It's Daylily Season!

I love daylilies for their fabulous summer colors, resilience and amazing abundance. I have over 50 different cultivars of daylilies and wish I had room for more. The name daylily refers to the fact that each flower stays open only one day. Contrary to popular belief, daylilies (hemerocallis), are not related to true lilies. They are native to China, Korea and Japan. Hemerocallis fulva and hemerocallis lilioasphodelus (lemon lily) were imports to America from England in the 17th century. The cultivar 'Hyperion' was introduced in the 1920's, and is still sought after and sold in nurseries, prized for it's bright yellow color and fragrance.

Today, there are over 35,000 cultivars of daylilies. Hundreds of the cultivars have fragrant blooms, and some rebloom later in the season. Bloom times can vary from May until September. Almost any color is now available, barring true blue and pure white. Some are even double! About 20 years ago, a daylily hybridizer gave me 15 daylilies that she couldn't use in her breeding program. It was quite a thrill to grow these and see what colors they would turn out to be. I have named some of these for friends, color and performance. Fun!

Hemerocallis fulva is the quickly spreading, sometimes invasive orange roadside flower so common in July. Thankfully, most hybrids stay in clumps and don't spread by runners like hemerocallis fulva, and so are appropriate for most gardens.

Daylilies are tolerant to drought and frost, thrive in many different soil and light conditions and can last for many years in the garden.

July is peak season for daylilies; you will probably see many of them as you travel around New England. One of my favorite places to visit this time of year is Olallie Daylily Gardens, in South Newfane, VT. Not only can you bask in the glow of fields of daylilies in bloom, but the hardy, field grown plants are for sale at the farm and also online. You can visit their website at http://www.daylilygarden.com/, or check out their facebook page, Olallie Daylily Gardens.

Please check out my workshop schedule below. Hosta workshop is July 18th. Scholarships are available - just ask!