A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Day Lilly Demise

I have two flower beds with large numbers of day lilies which were already in place when we purchased the house three years ago. Up until this year we have had a spectacular show of flowers. This spring the blooms were fewer and seemed less full to me.
Would the very wet spring affect these plants, or have I just become immune to their beauty?
Should I be thinning them out to encourage them? I haven't touched them before now and they seemed to be thriving.
Please help!

It won't hurt to divide them. I do mine every 3 years or so. Wait until the cooler weather to do it. They are pretty tough plants, so you shouldn't have any problems. You'll be surprised at how much that will help them........Mom

Hi Kobby, I am in upstate NY and I divided mine last fall and just quickly planted them in an empty bed for the winter and they all survived and are blooming beautifully. I dug up the large clumps and divided them into smaller clumps with 2-3 fans. I just cut through the large clump with a very sturdy sharp knife. They are pretty easy to divide and hardy too. Good luck!

Hi Nobby, I have had 5 daylilly plants for 7 years, I divide them about once every 3 years, I have lots and lots now, it is best to do them in the fall.

Thank so much for the advice, I'll start dividing as soon as the heat dies down a little. Day lilies anyone?!!!

Nobby

Another thing you're supposed to do with Daylilies is remove the pods. Otherwise the plant uses lots of energy and resources to grow the seed pods. You might already know this but I'm just making sure! P.S. If you have any pods that are a little brown and cracked, may I have the black seeds from inside them?? Here's a pic of a ripe one: http://k43.pbase.com/u42/ewelch/upload/27174992.Aa018.jpg I'd love to plant some! What type or color of daylilies do you have?

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I've been away from home and easy computer access. The daylilies are very common in this area, CT, and have tall orange flowers.
No, I didn't know that they should be removed and although I clear the beds in the autumn I'm not sure if I was too late!
Nobby

generally, they should be split out every few years - splitting them out will encourage more blooms.

daylily77: your pic doesn't show. i have some pods left (i didn't cut all the stems off) if i can get seeds for you, i'll send them. also, netwiz has tons she's looking to get rid of...i have a bunch of bulbs/tubers now that i'm going to give to a friend, i could send you a handful...just pm me with your address. oh, they're orange.