The daylily can count a large number of flowers per season and bloom for up to six weeks. They not only impress with their magnificent flower colors, but also with their different flower shapes.
Characteristics
- Family: Daylily family (Hemerocallidaceae)
- Botanical name: Hemerocallis
- German name: day lily
- Habit: herbaceous, persistent, often in clumps
- Growth height: depending on the variety, 20-100 cm
- Foliage: elongated, linear, evergreen to evergreen
- Blossom: funnel-shaped, star-shaped, one- or two-colored, fragrant
- Flowering period: June to well into August
- Toxicity: not toxic
- Lime tolerance: lime tolerant
Location requirements
With sufficient soil moisture, daylilies thrive both in full sun and in partial shade, with fewer flowers in partial shade. The sunnier the location, the more flowers, with the exception of a few red and dark purple varieties, some of which are sensitive to direct sunlight and intense rainfall. A slight shade and a protected space can help here.
Soil condition
As a rule, these plants thrive in any normal garden soil. They feel comfortable in loamy, heavy, but also sandy and not too dry substrates. The best results are achieved in slightly nutrient-rich, loose and humus-rich soils as well as soil enriched with compost. What the daylily does not like are waterlogged, solidified or dry soils and hot, sterile sandy soils.
Best planting time
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) can be planted in spring and autumn on frost-free days depending on the root packaging. While bare-root goods should be planted immediately after purchase, container plants can be planted all year round. If you stick to the planting times, the lilies can grow and develop well by the onset of winter. Planting in spring also has the advantage that the plants will bloom in the year of planting.
Planting in the bed
Before starting to plant, bare-root plants should be watered thoroughly
will. In the meantime, dig sufficiently large planting holes with appropriate spacing.- Planting holes approx. 30 cm deep
- Distances between 40-50 cm
- Enrich the excavated earth with compost
- Loosen the soil well in the planting pit
- Create a small mound in the middle
- put the plants on it
- Spread the roots in all directions
- Root approach one to two centimeters below the surface of the earth
- Fill up with excavated earth, press the earth down, and water
- Mulch layer recommended
Tip: Care must be taken not to plant the daylilies too deep, otherwise the bloom formation could be delayed.
Planting in the bucket
- small-flowered Hemerocallis hybrids are particularly suitable
- Soil volume of the planter from seven liters
- Equip the soil with drainage
- fill in part of the substrate
- Insert the daylily in the middle
- keep a sufficient distance between several plants
- Fill with substrate, press soil and water
Tip: If the pot becomes too small over time, it is time to repot, at the latest after three years. This removes the old soil and damaged or rotten parts of the roots.
to water
The soil on which the daylilies grow should not be too dry or too moist. Persistent drought would cause flower buds to fall off. In addition, drought has an impact on the size of the flowers.
- therefore pay attention to uniform soil moisture
- additional watering during the main growing season from April to May.
- water regularly, even if it is persistent dryness and heat
- short dry periods are no problem
- do not water over the plants
- otherwise there is a risk of fungal attack
- Mulch layer keeps moisture in the soil longer
Tip: Specimens in the bucket need more water due to the smaller volume of soil and should be watered daily, especially in summer.
Fertilize
Similar to
when watering, daylilies (Hemerocallis) need additional fertilizer during the main growth phase in April / May. Since these perennials can stand in the same place for up to 20 years, annual fertilization is essential.- give some compost in the spring, usually sufficient
- on lean or Long-term fertilizers are recommended for poor soils
- Nutrient requirements are higher on sandy soils that are poor in nutrients and humus
- less on loamy ground
- Also suitable for flowering plant fertilizers, manure and plant manure
- or apply a layer of bark mulch
- Supply the soil with nitrogen beforehand
Freshly planted specimens should be fertilized for the first time eight weeks after planting at the earliest, provided that compost has already been incorporated during planting. Commercially available liquid fertilizers in the appropriate dosage are suitable for daylilies in pots.
