Low Maintenance Easy Care Perennials
Are Daylilies Low Maintenance Easy Care Perennials?
Plants from the genus Hemerocallis are widely known as daylilies all around the world. The daylily is native to regions in Asia. Although daylilies are low maintenance easy care perennials, plants they have been subject to hybridisation for many years and are profoundly diverse in form and colour. They are extremely sought after by gardeners because of their vivid hues and beautiful shapes. In fact, their botanical name comes from the Greek hemera meaning day and kalos meaning beautiful. The name implies its short lived nature since each individual bloom only last a day. Daylily blooms colour range includes yellow, blue, orange, red, white and purple flowers. They have matching stamen colours and the throat colours can include yellow, green, orange and pink. They grow with a smooth, creped or ribbed texture. Varieties grow between a range of 6 to 36 inches in height and 3 to 4 ½ or over inches in diameter. The daylily adds drama and dynamic intensity to any garden.
Are They Truly Low Maintenance Easy Care Perennials?
Daylilies are considered by some to be the perfect perennial because of its low maintenance, adaptability, durability and clump bloomage period. These plants are best planted in the spring with a spacing of 1 to 3 feet apart depending on the variety. Most types thrive in full sun but a certain few require partial shade. The daylily will perform well in well-drained soil with good aeration, fertility and microbial activity but it is important that the soil maintains sufficient moisture. However, this plant species has been shown to survive and thrive in dry soil conditions as well. The soil can be prepared using a garden fork or tiller to loosen it to a depth of about 12 to 15 inches. You will only need to add in around a 2 to 4 inch layer of compost. Each spring you’ll need to reapply a thin layer of compost along with a couple of inches of mulch to help retain moisture and control weeds. Daylilies are drought resistant and usually do not require a lot of watering, but in hot summer conditions when there may be less than 1 inch of rainfall a week some extra watering will be required. As the plant grows and blooms, the flowers that have wilted from the previous day should be removed to show off more new blooms. If you want to spread the daylilies around your garden by dividing the clumps this is best done during the Autumn. Division itself promotes vigorous growth and should be done every 2 years or so. Along with their low maintenance qualities, daylilies are also pest and disease free with a few exceptions that are listed below. So the answer is yes: daylilies are low maintenance easy care perennials.
Do We Need to Water Our Daylilies Every Day?
Oedema and why it happens guidelines good gardening practices usually help keep down the possibility of disease with daylilies but as stated before there are a few exceptions. Daylilies can be inflicted with daylily rust, nematodes, rot, powdery mildew or oedema. Oedema is of particular interest because it’s one of the most preventable issues being that it is chiefly caused by overwatering. The plant’s roots take in more water than they can transpire and factors like low sunlight and high humidity also promote this disease. Oedema causes small hard ulcer like formations on the leaves and stems. With a little simple care and attention to soil, this can be avoided. So no we don’t need to water our daylilies and plants every day but we need to keep them damp.
