If your grandmother had a garden, chances are good she grew daylilies. This easygoing perennial has been a favorite for generations, but the newer kids on the block are definitely not for the old guard.
I always recommend daylilies for a garden because they’re low-maintenance, showy in the garden and the late-blooming varieties will offer bold, trumpet blossoms until fall. If you choose several different varieties that bloom early, mid and late in the season, you can extend their bloom time throughout the entire season.
The scientific name for daylily is Hemerocallis, which translates from Greek to “beauty” and “day.” The blooms only last one day, but don’t worry! Daylilies grow in clumps with many blooms on each stalk. Much like fireworks, they’ll give you one exploding bloom after another for many weeks. Bloom! Bloom! Pow!
Daylilies are perfect for slopes, beds, near foundations or even in containers. They need at least six hours of direct sun per day to thrive, but they will bloom even better in a full day of sunshine. When planting a daylily, set the plant in the ground or in a container at the same depth it was growing in the pot you bought it in. You want to avoid planting it too deeply. Space plants 10 to 12 inches apart in the ground or grow just one as a “thriller” in your combination container. For best results, add some compost, especially if you have heavy clay or sandy soil. Water your newly planted daylilies consistently during the first growing season as they establish themselves
You’ll find one of the best things about growing daylilies is they multiply! Divide and share with friends or plant elsewhere in your garden. Spring or late summer is the best time to divide and share daylilies. To do this, carefully lift the clump out of the ground with a shovel and divide it with a sharp knife, removing any sickly looking foliage. Cut the foliage down to about half its height and then transplant the divided pieces back into the garden immediately.
Because of their association with grandmothers, daylilies have a vintage feel, but I prefer to call them “timeless.” Though they’ve been around for generations, newer varieties have improved upon the older ones, making them stronger, brighter and more generous with their blooms. The following varieties are colorful, floriferous and vigorous; everything you expect from a daylily, but more of it. They are certainly Proven Winners in my garden, and I recommend them for yours.
RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Primal Scream’ Hemerocallis
- Very large 7 ½ – 8 ½” flowers
- Glimmering tangerine orange, gold dusted flowers with twisted, ruffled petals
- Blooms in early midsummer on 34” tall scapes loaded with buds
- Full sun to part shade
- Mid-season bloomer
RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Going Bananas’ Hemerocallis
- Lightly fragrant, lemon yellow, 4” blooms
- Reblooming variety that begins flowering early and continues into fall
- Heat tolerant
- Relatively short; 19 to 22 inches tall
- Early season blooming
RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Ruby Spider’ Hemerocallis
- Gigantic 9” flowers
- Blooms are ruby red with a radiating yellow throat
- Tall scapes reach up to 34”
- Mid-season bloomer