Cut
Wilted flowers should be removed regularly so as not to weaken the plant and prevent the formation of seeds. In summer, all clumps with wilted or yellow leaves can be cut off. New leaves appear within a few days. A cut close to the ground is ideal both in autumn and in spring. If you cut in autumn, this reduces the risk of fungal attack, but deprives the plant of good winter protection in the form of the old dead foliage. On the other hand, if you cut in spring, the frost protection is retained, but there is a risk of fungal attack.
Overwinter
There are a few things you can do over the winter to keep the daylily doing well.
In the bed
When overwintering, a distinction must be made between immersing, evergreen and semi-evergreen varieties. Daylilies that move in over the winter survive the cold season best. They usually tolerate temperatures of up to minus 30 degrees and do not need any protection. It looks a little different with varieties that retain their leaves completely or partially, they must be protected accordingly. This can be a covering with brushwood, leaves, bark or other insulating material.
In the pot
Daylilies in pots need winter protection. In autumn you cut down the withered leaves. The pot is placed in a protected place, on a wooden pallet or styrofoam. It is wrapped with fleece or similar materials. Now it is important to ensure that the substrate never dries out completely over the winter.
Multiply
There are different ways of propagating the daylily:
division
The division of the perennials is the most common and most effective form of propagation and is also ideally suited for the rejuvenation of older, perennial plants. A lack of space or a decrease in flower formation despite fertilization are also good reasons to divide a plant. In contrast to sowing, division creates daughter plants that are identical to the mother plant.
- best time in spring or autumn
- Carefully dig out entire clumps
- free from coarse earth
- then rinse off the roots with a garden hose
- share with hands or a sharp knife
- Shorten the leaves and roots a little
- Plant sections separately from each other
- Press the soil on and water it
- water more in the following period
Tip: Rejuvenation is recommended every two to three years, but no later than after three to five years. This prevents old age and maintains the willingness to grow and bloom.
sowing
This method of propagation requires a lot of patience. Seeds for sowing can be obtained from the seed pods of existing plants or from specialist gardeners. They are ripe about six to eight weeks after flowering.
- Stratify immediately after harvest
- to do this, store in the refrigerator over the winter
- Sow at the end of February / beginning of March
- Soak the seeds in water for two or three days beforehand
- Fill the cultivation vessel with cultivation soil
- Spread seeds on it
- Cover roughly the thickness of a seed with substrate
- Moisten the substrate and keep it evenly moist
- Germination time between three days and a month
- optimal germination temperature at 20 degrees
- plant outside after the ice saints
Axillary drives / Kindel
In addition to division, reproduction by Kindel (proliferations) also produces plants that are identical to the mother plant. They develop roughly in the middle of the flower stalks and usually have tiny roots in late summer.
- Do not separate the child from the stem
- leave part of the stem on the axilla
- Handle approx. tear off six centimeters below
- Fill small pots with potting soil
- Insert the Kindel with the handle
- Press the soil on and water it
- Leave pots with the children outside until late autumn
- Bring it into the house before the first frost
- overwinter in a frost-free, cool and light place
- harden the plants in spring
- initially only out during the day and by the hour
- to a sheltered place
- Transplant into the bed in mid-May at the earliest
Tip: Not every daylily develops these axillary shoots.
Fungal infections
In some cases, fungal infections such as tuber rot can occur. A corresponding infestation can be recognized by a faltering and yellowing shoot. The leaves have a soft to mushy consistency and can be easily peeled off the stems. In order to save the plant, it has to be dug up and everything that is rotten has to be cut off or removed. removed. You should cut into healthy tissue. Then the lily can be replanted, preferably at an angle so that water can run off the crown. In most cases, however, the affected plants can no longer be saved and must be disposed of.
Snails
Even if the daylily is not one of the preferred foods of snails, young plants as well as new shoots and flowers are particularly at risk. To protect the plants, you can regularly collect the snails or use organic slug pellets.
Hemerocallis gall mosquito
Among the pests worth mentioning is the gall mosquito. Individual buds are attacked, the substance of which is permanently damaged, and they die off. The first signs of an infestation are misshapen swollen buds, which release a brownish liquid when touched. You should be quick. Early varieties are particularly susceptible. This pest is of minor importance during the main flowering period.
