... a word or two (or more!) about soil:
The quality of your soil is a very important factor in growing beautiful plants!
We understand the urge to bypass the prep work and just get that plant into the ground -- but all too often, that can result in disappointment.
True, daylilies are not overly particular. But if you want strong, healthy plants with good bud count and lush blossoms, first make sure that your soil is rich in organic matter.
Adding compost or well-rotted manure improves any soil, and will make for better flowers!
If you have heavy clay soil, adding peat moss and/or sand will help as well; sandy soil needs plenty of compost, and peat moss helps too.
-- instructions were included for soil prep and planting.
... water is essential for good daylily performance! When supplied in sufficient amounts, water almost certainly increases the number and size of daylily blooms. Watering is most important in spring, when the plants are making scapes and buds, and in the summer during blooming season. Like most plants, daylilies benefit more from a deep watering, which reaches
8-10" into the soil, than from a succession of brief, surface waterings. Overhead watering during the heat of the day may cause any open blooms to spot and/or wilt. We recommend a soaker hose, which also conserves water, puts the water where it's needed, and avoids splashing dirt onto the foliage and blossoms.
Feeding your daylilies is quite easy. That compost you worked into your soil before planting will go a long way towards providing nutrients; in the average home garden, a single fertilizer application in the spring should be sufficient, and even that may not be necessary every year.
We recommend either a granulated, balanced organic fertilizer, or a liquid fish emulsion, to keep your plants healthy and happy.
Daylilies can do well over a wide pH range; but if yours are not thriving, despite the addition of compost and fertilizer, a soil test should always be conducted before adding further amendments.
Mulching is not necessary for most daylilies, but we recommend it. Mulch will help retain moisture and discourage weeds, which only makes your life easier and your plants healthier. We use organic mulches that decompose and add organic matter to the soil -- straw, chopped leaves, wood chips -- but you can use anything that will smother weeds and allow rainwater to penetrate.
Daylilies listed as Evergreens DO need mulching to survive the winter well in northern climates. They are apt to be more tender than Dormant and Semi-evergreen varieties. Occasionally, when winter is harsh and there is insufficient snow cover, we all lose some plants.
