Daylilies - The Best of the Rest

 

I'm putting in this post the rest of my daylilies that have bloomed thus far.  Above is one I just planted this year and it made only one bloom.  I expect much more from it next year once it has grown more.  It's called Little Deek and is a deep, golden yellow variety.  I didn't have any yellows and wanted to get Buttered Popcorn.  However, the place where I went to get it didn't have Buttered Popcorn and suggested this variety as a reasonable alternative.  We'll see.

This is another unknown daylily that I have.  I used to think it was Strawberry Candy, but when I compared it to the real thing it was obvious that it's another variety.  It's a darker shade than my Strawberry Candy.  Still, this is one of my best performing daylilies and it always puts on a great show.

This last is a pink daylily that I don't know the name of either.  The pink fades quickly in the sun and is hard to capture well with my cheap camera.  This is a nice daylily, but isn't as vigorous as some of my others.  I may move it to a more favorable location this fall.

My Favorite Daylily

Joan Senior is probably my favorite daylily - and that's saying a lot since I love many of them.  It starts blooming mid-season (late May here) and keeps blooming deep into summer and early fall.

The plant puts out scapes of flowers that are quite tall - to 3' high.  There are plenty of blooms too.  This particular plant has not received much water during our drought conditions, so it looks somewhat spindly.

The blooms are a delectable cream color with a lime-green throat.  This color goes well with almost any other color making this a perfect daylily for the mixed perennial bed.

This is an evergreen daylily, which is another thing in its favor for the Deep South.  The flowers can get up to 6" across.

Another nice thing about these blooms is that they have a mild, but sweet fragrance.  This daylily has been around since the 70's and has always been one of the most popular.  As with all daylilies, plant this one in full sun or part shade in nearly any type of soil.  It needs virtually no care at all to thrive.  Daylilies are truly wonderful plants for those who have a "black" thumb.  They will grow anywhere from zone 4 and southward. Be aware that rabbits and deer both munch on daylilies on occasion.

Wine and... Daylilies?

These are some daylilies given to me by a friend for which I have no ID.  I just call them my wine-colored daylilies.  They have a deep, velvety, red-wine color that is hard to describe.

They bloom a little later than some of my other daylilies.  However, they are all the more beautiful when they do come out.

 Dark-flowered daylilies are best planted where they only get morning sunlight.  Otherwise, the bright sunlight will bleach out their striking color.  I have these in an almost perfect spot.  Another thing about dark flowers is that they will get waterspots easily.

These dark colors are so fun because many people who aren't into them don't even think they're daylilies.  They look so different from the ubiquitous yellows and oranges seen everywhere.  Give some of the "darks" a try in your garden.  They will reward you with striking color and fun comments.

Have Some Strawberry Candy

The name of this daylily is almost as delightful as the flower - Stawberry Candy.  The flowers are lush, plenteous, and easy on the eyes (pun intended.)

This is a semi-evergreen daylily that grows vigorously, spreads quickly, and sometimes reblooms.  Mine haven't consistently rebloomed, but they do bloom for quite a long time in May and June.  In my mild winter climate the plant usually stays green all winter.

The blooms are a lighter pink in full Louisiana sun with a rose eye and a golden-green throat.  The outer edges of the petals are frilly.  The flower form is nearly always perfect on this daylily unless the slugs get hold of them early.    This cultivar has won many daylily awards and is consistently one of the most popular varieties.  It is not as ubiquitous as Stella D'Oro or Happy Returns, despite this popularity.  I cannot imagine a May in my yard without daylilies blooming.  They will bloom like crazy with utterly no care at all.  Plant you some!

Chicago Apache

Daylilies are starting to go full force down here right now and one of my early and best performers is the wonderful Chicago Apache.  It has deep red petals with a golden throat.  The color stands out from a great distance and is quite eye-catching.

It is a profuse bloomer for me and makes for a thick clump wherever I plant it.  Put it in a sunny or part shade area and it will thrive even on neglect.  The flowers hold color better if they get some afternoon shade.

The color in this last photo is a different shade because of the low-light conditions that were present when it was taken.  Just look how healthy this plant and the flowers are.  I can't imagine not having daylilies all over.  They provide nearly two months of delicious blooms for me - and even longer when some of them re-bloom.  Scatter some clumps of daylilies liberally around in your flower beds for a great splash of color in late spring and early summer.

The Dog Days Blues

During the dog days of summer when it's too hot to do much in the yard, you have time to make plans and dreams for the fall.  Fall is one of the busiest times of the year for gardening in Louisiana.  It's when you separate many perennials, plant all the cool season annuals, and plant shrubs and trees.  Here are some of my plans for dividing perennials:

First off, my daylilies need to be divided and planted in new beds.  I have big plans for how to re-arrange my daylilies.  The white Joan Seniors are to be put in mixed beds with other flowers because their cream color mixes so well.  The darker colors should be put in part shade where their colors won't get faded by the sun.  I also have family and friends that might really like to get some nice daylily starts.

 

The Becky Shasta daisies have really spread a lot and can finally be divided this fall.  I'm really excited about this since I've been patiently waiting to spread these around to other flower beds in my yard.  I can think of many places where an unfloppy, mounding, white and yellow flower would look good. 

