The Delightful Daylily

Driving through your neighborhoods, you can see the daylilies in bloom now.  Many of us have the ‘Stella D’ Oro’ variety which is a vibrant bright gold color.  Don’t limit yourself to this stunning variety though.  There are more than 35,000 varieties to choose from. 

The daylily is often called the perfect perennial.  It possesses dazzling color and is drought tolerant requiring very little care.  They are rugged and adaptable to many growing conditions.  The daylily is rarely bothered by pests and diseases.  It loves full sun, but there are certain ones that prefer partial shade.  The darker colored daylilies prefer the shade because their color tends to absorb the heat of the sun.

 The genus name is Hemerocallis coming from the Greek words (hemera) “day” and (kalos) “beautiful”.   They are not a true lily.  The blooms typically do not last more than 24 hours.  The flowers of most species will open in the early morning and wither the following night.  There is also a night blooming variety that is wonderfully fragrant.  A mature daylily clump has the ability to produce 200-400 blooms in a growing season. This produces a constant flush of color in your garden.  Hybridizers register hundreds of new cultivars yearly.  They have not however, been able to produce a daylily that is pure white or pure blue.

Not only is the daylily a beautiful garden accent, some species are edible and are used in Chinese cuisine.  The plant also has been used for medicinal purposes, but care must be taken as some of the species of daylilies can be toxic.
 

Here at Pahl’s Market we carry 17 varieties of Hemerocallis.  Varieties such as ‘Happy Returns’, ‘Purple D’ Oro’, ‘Rosy Returns’, and ‘Night Beacon’ are just a few that grace our perennial house.  And of course the popular “Stella D’ Oro’.  We have pink, yellow, red, cranberry, purple, coral, ruby and more colors to choose from.  Add the dazzling daylily to your garden painting, you will not be disappointed.