Perennials - Daylily
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  (February) I have a fairly large garden of assorted plants in my back yard but am by no means a savvy gardener. Could you please tell me when is the best time to thin out my daylilies?

  Daylilies can be thinned either in the spring as they are emerging or in the fall as they go dormant. Many daylilies started poking up foliage a month ago, and some of it has been zapped a bit by winter weather. They are tough plants, though, and should bounce back just fine.

  (June) Last year you printed a hint about how to make 'Stella de Oro' lilies bloom again once their first blooming period is over. Ours bloom great in the spring and early summer, and not much after that.

  'Stella d'Oro' is still the most common variety of daylily grown. It has the potential to produce blooms for most of the season, provided you deadhead the spent flowers. This means snapping or cutting off the flowers as they finish. If you don't keep them cleaned up, almost every flower will set a seed pod. While they are busy producing seeds, they will rarely produce anymore flowers. Fertilize them two or three times throughout the season, and divide them about every three years. They often get so crowded that it can also reduce blooming. Divide in the spring or fall as needed.

  (June) We have a beautiful hydrangea at the back of our house that is about three years old. Since we hardly ever go into the back yard, we wanted to move it to another area that we could see from our carport area. Could we divide that hydrangea and leave some of it where it is now planted and plant a part in another area? If so, when would be the best time of the year to divide it? Also, we want to divide some Siberian iris and daylilies. When would be the best time of year to do this?

  Obviously mid June is not a great time to transplant existing shrubs, since we are about to hit our toughest growing season. Transplant season is considered November through March. You could divide the plant and move a portion in the fall, or you can wait until winter has passed, and the plant is intact, then move all or a portion in March. Daylilies and Siberian iris plants are tough perennials, and probably would suffer through and make a transplant now, but why not wait until it cools off this fall. It will be easier on the plant and you as well.

  (July) I would like some advice on growing Daylilies. I would love to have a nice Daylily bed but have not had a lot of luck growing them. The plants yellow and die back leaving just a few leaves and not many blooms. I could really use some help. Could you recommend planting location, soil condition and fertilizer?

  Daylilies are usually pretty tough plants, but if the site is not well drained, or the plants are getting too much shade, there can be problems. We have also seen some daylily rust in the past few years, and this too can limit growth. Prepare a bed for daylilies in full sun, in a well drained location, and amend the soil with organic matter. Plant them and mulch to help maintain moisture. Fertilize them once or twice a year and they should respond well. If you see yellowing or other problems, take a sample in to your county office for diagnosis. Unless you are a serious daylily collector, I do not advocate spray programs for daylilies. They have traditionally been a great garden plant because of their ease of care.

  (July) My Stella d'or daylilies have made seed pods. Do I need to cut them off?

  It will encourage more blooms if you snap off the seed pods. Otherwise, energy is directed into seed production instead of into flower bud production. Stella's tend to set more seed pods than many other daylilies. They are also one of the longest bloomers, so keep popping the seed pods and you should see more flowers.

  (July) I have been told that if I want more blooms to 'pinch off' the seed pods of my Stella d'oro daylilies. There are seeds in these pods, and I was wondering that if I planted them I could expect more of the plants? I have them in too much shade, and intend to move them anyway to a new bed a little later on this season. If the seeds will mature I don't mind missing out on more flowers this year, and would love to propagate more in the new bed. What do you think?

  Keep in mind that Stella d'oro daylilies are hybrids. Growing them from seed may give you similar types of daylilies or something quite different. The best method of propagating daylilies--especially if you want the same variety, is through division. They tend to be fairly prolific growers, so division gives you quick returns. When you move them this fall, divide them at the same time for more plants. Stella's tend to set more seed pods than many daylilies, and to keep them blooming the best, clip off the seed pods as they form.

  My Stella d’Ora daylilies have produced a large number of seed pods. Can the seeds inside be planted? What is the best time of year for doing so?

  Stella’s set seed more frequently than any other daylily I have seen. While you can grow daylilies from seed, the results may or may not be similar to your parent plant. The seed must be kept in cool, moist storage for six weeks, then it takes between three to seven weeks of 60 to 70 degree temperatures to germinate them. Unless you want to get into daylily breeding, division is a much easier means of propagation. To encourage more flowers on your Stella, snipping off the spent flowers and preventing seed formation, will send more energy into your plant.

  I was recently visiting my mother in Little Rock, and saw some beautiful plants, I hope you can help identify. They looked like clumps of monkey grass, but they had beautiful bright yellow flowers on them. My monkey grass has stalks of pinkish blooms. Do you have any idea what they are and if I can find them here in Searcy? They were growing around several banks in full sun. Thanks!

  The plant in question is a daylily called Stella de Oro. It is considered a dwarf daylily, keeping a manageable low growing clump. It is sold as a constant bloomer, but it will help to clip off the spent flowers to prevent seed production, and insure more blooms. They thrive in full sun and are easy to grow. They should be available at most garden centers or nurseries statewide. They are the most popular daylily on the market.

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