Dayliliesare partially or fully evergreen tufted herbaceous perennials with wonderful, colorful, exotic flowers that we can admire all summer - from June to August. They are exceptionally long-lived and rather indiscriminate perennials with many uses. Daylilies can be planted in flower beds, lawns, and are often used as cut flowers. They can wonderfully decorate our home and allotment gardens. Recently, many newvarieties of daylilieswith large flowers and attractive colors have appeared, makingthe cultivation of dayliliesis becoming more and more popular.
Liliowiec 'Sunday Sandals' is one of the most beautiful varieties with evergreen foliage, suitable for garden cultivation
The day lily flowerconsists of 3 petals and 3 sepals. Species and old varieties have lily-tapering or wide-open star-shaped flowers. On the other hand, the new hybrid varieties usually have semi-double, round flowers with framed petals or single, spider-shaped flowers. An interesting fact is that each flower blooms for only one day. The flowers of some species open early in the morning, others - in the late afternoon, remain open all night and fall the next day. However, this is not a problem because properly cared for plants produce many new flowers every day.
Varieties of daylilies
We have a wide range of different varieties to choose from. There are currently over 30,000 hybridvarieties of daylilies in cultivation Tall varieties go well with grasses. Medium-tall, small-flowered varieties will be perfect for fringes. Compact, colorful dwarf daylilies, many of which bloom repeatedly, are perfect for small gardens and container cultivation. Daytime flowering varieties tolerate strong winds and can therefore be grown in seaside gardens. They will look beautiful when planted along the bank of a stream or river.
When growing dayliliesin our climate, first of all, you need to pay attention to their frost resistance. Unfortunately, most of the prettiest daylilies are evergreen and endure our winters badly (they should be protected against frost by covering them with a layer of leaves and branches). Evergreen daylilies originated from the sole evergreen species, Hemerocallis aurantiaca. If we care a little more about the success of the cultivation than on the most beautiful flowers, it is worth choosing daylilies whose leaves dry up during the winter. These plants are fully frost-resistant and they do well in our climate.We can also choose a number of varieties from the intermediate group - semi-evergreen.
Daylilies - cultivation and care
"What land, sun, watering?
Dayliliesare not very demanding on the ground, although they grow and bloom best in slightly acidic, fertile, humus and damp. In fact, when watering, there is never too much water for them. There is even a saying that daylilies grow best under the gutter. Daylilies are best grown in sunny or slightly shaded positions. When the soil is too dry or the position is shaded, the plants will bloom poorly. "
Note!Varieties of daylilies with red or purple flowers may not tolerate heavy rainfall and too much sunlight. Therefore, in their case, moderation is recommended.
Planting daylilies
Dayliliesis best planted in spring, especially varieties that are sensitive to frost, so that they can be well adopted by autumn.We plant them at intervals of 50 to 100 cm. If you bought seedlings in a store, they may be a bit dry and have the tips of the leaves cut off (this treatment helps to strengthen the roots). Some leaves may be slightly yellow. Don't worry about it - it's normal and not harmful to the plant. If you cannot plant the purchased seedling immediately, store it (no longer than a few days) in a cool place until planting. Before planting, soak the plant's roots in water for an hour or two. Dig a hole deep enough to accommodate the roots and growth cone (the part between the roots and leaves). At the bottom of the pit, make a cone of earth and spread the roots over it. Cover them with loose soil, knead them, but do not compact them. From the top of the soil, add up to 3 centimeters above the growth cone. Water thoroughly after planting.Fertilizing daylilies
Forfertilization of dayliliesit is best to use chloride-free fertilizers with a balanced ratio of NPK (1: 1: 1). Larger doses of nitrogen are not recommended. You shouldn't use fresh manure either, as daylilies overfilled with nitrogen can rot in summer and freeze in winter.