My other plants that need dividing and re-planting are the irises along the fence.  I don't like them being along this fence because it becomes quite hard to weed this area in the summer.  Irises don't like to be mulched, so it's really hard to keep weeds and grass out of the area they are growing in.  Hence, this fence gets ugly in summertime.  I'll put these in a proper flower bed where I can get to them easier.  This fence will get some other plants that like mulch.  I'm thinking of making up a bed that has all bulbs, corms, and rhizomes and that will have nearly continual blooms all year.  I could have daffodils, gladioli, lilies, irises, crocosmias, tuberoses, and etc in this bed.  Wouldn't that be neat?  Speaking of tuberoses, they need to be divided this fall as well.  I can't wait!

Daylily Collage

Today is a day for daylilies.  They have been blooming at peak for the last several weeks at my house.  I love how they are so florific.  I need to utilize them better as companion plants in my various flower beds.  This first picture is of one of my favorites - Joan Senior.  Such a nice color that mixes well with nearly any flower.  Joan S is a good daylily for full sun since it isn't affected by fading from the sun.  Also, this is one of my longest blooming daylilies.  It just keeps pumping out blooms.

This next picture is Joan Senior with Chicago Apache.  It's one of my favorite pictures of this year.  That velvety red of Chicago Apache stands out so well next to the creamy white of Joan Senior.  Chicago Apache looks best in partial shade and would definitely brighten up a part shade flower bed.

This next picture is of a pink daylily that was given to me.  I have no idea what it's name is, but I like it.  It would be a good candidate to go in a cottage garden.  The pink gets a little softer after the sun has shined on it some.

This last picture is of another unknown variety that I have.  It's a deep wine/burgundy color that looks best in the early morning before the sun has faded it some.  This one is another great candidate for a partial shade garden where the sun won't affect its color as much. 

I have a goal to utilize daylilies more in the coming year as companion plants to my other flowers.  This fall it will be time to divide them and I fully intend to spread them around more.  Right now, most are planted in a bed with other daylilies.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June

Every month on the 15th, May Dreams Gardens hosts the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  You are supposed to put pictures of what all is blooming in your yard on your blog and then link it to the MDG site.  So here is my contribution of the month. 

Joan Senior Daylily

Mrs. B. R. Cant rose

Prosperity rose

Becky Shasta daisies

Plumbago blooms

Cashmere Bouquet (clerondendrum bungei)

Magnus Purple Coneflower

Some of the other flowers in bloom in my yard at this time are gladiolas, gardenias, sunflowers, zinnias, honeysuckles, Victoria Blue salvias, Chaste vitex, achillea, lantanas, altheas, crape myrtles, coreopsis, gaillardia, hardy hibiscus, and cardinal flowers.  I just can't put pictures of them all in one blog entry!

Dabbling in Daylilies

I'm offering a few pictures of my daylilies today.  They are really blooming up a storm right now.  My offers of today are three very deep colored ones.  I don't know the name of this first one.  I just call it my wine-colored daylily because it's the color of red wine.  It looks much better in the morning before the sun has washed out the deep coloration.

This next daylily is Dominic.  It's a very dark reddish-black color with a deep yellow throat.  Quite a striking combination.  Best in partial shade where the colors aren't washed out by the sun. 

Below are a couple pictures of a deep red daylily with a golden yellow throat.  This is a prolific bloomer for me.  Plant in part shade to keep the color from washing out in the sun.  It's called Chicago Apache.

A Few Un-named Daylilies

I have tons of daylilies planted around my yard.  They don't add much during most of the year, but when they are in bloom I love them.  Many of them are unidentified varieties.  This doesn't seem to bother them as much as it does me.  Here are a few pics of some of them.  This first red one looks better in the morning before the sun has faded the blooms.

This second one is an old-fashioned orange daylily that you see quite commonly.

This third one is a wine-colored flower that is one of my most prolific bloomers.  It too looks better before the sun fades it.

This unusual bloom is one of my favorites.  I don't know what type it is, but the blooms are quite striking.

Don't hesitate to plant some daylilies.  They are among the easiest of all perennials to grow, needing almost no care.  They will grow almost anywhere in almost any soil.  You don't have to buy expensive named varieties to have some good ones.  Plus, they multiply so well, that in three years you will have more than you want to pass around.

More Bloom Close-ups

First up is my wine colored daylily.

Next up, Chicago Apache daylily.

Third, my Niko Blue hydrangea

Fourth, is Clerodendrum Bungei (also known as "Cashmere Bouquet.") This bloom smells just like Fruit Loops to me. More about this plant in a later blog update.

Last, a gardenia bloom. My gardenias are almost finished with their flush of blooms. I will sorely miss them.

A Few Daylilies

I don't know the name of this particular daylily. We just call it the "wine-colored" daylily.

This is yet another picture of my Dominic daylily. I can now say that this is my favorite daylily of this year. I just delight in the almost-black blooms.

This is another picture of Joan Senior. This is the daylily that blooms most and longest for me. It also has a slight fragrance.