What a Difference a Day Lily Makes
John Duley calls day lilies the wonder plant.
“Day lilies are people-friendly,” said Duley, founder and owner of Land Scapes in Costa Mesa, which specializes in landscape construction for commercial properties and custom estates. “There’s nothing to scratch people or cars, which makes them ideal for areas where people pass by. The plants stay green year-round, require little water and have long bloom cycles.
“I prefer to use day lilies instead of plain Jane shrubs,” he said of the perennials. “I think miniature day lilies are better landscape plants than color annuals, which require much more care.”
Recently Duley landscaped the 5-acre campus for Silicon Systems in Tustin, where he installed 4,000 day lilies. One-third were miniatures, chiefly a variety named So Sweet, which features fragrant, pale yellow flowers on a small plant.
He planted So Sweet in the front borders and parking island fingers and then used standard-size day lilies to complete the landscape.
Duley says he prefers them to annual bedding plants, such as pansies or petunias, that require extensive soil preparation, continual maintenance and deadheading. Day lilies are cost-effective landscape plants that, compared with annual plantings, reduce landscape budgets by two-thirds, a savings his clients appreciate.
He also likes the fact that the flowers are produced on stalks, or “scapes,” that lift the colorful blossoms above ground level to create another level of eye appeal.
There are more than 38,000 named varieties of day lilies; 15% are miniatures. John Schoustra, owner of Greenwood Daylily Gardens in Long Beach and a member of the Orange County Iris and Daylily Society, predicts that more miniatures will be created to satisfy a growing market.
“Gardens are getting smaller, so the scale is right for these smaller plants that fit so well into landscapes containing smaller varieties of roses and trees,” he said. “Using miniature day lilies in a landscape enables you to include more plants.”
According to definitions established by the American Hemerocallis Society, the term “miniature” refers to flowers less than 3 inches in diameter.
Those from 3 to 4 1/2 inches in diameter are termed “small-flowered,” and “large-flowered” describes those larger than 4 1/2 inches across. Plant size is further defined as “dwarf” if the plant produces scapes less than 12-inches.
Many of the new varieties feature flowers ranging from 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches across on a plant less than two feet tall. Foliage is also narrower than on the standard plants.
Like their larger relatives, the flower buds of miniature day lilies open early in the morning and last just one day, which is why the plant’s botanical name is Hemerocallis, from two Greek words meaning “beautiful for a day.”
Day lilies produce multiple flowers per stalk, and each flower opens in succession. Schoustra says he prefers picking the stalks of the miniatures because the buds open reliably, so the stalk produces blooms for up to a week, making them colorful additions to flower arrangements for indoor enjoyment.
Miniature day lilies are available in a wide selection of colors and hues and can be used effectively in mass plantings, borders or even in containers such as strawberry pots. Schoustra advises planting them in containers of 3-gallon capacity or larger. The plants flower best if they receive at least half day of sun. If in containers, they should not be allowed to dry out.
“People can place saucers under the containers and not worry about emptying them after watering, like they should with other plants to avoid root rot,” Schoustra said. “Day lilies flower better if they don’t dry out, so water can remain in the saucer. These tough plants are native to islands off Korea and Japan, so they aren’t damaged by salts that accumulate from watering or salt spray near the ocean.”
They’re also excellent plants for slopes because of their deep roots. As mass plantings, they become perennial ground cover requiring little care and offer the added bonus of being fire resistant.
Anton Segerstrom, manager of Crystal Court at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, is a garden hobbyist who enjoys the miniature day lilies at work and at home.
“They’re very rewarding plants,” he said.
The landscape at Crystal Court is famous for its palm collection, and day lilies are used as accent plants. Two miniature varieties, Little Bobo, which produces soft red flowers trimmed with ivory, and apricot-colored Adah, edge large planters containing Kentia palms and bird of paradise shrubs. Segerstrom also has mass plantings of Little Bobo in his home landscape.
Although day lilies are low-maintenance plants, they flower more abundantly if they’re fertilized in spring and again in fall with an all-purpose foliar or granular fertilizer.
They’re rarely troubled by pests; whiteflies and aphids may munch on leaves in spring, but they rarely cause serious damage. They are easily killed by hosing the foliage with water or spraying with a nontoxic insecticidal soap.
Schoustra will be one of the 50 vendors at the Crystal Court Garden Show on April 13 and 14 and will also participate in the Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene from April 26 through 28.
Greenwood Daylily Gardens, which sells by mail-order, offers a large variety of miniature day lilies. For a plant list, call (310) 494-8944.
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Choices for All the Live Long Day Lilies
John Schoustra, owner of Greenwood Daylily Gardens in Long Beach, recommends the following varieties of miniature day lilies for Orange County:
Variety (color)
Adah (apricot)
Bitsy (yellow)
Black-Eyed Stella (yellow with red eye)
Butterscotch Ruffles (light tan)
Little Bobo (soft red with ivory edge)
Pyewacket (peach with plum eye)
So Sweet (clear yellow)
Terra Cotta Baby (gold and soft tan)
