The New Daylilies
Last week we talked about the history of Daylilies. This week we will locate some easy to grow Daylilies. My husband and I had lived in Knoxville, Tennessee for about ten years. A friend told us about Oakes Daylilies in Corrytown. It was only about six miles from us. On a bright sunny day, we decided to visit. As I remembered my first experience with Daylilies, it is difficult to convey the emotions as I saw the drifts of Daylilies ranging from the pastel colors to the rich vibrant reds and purples. It was absolutely astounding to me!
Knoxville is blessed with several Commercial Daylily Gardens where they welcome you to visit and chat about their favorite flower. (Don't worry, we will highlight other Daylily gardens so you know what grows well in your part of the country.) Gardeners are by far the most amiable people to deal with. It seems to be a common bond where we all recognize our ties with the earth and the desire to create beauty. Daylilies seem to inspire passionate people to spread the word about our favorite flower.
I actually spent about $20 for my first collection on that first day at Oakes. At the time color was more important than the names. The only name that springs to mind was Corrytown Pink. The first ones went by the pool, then we began the tiered garden that we had always wanted on our wooded acres. Daylilies love sun and this was one spot where the sun shone for most of the day. My husband does the "hard" work and I get to play (mulching, weeding, fertilizing, photos). The photo shown below is one of the gardens. Yes, there are now gardens everywhere because someone in the house made the amazing discovery that Daylilies grow in partial shade! All right! Now we were making progress.
Daylilies require little care and this is one reason you are seeing so many of the Stella d Óro plants used in the cities for landscaping. They are a repeat bloomer. They appreciate good soil, but mine is clay and they do very well. Fertilize once a year with the timed release formula or you can use a diluted mixture that you spray with a hose every two weeks. Keep them watered even though they are drought resistant. If they don't get enough water, you could see fewer blooms next year. Next time we will discuss how to plant them.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Ellen Roddy's Daylilies topic, please visit the Discussions page.