Every year I think my garden won’t have its usual daylily magic. Maybe it’s too dry, too cold, too hot, but each year, come June, the daylilies spring into action sending up large scapes covered in buds.
Crispate. UFs are called crispate when their petal or sepals pinch at the edges. Look at the petal on the left.
Some people poo-poo growing daylilies, and I think that’s because they are so easy to grow in a hot summer climate. Probably one of the easiest flowers ever. Gardeners are a competitive bunch, and some of us don’t want to grow what’s easy.
H. ‘Tomorrow is Another Day’ (Reed 2012) is one of my favorite UF daylilies and is a cascade. I love petal that whirl and twirl. 
Hemerocallis ‘Tomorrow is a Another Day’ daylily. You can see that the same daylily can look quite different depending upon the time of day. 
Hemerocallis Tomorrow is Another Day (Reed 2012) is one of the most beautiful UF daylilies in my garden. The color is splendid too. 
The front view of H. ‘Tomorrow is Another Day ‘(Reed 2012.) Click on the pictures in the galleries to enlarge them. 
H. ‘Tomorrow is Another Day’ (Reed 2012)
I say, “Ha!” Why not have some plants that are simply successful? Why make everything so hard?
Can you make your daylilies bloom better? Sure you can. If you feed them a high nitrogen fertilizer in spring, they will respond by growing larger clumps and thus, more flowers. You can also cause problems for yourself by deciding to buy or move daylilies in the hot weather. That’s a sure way to lose some of them to rot. Still, I sometimes buy a few in June when the others are blooming. I can’t seem to help myself. However, I don’t plant these in the garden. If the seller sends them to me, I plant them in containers in the shade where they have great drainage and are less susceptible to rot. I then transplant them into the garden in September when the heat is less intense. April, May, and September are good months to move daylily plants and divide them.
Most daylilies are sold as single or double fans. A large established plant is called a clump. If you want an expensive cultivar, it will cost you plenty for a single fan. I saw some 2020 introductions that were $400 on one hybridizer’s site. That’s too pricey for me. Single fans are more susceptible to plant loss and rotting too. At least with a double fan, you have two chances to kill it.
If you simply must move or plant a daylily when it’s hot outside, place a children’s umbrella over it to shade the clump or double fan. Oklahoma tends to be less windy in summer, but you may need to stake your umbrella.
This week, on our podcast, Carol Michel and I talked about daylilies, cucumbers, and Beatrix Farrand. Come give us a listen. Each podcast is about 30 minutes long. Just long enough to drive into work or walk on the treadmill.
H. ‘Nancy Ann Kinnett’ (Holley-B., 2009) is another soft yellow. 
H. ‘Small World Lolly Pop Kid’ (Miller-M., 2011) is a UF Crispate-Cascade. 
H. ‘Sassy Sally’ (Whatley, 2004.) I’m a big fan of Mr. Whatley’s daylilies. They have fabulous form and huge open blooms. 
H. ‘Angel Constellation’ (Polston, 2013) because I’m a sucker for true pink daylilies with gold edges. 
H. ‘Buddy’s Jane’ (Hall-J., 2013.) The blooms on this plant are huge, and the bud count is high. Bud count is important in daylilies. I like lemon yellow daylilies better than golden yellow ones, but I like so many. I think this was a gift from the hybridizer when I bought some daylilies from him before the COHS regional garden tour.
Daylilies are blooming abundance in my garden right now. Once established, it is hard to keep a good daylily down. I have over 200 cultivars, but my garden isn’t really a daylily garden. I am far too interested in other plants.
H. ‘Missouri Morning Melody’ (Carpenter-J., 2002.) Just look at that color! 
H. ‘Elegant Attire’ (Evick, 2011) is a beautiful shorter plant that pumps out perfection each day. 
H. ‘I See Stars’ (Gossard, 2001.) A lot of people would see this perfect red flower and think it’s a spider, but it is actually a UF. It doesn’t have the 5:1 ratio which spiders must have.
Yet, each June, daylilies steal my heart again. Can’t you see why?
What a wonderful title for your post! And you have an amazing collection, Dee! Mine are just about ready to bloom, and I’ve noticed some are blooming around town. Daylilies really mean summer, don’t they?
So beautiful! Thank you for the pictures…and the information!
You’re so welcome Sharon!
You have such a lovely compliment of daylilies. I always think I have enough then I see one, like this pale pink ‘Sweet Tart’, and think I really ought to have that one. Like you I don’t really care what ‘they’ say. I will have in my garden what I like and what grows well here. Cheers.
Wow! 200 cultivars! That’s incredible and hard to imagine in my little postage stamp spot. Your day lilies are stunning!
Oh, you do have lots of gorgeous ones!! I have 5 clumps that were heavily budded up when a very large wicked rodent (aka deer) stopped by overnight and ate 90% of the buds!! Gonna be a slim daylily season, grrrr. The things we gardeners have to tolerate!