Garden Clippings
Daylilies are invasive – in your heart
By RUTH DAVIES
| Article published on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007 |
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One of my favorite plants (yes, I have many) is the daylily. I always included daylilies in my gardens in New Jersey. They are so undemanding that it grows in roadside ditches and in cultivated gardens and are easy to propagate and to hybridize. I’ve even eaten the flower. The following guest column is by Kay Smith, president of the Bay Area Daylily Society:
A joke among daylily collectors is that daylilies are invasive – plant one and you want more. I started with daylilies when I found they were salt and wind tolerant – perfect for my gulf-front garden. I love yellow, but then found the wide variety of sizes and types and colors. Now I want them all.
With more than 50,000 registered daylilies, there is something for every desire and climate. Daylilies are grown all over the world, from Canada to Australia, to Europe and Asia. Daylilies are divided into three foliage habits: dormant, semi-evergreen and evergreen. In Florida, evergreen is preferred, with some semi-evergreens doing well. Dormants will do well for a season or two, but they prefer colder winters.
In my garden, daylilies start blooming in March and continue through Labor Day. Bloom season is labeled “ee” for extra early, “e” for early, “m” for mid-season and “l” for late. I am looking for more ees and ls in order to extend my season.
Blooms are on scapes, and although blooms last for only one day, scapes can have up to 50 blooms, and each plant can have multiple scapes. Fresh blooms each day is why the flower does so well in high winds, the buds generally not being bothered by the winds.
Partial to a color? Daylilies have them all: pink, peach, yellow, gold, lavender, purple, near black, near white. Daylilies can be bitone, bicolor, have eyes, edges, be banded, have a halo or watermark or be dusted. They can be singles or doubles, spiders or unusual forms. Choose a bloom size, from miniatures measuring under 3 inches, smalls measuring between 3 and 4.5 inches in diameter and large measuring over 4.5 inches in diameter. Some can be as large as 12 inches in diameter. Scape height can range from 12 inches to over 36 inches high.
To see some of the faces of daylilies, come to the Pinellas County Extension Office on Saturday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m., to hear Tim Bell of Sycamore, Ga., show slides of the daylilies he has hybridized and of his daylily garden. To register, call 582-2673.
Events for gardening enthusiasts
• The Florida West Coast Orchid Society will have a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Pinellas County Extension/Botanical Gardens, 1250 Ulmerton Road, Largo. An education class is at 7 p.m., followed by the meeting and a talk by Michael Pollen on repotting and mounting orchids at 7:30. An orchid sale, raffle and refreshments are included. Call 725-1719.
• The Tampa African Violet Society will meet Friday, Jan. 19, 10 a.m., at the Seminole Garden Center, 5800 Central Ave., Tampa. Dottie Cesario will guide members and guests in a hands-on design workshop. Call Dottie Cesario at 813-989-2934.
Ruth Davies is a Pinellas County Master Gardener. Questions can be sent to her at editorial@TBNweekly.com.
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Article published on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007
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