Picture yourself on a hot midsummer day gazing from your host’s terrace onto the brilliantly colored day-lily border shown above.
You are told that there was a good display in early June and that there will still be many flowers in September.
As you sit and try to keep cool, you reflect on the work that must have gone into this garden. You conjure up a mental picture of deep digging, constant weeding, watering, mulching, and spraying.
You know it must take a knowledgeable gardener to plant a border that will bloom for three months or more.
Next, your thoughts wander to the garden you left behind to go on this month’s vacation. What will it look like when you return?
Probably little bloom, toppled plants, many weeds, and hordes of bugs. All this was despite real effort in early spring and continued care throughout most of the early summer.
Could daylilies possibly be the answer to this problem, you ask yourself. Certainly, they are beautiful now during this hot spell when little else is in bloom, and nobody seems to be giving the garden any special care.
At this point, you cast aside all caution and ask your host to unveil the secrets of this long-flowering border.
“Nothing to it,” she says. “If much work were involved, I just couldn’t do it as I have so little time.
Let me tell you how this garden was started.
How My Garden Started
“Five years ago, I bought this place for a summer home. The vista from the terrace was discouraging—just a long border of nondescript shrubs—the color I had to have.
I was enough of a gardener to realize that a mixed perennial border with peonies, roses, iris, phlox, and other favorites was unsuitable here, where my time was very limited.
I began to search for help in my garden books and magazines. I soon spotted an article entitled Day-lilies are rugged.
This sounded good, so I read on. Bloom from spring to fall, inexpensive, wide color range, no staking necessary, no troubles, and almost no maintenance beyond a few routine operations.
Daylilies Are The Answer
“I felt certain day-lilies were my answer, but being skeptical, I adopted a wait-and-see attitude. The author of the article said to plant in midsummer or fall. This was perfect for me.
Things that needed to be planted in early spring or late fall were impossible as I could not be here. However, with catalogs from day-lily specialists, the selection of varieties was a great joy.
Height (from 12” to 40” inches), color, and blooming time for each variety were all clearly indicated.
“Plants arrived by mail in beautiful condition. I had previously prepared the border by spading to remove the weeds. The plants were easy to set and didn’t need to be coddled—just a generous drink of water.
That fall, I felt a great feeling of accomplishment—next summer, I would have a multitude of flowers and ample time for fishing and reading.
“Was I right? Well, this is the third summer since I set out plants. You can see I have plenty of flowers and have had them for many weeks. The plants are large enough now that there is little space between them.
Therefore weeds are no problem. In the fall, I cut back the leaves. In the spring, I loosen the soil and apply fertilizer.
Each year the display is finer, with each clump producing hundreds of flowers. I never knew a garden could be so easy.”
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