Daylilies

It’s not summer until the day lilies bloom and they usually do so before the fourth of July in anticipation of the joyous celebration. For a few weeks the whole garden turns blazing orange and after the flowers fade, their foliage slowly dies down to the ground to make room to the late summer bloomers.

Not all day lilies bloom all summer, for instance these, a triploid variety called “Kwanso”, do not.

The orange day lily requires so little care it managed to evade the flower border and go wild. You will find it now in wild meadows, light shade clearings and the even on the side of the road, which earned it the awkward nickname ditch lily.

It grows pretty much anywhere you plant it, but if you want it to bloom it needs sunshine, rich soil and an adequate amount of moisture. Be careful about overfeeding them: they will bloom abundantly bu they will also store energy to spread out of control and their thick clumps can and will take over the flower bed, elbowing out their more delicate neighbors.

They are excellent plants to grow in boggy soils or around ponds, where they have an ample supply of water. They won’t die during droughts, I don’t think anything can kill this plant, but they will grow scraggly, miserable and a far cry from a pretty sight, so make sure they have at least one inch of water a week if you want them to shine.