By Marie Hofer, Gardening editor, HGTV.com
Daylilies have earned their day in the sun. In gardens of old, nearly every yard had a clump of daylilies. Although the tawny-orange trumpets didn't make most gardeners' top-10 list, they had the pleasant habit of showing up every year in bloom. There were other colors and varieties of lilies available, but they weren't always easy to find--and few gardeners were looking. Today, thanks to years of hybridizing, there are more than 35,000 daylily cultivars. And instead of being taken for granted like their predecessors, daylilies have become a much sought-after "yuppie flower."
"Today's gardeners like lilies because they provide a lot of impact without a lot of work," says Hank Hedges, a lily expert whose garden has appeared on HGTV's Gardener's Journal. "They're spectacular and dependable, blooming year after year."
Daylilies now come in every color (except blue and pure white, which hybridizers are working on) and sport ruffled or elongated petals, shark's-teeth edges, ribs , markings or doubled flowers. Diploids (see glossary) are being outnumbered by tetraploids, which have stronger stems, more richly colored blooms and thicker leaves and petals.
"Doubling the chromosomes gives you a broader color range, plus more branching and flowers and stronger stems, so that's opened a whole new world," says Michael Ruggiero, senior curator of horticulture at the NewYork Botanical Garden, home of the renowned Arlow B. Stout Daylily Garden. "But there are some wonderful diploids that are getting more ruffles, bud count and reblooming too."
The newest cultivars tend to be expensive. Since daylilies are so easily propagated, hybridizers' only chance of recouping their investment is in the first few years after introduction. Except for the thrill of owning a new lily that few others have, there's little reason not to wait for the newcomers to go down in price.
With hues so vivid and silhouettes so complex, it's hard to believe that daylilies don't need coddling. But the beauty unleashed through breeding hasn't compromised the vigor associated with the species. One of the most tolerant of plants, the daylily tolerates poor soil and neglect, valiantly producing blooms in the most mediocre of conditions.
Unlike true lilies, which have flared flowers that bloom several at a time on a single scape, daylily buds usually open one at a time on each scape. Each bloom lasts for one day, but a stem can easily produce two dozen or more buds, and the plant continues to send up new scapes throughout its blooming season. If that's not impressive enough, some varieties are also rebloomers. By selecting cultivars with different flowering periods you can have continuous bloom from early summer to fall.
A List of Lilies
Early bloomers
- 'Coming Up Roses', deep pink, 18 inches tall, reblooms
- 'Carnation Pink', lavender-pink, 23 inches, reblooms
- 'Mary Todd', medium-yellow blooms with ruffles, 22 inches, reblooms
- 'Double Firecracker', red fully-double blooms, 23 inches, reblooms
- 'Stella d'Oro', yellow, 11 inches, reblooms
Midseason bloomers
- 'Ice Carnival', cream with yellow throat, 22 inches, reblooms
- 'American Revolution', wine-red with yellow throat, 34 inches
- 'Raindrop', canary-yellow, 12 inches, reblooms
- 'Barbara Mitchell', medium pink with ribs and ruffles and a chartreuse throat , 20 inches
- 'Fairy Tale Pink', peachy-pink with rounded, lightly ribbed, ruffle-edged petals and a deep yellow throat, 24 inches
- 'Wedding Band', creamy petals with yellow edge, 26 inches
Late bloomers
- 'Jen Melon', golden melon, 26 inches
- 'So Lovely', light cream, fragrant, 30 inches
- 'Pardon Me', burgundy, 18 inches tall, reblooms
- 'Bringing Joy', pink with yellow throat and burgundy ribs, 29 inches
- 'Savory', dark magenta, often double, 28 inches
- 'Girl Scout', medium yellow, 30 inches, reblooms
Tip: Dividing, which rejuvenates plantings, is best done in early spring or late summer.
Glossary
cultivar--a variety of a plant that has originated and persisted only under cultivation.
diploid--a genetics term referring to two sets of chromosomes.
fan--a division of a lily plant.
scape--a leafless flower stalk growing directly from the ground.
tetraploid--a genetics term meaning four sets of chromosomes.
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