desir-
able than cutting back after the first
bloom, as future flowers might be cut
off with the foliage. If the foliage looks
poor after the first bloom phase, it is
probably a sign that division is needed
to rejuvenate the plants.
related plantS ‘Stella de Oro’
(gold) is the most reliable reblooming
daylily, followed by ‘Happy Returns’
(lemon yellow). Other popular
daylilies classified as rebloomers by
the American Daylily Society include
‘Apricot Sparkles’ (apricot with a
yellow throat), ‘Big Time Happy’
(lemon yellow), ‘Custard Candy’ (cream
with maroon and green eye), ‘Little
Business’ (cranberry red), ‘Mini Pearl’
(peach), ‘Pardon Me’ (cranberry red),
‘Purple de Oro’ (purple), ‘Rosy Returns’
(rose pink), ‘South Seas’ (coral),
‘Stella’s Ruffled Fingers’ (pale pink),
‘Strawberry Candy’ (strawberry pink),
and ‘Tuscawilla Tigress’ (orange). Most
so-called rebloomers rebloom better in
the South than they do in the North.A comparison made late in the
season of a daylily sheared to
the ground (right) to a daylily left
unsheared (left).