Common name: Daylily
Family: Liliaceae, Lily
Height x width: 12-36" (or more) x 12-24"
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: rosette from crown in groups called "fans", linear 1-2' long and ½-1" wide
Flowers: many colors and combinations on leafless stem (scape), occasionally fragrant, 6 petals (tepals) forming tube at base, 1½-6" wide
Hardiness:zones 3-9
Soil: well-drained, prefers organic, high fertility yields poor flowering
Light: sun, part shade for pastel colors
Pests and problems: leaf streak fungus, aphids, thrips, "spring sickness" physiological disease from early season injury (as from cold) to new tissue resulting in distorted and sideways growth
Landscape habit, uses: borders, massed, rock gardens (dwarf cultivars), containers, edible garden
Other interest: genus name in Greek means "beautiful for a day" refering to one day life per bloom; species native to Europe to Asia; bud and flowers are sweet and edible; American Hemerocallis Society has cultivar listings, newsletter, more information
Other culture: easy and relatively maintenance free and long-lived; choose cultivars best suited for North or South
Propagation: division of "fans" preferably in spring each with 3 or more shoots, seeds primarily when breeding
Species:
All of the current cultivars orginally derive from 11 species, of which the following species are often seen in commerce and plantings.
•flava:lilioasphodelus
•fulva (full' vah)--Tawny Daylily, zones 3-9, 30-36", rusty orange-red flowers in early summer, native to Siberia to Japan
•lilioasphodelus (flava) (lil-ee-o-as-fo-dell' us)--Lemon Lily, zones 3-9, 30-36", lemon yellow flowers early summer with sweet scent, arching scapes, native to Siberia and Japan
•middendorffii (mid-den-dorf' ee-ii)--Middendorf Daylily, zones 3-9, 24-30", yellow flowers in early summer and fragrant, tolerant of shade and moisture, native to Siberia and Japan
•minor (mii' nor)--zones 4-9, 12-24", lemon-yellow flowers
tinged brown outside, native to China and Japan
Cultivars:
Of the over 20,000 cultivars registered with the international registration
authority, and over 40,000 registered with the American Hemerocallis Society
(over 1000 new cultivars are registered yearly), the following representative
selections are the ones most available from U.S. nurseries and include
many of the more popular and proven cultivars. Bloom refers to relative
bloom time with early=late June, mid=July, late=August in zones 4-6; decrease
by 1-2 weeks for each zone warmer, add 1-2 weeks for each zone colder.
Flower size of small=1-2" across, large=over 4" across.
| Cultivars | flower color | bloom | height | |
| 'Alice in Wonderland' | lemon-yellow | late | 30" | |
| 'Apple Tart' | dark red, green throat | early-mid | 28" | |
| 'Baja' | bright red, green throat | mid | 30" | |
| 'Baltimore Oriole' | red | mid | 30" | |
| 'Bama Music' | pink | mid | 28" | |
| 'Becky Lynn' | rose-pink, darker eye, fragrant | mid | 30" | |
| 'Bertie Ferris' | orange, ruffled, small | mid | 24" | |
| 'Bitsy' | lemon-yellow, small | early | 30" | |
| 'Black-eyed Stella' | gold, dark throat | reblooms | 24" | |
| 'Buttercurls' | creamy-yellow, small | mid | 20" | |
| 'Cape Cod' | burgundy, orange center, ruffled | early-mid | 34" | |
| 'Carey Quinn' | velvety red | mid | 30" | |
| 'Catherine Woodbery' | orchid-pink, large | mid | 30" | |
| 'Chicago Arnie's Choice' | lavender, plum halo | mid | 28" | |
| 'Chicago Sunrise' | orange, green throat | mid | 30" | |
| 'Ed Murray' | dark maroon, green throat | mid | 28" | |
| 'Eenie Weenie' | yellow, green throat, small | mid | 12" | |
| 'Erin Prairie' | gold | mid | 27" | |
| 'Fairy Tale Pink' | pink | mid | 28" | |
| 'Frans Hals' | rusty orange, red bicolor, large | mid-late | 22" | |
| 'Gentle Shepherd' | near white, yellowish throat | early-mid | 28" | |
| 'Golden Gate' | orange-yellow, large | mid | 36" | |
| 'Golden Gift' | gold, quilted, large | mid | 32" | |
| 'Golden Prize' | gold, ruffled, large | mid-late | 26" | |
| 'Green Flutter' | canary yellow, green throat | late | 20" | |
| 'Hall's Pink' | light clean pink | late | 20" | |
| 'Happy Returns' | clear lemon-yellow | reblooms | 18" | |
| 'Hyperion' | lemon-yellow, fragrant | mid | 36" | |
| 'Ice Carnival' | pale lemon-yellow | mid-late | 36" | |
| 'James Marsh' | red, large | early-mid | 28" | |
| 'Joan Senior' | ruffled near white, yellowish throat | mid | 30" | |
| 'Kindly Light' | yellow spider type | mid | 36" | |
| 'Kwanso' | orange, double, historic | mid-late | 30" | |
| 'Little Business' | bright red, green throat, small | mid | 24" | |
| 'Little Grapette' | light grape-purple | early-mid | 15" | |
| 'Little Wart' | lavender, small | mid | 24" | |
| 'Mary Todd' | golden-yellow | mid | 28" | |
| 'Mini Stella' | clear yellow, very small | reblooms | 14" | |
| 'Naomi Ruth' | light apricot pink, small | mid | 30" | |
| 'Pandora's Box' | cream, purple eye, green throat | early-mid | 19" | |
| 'Pardon Me' | bright red, yellow throat | mid | 18" | |
| 'Penny's Worth' | yellow, small | early | 10" | |
| 'Prairie Blue Eyes' | ruffled lavender, green throat, large | mid | 28" | |
| 'Radiant Greetings' | orange yellow, red halo, red veins | mid | 38" | |
| 'Raindrop' | butter yellow, small | mid | 18" | |
| 'Raspberry Pixie' | raspberry, small | mid | 15" | |
| 'Red Magic' | red, yellow throat, dusting | early-mid | 36" | |
| 'Rocket City' | orange, darker eye | mid | 36" | |
| 'Ruffled Apricot' | ruffled apricot | mid | 30" | |
| 'Russian Rhapsody' | plum, yellow-green throat, small | early-mid | 32" | |
| 'Siloam Double Classic' | bright pink, green throat, double | early-mid | 16" | |
| 'Siloam Ethel Smith' | beige, red-yellow-olive eye | mid | 20" | |
| 'Siloam Pink Glow' | chalky pink, rose eye, green throat | mid | 20" | |
| 'Siloam Tee Tiny' | lavender, purple eye, green throat | mid | 20" | |
| 'Siloam Ury Winniford' | cream, purple eye, small | mid | 26" | |
| 'Siloam Virginia Henson' | pink, red eye, green throat, small | early-mid | 18" | |
| 'Sombrero Way' | orange-apricot, darker throat | mid-late | 24" | |
| 'Stella de Oro' | gold, the most popular cv. | reblooms | 16" | |
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
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