Hemerocallis or Day Lily or Daylily flowers only last a day so that is where it has been named a day lily. However, the plant has so many blooms that you have continuous flowers for weeks.
Hemerocallis is part of the Asphodelaceae family of plants. It is not a true lily! In fact, until 2009 they were classified under Liliaceae however unlike lilies Hemerocallis grows from fibrous roots and not bulbs. The name is derived from Greek “Hemera” meaning “day” and “Kalos” meaning “beautiful”.
It is a popular ornamental flower with thousands of cultivars. Hemerocallis is a perennial. Some species flower during the day and some at night, but they usually last just a day.
Hemerocallis is native to Asia. In fact, there are historical paintings showing daylilies from over 1000 years ago. They were named Hemerocallis by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Hemerocallis gained popularity in the 19th century and many hybrids were created. There are more than 80,000 cultivars worldwide.
The Hemerocallis flowers are in yellows, pinks, reds, and oranges and they brighten up any garden. The linear leaves are lanceolate. Hemerocallis flowers have three petals and three sepals. The throat of the flower sometimes has a different color than the petals. After flowering, Hemerocallis produces a capsule.
How to grow Hemerocallis:
Very easy to grow Hemerocallis likes moist soils but do as well in drier conditions. Plant in any fertile, well-drained soil, it will tolerate poor or clay soils. They don’t need pruning or deadheading the flowers. Hemerocallis grows in the sun and partial shade and ranges in height 2 to 3 ft. You can propagate Hemerocallis by division. Watch out for Hemerocallis gall midge, the larvae develop in the flower buds, also look out for aphids, slugs, and snails. Otherwise, it is generally disease-free.
Also read about Hemerocallis fulva