Liliowiec 'Forbiden Desires' is one of the most interesting varieties with dark purple flowers. It winters well in our climate
Breeding daylilies
Propagation by division
Every 3 or 4 years it is advisable to rejuvenate the clumps by dividing them, which creates an excellent opportunity to increase the number of plants owned. We divide plants in late summer or early spring and it's a very easy wayreproduce daylilies .Propagating from seeds
Much more complicated is propagation from seeds - rather not suitable for use in amateur cultivation conditions. Although sometimes it's worth a try - you may be able to get an interesting crossword puzzle. We start the whole procedure with pollination, applying the pollen to the stigma of the pistil. Unfortunately, only a few pollinations will result in the tying of a seed bag, and in addition, in the already tied bags, seeds capable of germination do not always mature.If seeds are obtained, sow them into the ground in late fall. Before sowing, make sure to dry them warm. The seeds will rise in the spring.
You can also cool the seeds wet in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks and then sow them between January and March. The seedlings bloom from the second or third year of cultivation.
Diseases and pests of daylilies
Daylilies quite rarely fall ill as they are not often attacked by pests. Nevertheless, just in case, it is worth getting acquainted with the possible ailments of these plants.
Diseases of dayliliescan be bacterial or fungal in origin. The first group includeswet rot of daylilyIn the case of this disease, plant growth is stopped, and water-brown spots appear on the leaf bases. The disease is caused by the bacteriumErwinia carotovoraThe occurrence of the disease is prevented by avoiding planting daylilies in places where irises previously grew (they are also attacked by the same bacteria) and by avoiding nitrogen over-fertilization.When the disease occurs, the wet rot (smelly pulp) should be scraped into the living white tissue (if the entire tissue is already watery brown, there is nothing we can do - the plant needs to be removed). Expose the wound areas (after scraping) to the sun and do not cover with soil for a long time (even if they are underground parts). Disinfect tools or scald them with boiling water. The wound after the rot has been removed can be washed with a denatured alcohol solution (1 tablespoon of denatured alcohol per glass of water). When watering, be careful that the water does not splash on the wound. The effectiveness of such treatment varies and depends on the stage of the disease when we started the treatments.
Rust blotch on daylily leaves and stemsis a fungal disease caused by infection by the fungus Cladosporium gracile. After its occurrence, rusty spots on the leaves and stems of daylilies are observed. The disease generally does not threaten our plants, most of the new varieties are resistant to it, but this resistance may weaken after a few years of cultivation.After observing the symptoms of thisdaylily disease , you can use contact fungicides with a broad spectrum of activity.
Sometimes in daylilies cultivation,swelling of daylily budsSwollen buds are associated with the presence of fly larvae feeding in the buds. If the symptoms were present in the previous year, insecticides such as Decis 2.5 EC can be applied as soon as the stalks show. Spraying should be repeated twice, at intervals of about 10 days, in the summer, when the buds are already attacked, spraying does not help much, in which case you should pick and destroy the swollen buds (smoke is best).
Daylilies are also attacked by pests. occurring on many other garden plants. These includespider mites- small mites with eight legs, feeding from May to August on the lower side of the leaves. In the event of an attack of spider mites, the leaves of daylilies appear dull on the underside and are covered with a pale marrow. Thesedaylily pestsluckily don't do much harm.After finding them, the leaves can be washed with a cotton swab soaked in a solution: 1 tablespoon of denatured alcohol per glass of water. When the pest is large, spraying with spider mites can be used, for example Magus 200 SC.
Daylilies may also be threatened byagricultureThese are gray-brown caterpillars of butterflies reaching up to 4.5 cm in length. When touched, they curl up into a ball. They forage in the soil, damaging the roots of plants, and at night they come to the surface, where they damage the above-ground parts of plants. They cause the greatest damage in June and from mid-September. When damaged by agriculture, the stems, roots and leaves of daylilies are nibbled, the plants grow more slowly and wilt. In order to avoid such damage, during the growing season in the inter-rows, it is necessary to destroy weeds, the underground parts of which are food for agriculture (for example, light mustard and quinoa attract female farmers, which then lay eggs near these plants). Winter plowing is recommended, as the crops close to the ground are killed by frost.Before winter, wasteland and fallow land, which are a breeding ground for these pests, should also be plowed. Before starting the cultivation, soil intended for greenhouses or tunnels should be screened, or - if the presence of caterpillars or other soil pests is found - disinfecting it (this is especially important in the case of compost soil). Problems in the cultivation of daylilies can also be caused by ubiquitous snails.
