Under normal conditions, day-blooming daylilies open their flowers in the morning.
To orient their opening with a time of day, season, and latitude, several varieties were checked on May 1, 1954, in Gainesville, Florida. And it was established that they opened at 7 A.M. or shortly before or after that hour.
To digress a bit, preparations for opening quickly are completed by the daylily in advance.
Interesting Daylily Bloom Behavior
The perianth parts (petals so-called) are developed fully and held together by cohering keels on the inner tips of the three outer perianth segments until released by growth pressure.
Then, in brief time-space, matured flower buds become fully developed open flowers.
This interesting behavior in the opening of blooms is common among lilies and amaryllids of many species, perhaps among all members of both families.
Could the opening of well-developed flower buds be delayed? Could their routine be changed?
Already it was known that the opening behavior of some flowers belonging to the lily and amaryllis groups was affected by temperatures, hastened by warmth, and slowed down by the cold.
Response of Buds
To learn something about the response of matured daylily buds to lower temperatures, fully developed but still closed buds of the varieties Bagdad, 50th Anniversary, J. A. Crawford, and Mikado were gathered at 9 P.M., placed in glasses of water and put immediately in a refrigerator set at 38° degrees Fahrenheit.
Although under outdoor conditions, the buds would have opened about 7 A.M., they were still closed when taken from the refrigerator at 3 P.M.
They were then arranged in vases of water (kitchen tap temperature) and placed in the living room where the temperature was 76° to 80° degrees Fahrenheit. By 6 P.M., all had opened.
The condition of the flowers was noted from time to time. However, they were still open and in good condition at 1 A.M, 28 hours after they were gathered.
The party for which they were arranged was over, and no further check of their behavior was made until 6 A.M. when they were found closed and withered or partially withered.
To determine whether chilling would delay the closing of newly opened daylily blooms, flowers of Mikado, Emily Hume, J. A. Crawford, Jack, Bagdad, Boutonniere and an unnamed red seedling were gathered at 7 A.M.
Division Of Flowers
The flowers were divided into three lots. Two lots were placed in a refrigerator set at 38° degrees Fahrenheit, one in water and one out of the water on a shelf.
To serve as a check, the third lot was put in a vase of water (kitchen tap temperature) and placed in a living room where the temperature during the day varied upward to 80° degrees Fahrenheit.
At 7 P.M, 12 hours after the blossoms were gathered, the two lots in the refrigerator (the one in water and the dry one on the shelf) were taken out.
To all appearances, they looked alike except for a few petals broken in handling and were in normal condition.
They were both arranged in vases of water and placed with the check lot in the living room. From time to time, all were examined.
Signs of Wilting
By 7:30 P.M., Emily Hume of the check lot showed signs of wilting. By 8 P.M., it was joined by Bagdad, Jack, and Boutonniere in the check lot, and by 9 P.M.
All of the checks were entirely closed or so far on the way to closing as to have lost all value for decorative purposes.
On the other hand, the specimens chilled in the refrigerator with and without water were in good shape at 9 P.M. At 11:30 P.M., they were still fresh. At 6 A.M. (the next day), all were closed and withered.
Questions About Daylilies
Many questions for which there are no answers at present may be asked.
- Why was 38° degrees Fahrenheit used in the tests?
- Would some other temperature, lower or higher, be better?
- Were the varieties used in the testing representative of all day-blooming daylilies?
- Will chilling mature buds for shorter periods be as effective?
A few conclusions appear safe. By chilling mature daylily flower buds, their opening can be delayed. Gathering, handling, packing, and transporting open flowers without injury is difficult.
With proper facilities for packing and keeping them chilled, it should be possible to transport closed mature buds considerable distances and have them open for display at night in good condition.
Flowers of day-blooming daylilies gathered at the time of opening can be chilled and used for night arrangements until about midnight in rooms at usual house temperatures.
The decorative values and uses of daylilies can be extended to great advantage by chilling.
44659 by H. Harold Hume