Rainbow of Colors and Scents Sparks Popularity
Day lilies are trouble-free, pest-free, carefree perennials that are surging in popularity as gardeners discover their versatility in almost any setting. Now is a good time to view the blooming plants at flower shows and nurseries to select favorite colors for fall planting.
California day-lily growers estimate that sales have increased 10% a year during the last decade. There are more than 10,000 named varieties of day lilies available, ranging in size from miniature to six feet tall.
The growing interest in these hardy perennial plants is due to the wider range of color choices now available and the fact that many of the new varieties bloom two or more times each year. Some new varieties bloom continuously.
“Day lilies are exploding in popularity because the hybridizers are developing reblooming as well as scented day lilies,” said Michael McKain, who, along with John Schoustra, owns and operates Greenwood Daylily Gardens in Whittier.
“They’re also very easy to grow because they thrive in almost any kind of soil, and perform well in sun and part shade, although they should be protected from the hot afternoon sun.
“They are now available in a wide rainbow of colors. The only one lacking is a true blue, and we’re working on developing that too.”
Although plants growing in pots may be planted in hot weather, they will require more water at a time when water is in short supply. Fall remains the preferred time and is best for bare root planting.
There’s a mistaken notion that since the flowers last for only one day, the plant is not worth adding to the landscape.
“It’s true that the individual flower only survives for 24 hours, hence the name, but each plant produces at least one stalk consisting of many buds,” Schoustra explained.
“Some varieties produce stalks with more than 20 buds. Whether left on the plant or cut for a vase, each bud will open on successive days, although the flowers will be a little smaller,” he said. “They are excellent as cut flowers, and a flower arrangement containing some scented day lilies can perfume an entire room.”
If you want to try growing day lilies, it’s worth the effort to seek out the specialty growers. While most chain nurseries carry day lilies, they usually stock just the older varieties of yellows, oranges and reds. A wider selection is available through specialty day lily growers, although both Burkard Nursery in Pasadena and Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar carry a good selection of named day lily cultivars.
Greenwood Daylily grows and sells 2,000 named varieties of day lilies (hemerocallis), and is the largest commercial day-lily grower in the Greater Los Angeles area. Greenwood has a demonstration day-lily garden featuring more than 300 varieties interplanted with recommended companion plants.
Because day lilies, with their grass-like foliage and tall spires of lily-like flower cluster are so easy to grow, they have traditionally been used in mass plantings, especially along roadsides or in commercial landscapings. And when most people think of day lilies, they think of them as only yellow or orange. But those are no longer the only color choices available.
The versatile day lily comes in a variety of sizes. Some can reach six feet, while the miniatures, which are useful tucked in rock gardens or planted along walkways, only grow to 12 inches. They also produce small flowers or large flowers, some attractively marked with what is termed an “eye.” Foliage also varies, with some upright and other varieties cascading.
With a trend to smaller home gardens, day lilies can make a dramatic statement without overwhelming all the other plants in the landscape. They also add visually interesting foliage. Many are evergreen, although some are deciduous.
Tom Carruth is a rose hybridizer with Weeks Roses, a wholesale rose grower in Upland. A horticulturist who also appreciates day lilies, Carruth grows as many day-lily plants as he does roses in his own Altadena garden.
“Day lilies are excellent companion plants for roses and other flowers,” Carruth said. “I like to create two-story gardens, with tree roses as the top floor, and day lilies under them. I add yarrow, iris and annuals to fill in the empty spaces.”
Carruth agrees that day lilies are about to make a big surge in consumer demand.
“It’s the reblooming quality that’s going to help day lilies find their way into many gardens. The big breakthrough in roses came in the late 1800s when hybridizers were able to achieve consistent repeat bloom. So we’re going to see a similar situation with day lilies today.”
The reblooming day lilies can achieve their greatest blooming potential here in the benevolent Southern California climate.
“Unlike other parts of the country, we can grow day lilies that bloom throughout the entire year,” said Nancy Webb, regional vice president of the American Hemerocallis Society.
“Some varieties may rest a week or up to a month, but they will flower for the complete year,” she said. Webb grows more than 200 varieties in her garden, and advised that day lilies must receive regular watering for best rebloom.
“Even though they are officially classified as drought-tolerant, day lilies need regular water throughout the year to achieve their bloom potential,” Webb said.
They also benefit from monthly fertilizing. She alternates between light applications or granular rose food and liquid fertilizer.
Sources for Day Lilies
* LOCAL
Greenwood Daylily Gardens, 4905 Pioneer Blvd., 10, Whittier, Calif. 90601 (213) 699-8144. Three hundred day lilies are planted in a demonstration garden, which is open to the public the first and third Saturday of each month, excluding Decem ber and January.
* MAIL ORDER
Alpine Valley Gardens, 2627 Calistoga Road, Santa Rosa, Calif. 95404
Big Tree Daylily Farm, 777 General Hutcheson Parkway, Longwood, Fla. 32750
Blossom Valley Gardens, 15011 Oak Creek Road, El Cajon, Calif. 92021
Cordon Bleu Farms, P.O. Box 2033, San Marcos, Calif. 92069 Highly recommended by daylily fanciers. Offers more than 2,000 varieties and its three-acre growing fields are open to the public during summer months.
Covered Bridge Gardens, 1821 Honey Run Road, Chico, Calif., 95928. It is a National Daylily Display Garden.
Ramona Gardens, 2178 El Paso St., Ramona, Calif. 92065
Day Lily Varieties
The following day lilies will rebloom and are recommended highly for Southern California. Those marked with an asterisk are also fragrant:
MINIATURES
Bitsy
Little Bobo
Little Bronzeen
Little Bit Extra
Little Swain
Raspberry Pixie*
LARGE FLOWERED
Annie Golightly
Buddhist Flame
Cindy Marie*
Cosmic Hummingbird
Designer Gown
Lea Bee Orange Crush*
Lime Painted Lady
Mask Ball
Day Lily Clubs
Several day lily clubs meet regularly in Southern California, and are sources of further information about growing day lilies.
The Southern California Hemerocallis and Amaryllis Society meets the third Saturday of each month at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum in Arcadia. Meetings begin at 10 a.m., and include a speaker, question and answer session, and plant raffle.
The Orange County Iris and Daylily Club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church of Garden Grove, 11832 Euclid Ave.
The Southwest Hemerocallis Club meets at 10 a.m. the first Saturday of every other month at Quail Gardens, Encinitas.
