Nocturnal Daylilies

Night Blooming Daylilies?

When another editor from Suite 101 asked me some questions about night blooming Daylilies, I was astounded. While I have never heard of them, they do exist. He pointed me towards a book about daylilies, which listed various species that had nocturnal habits. Now, most people insist that a "Moon Garden," as they entitle night blooming gardens, usually has white flowers. (Moonlight, you know!) One of the main reasons I decided to research this type of garden was-in a word-fragrance. Fragrance is, in my opinion, one of the most delightful of our senses. Aromatherapy, which uses various scents to heal and restore the body and soul, must agree. There is lavender for healing, jasmine for sensuousness, and roses that just make you feel wonderful! Try this site for fragrant Daylilies.

Parentage of the Night Bloomers

The book clearly labels two species-Hemerocallis citrina and Hemerocallis altissima-as the prevailing parents of the nocturnal blooming Daylilies. Hemerocallis citrina has a pale lemon-yellow flower. It is widely open at night. It has an excellent and robust habit of growth and an abundance of beautiful dark green foliage. Its scapes are about 45 inches tall, erect and many branches near the top. This species has been hybridized with various other Daylilies to acquire a diurnal blooming habit. Hemerocallis Altissima (Stoudt) has pale yellow trumpet shaped flowers. Scapes are between 4-61/2 feet tall. They are stiff and branched in the upper part of the scape. They both have a pleasing fragrance.

I received a great list of nocturnal blooming Daylilies from Jane Diehl. The Daylily On-line Robin has so many helpful people.

Another Reason to Grow the Night Bloomers

Joe Halinar, creator of the Hem-forum, has another reason to grow these plants. He believes that combining the nocturnal with the diurnal traits improves the plant's ability to thrive in cool weather areas. He does say that the main drawback is that some of them with this combined trait is that they tend to fall apart by early evening where a regular diurnal daylily will usually stay firm until sunset. Subscribe to his list at Http://www.onelist.com. Search for Daylilies and the hem-forum information displays. You can enter some information such as name and e-mail address to subscribe.

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