Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Coral Gables Times
Thursday, April 5, 1962, page 47 (of 60)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
THE DAY LILY Blooming anywhere, late and early, it fills the awkward spots with beauty
BY JOHN BRIMER THE DAY LILY is Hemerocallis to botanists and a true friend to gardeners. It is easy to grow, remarkably free from pests and diseases, adaptable to almost every climate, and lovely to look at. It has great color range, beauty of form, and an astonishingly long blooming season. Its habit is to produce from five to 35 or more buds on a stem, with one or two opening each morning and lasting through the day, so the blooming goes on for weeks. Choosing early and late varieties, you can have day lilies in bloom from May (April in warm climates) until early autumn. Heights vary from a bit over a foot to over five feet, with blossoms in many forms and sizes that range from two inches to over 10 across. Some are delightfully fragrant. Crossbreeding has extended the blooming period as well as introducing a greater range of colors and types. We now have a choice from deepest golden yellow to palest creamy lemon; light apricot or melon hues to deep orange; rich glowing reds to pastel coral-pink; purple that is nearly black, through red-violets to pale orchid pink; and even buff and brown. The newest hybrids may sell for $5 or $25, if stock is scarce, but dependable and beautiful older varieties may be bought for a dollar or less. Of late years, an increasing number of day lilies have been offered which might better be called "night lilies," since they open late in the day and last into the evening. They are excellent for planting beside a terrace which is used in late afternoon and evening and also for cut flowers for evening parties. Some—for warm climates—are evergreen. Although day lilies do best in sun or light shade, some flowers will be produced even in heavy shade. If the soil is excessively sandy or all clay, it should be dug out and replaced. In all cases, dig a hole a foot deep and 18 inches wide, filling around the root with a mixture of 1/3 peat moss to 2/3 good garden soil, adding a generous pint of dried cow manure or a couple of handfuls of commercial plant food to the mixture. Place the root so that the junction of brown root and greenish leaf base is one to two inches below soil level, with clumps spaced 18 inches to three feet apart. Water well after planting and thereafter as needed—often in dry climates, but in moist ones only during droughts. From the time the first buds open till blooming is ended, water generously once a week in all regions to produce vigorous plants and large blooms. Feed, too, just before bloom time and again just about at the end, scratching in a handful or two of commercial plant food around plants and watering it in. If a sprinkler is used, flowers may water spot. Therefore, a soaker or late-day watering is a better method. Day lilies may be planted at any time from spring onward until about a month before the soil freezes, so you can buy them and pop them in at any time, then wait for results next season. First-year plantings will produce only one to three stems, each with five to more than a dozen buds according to variety, but as the roots increase each year you'll have more stems, more and larger flowers of proper, mature size. Time of bloom varies with the climate, of course; those which bloom in Texas in May will delay flowering a month or more in the northern tier of states. Because of their vigor and beauty, day lilies are a godsend for awkward spots like turnarounds and roadsides that are usually hard to plant. We recommend them without reservation as all-season flowers with a more than satisfactory record everywhere in the United States. SUBURBIA TODAY cem
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