Daylily is a wonderful perennial that can become a real decoration of the garden. Even 15-20 years ago there were only five species and several varieties of a beautiful flower. But now the number of hybrids and varieties has exceeded one and a half hundred. And most likely, breeders will not stop there, and therefore, we can expect the emergence of new varieties of daylily soon.
Plant characteristics
Daylilies belong to the Xanthorrheaceae family. Their homeland is East Asia. Beautiful flowers have been familiar to people since ancient times. However, the scientific name for the plant was given by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is believed that the daylily is not whimsical at all. However, this statement is true for wild species. As for modern hybrids, you need to know certain rules for caring for them.
Daylily flowers usually have a funnel shape and are collected in inflorescences of several pieces. No more than three buds can bloom at the same time. The bush can delight flowering for up to three weeks, andit may have several peduncles. Their height depends on the variety and can range from 30 centimeters to a meter, depending on the variety. After flowering, a trihedral seed box is formed. However, daylily seeds are of little interest to gardeners.
Gardeners use natural plant varieties and cultivars and hybrids to landscaping.
Plant varieties
Description of the daylily would not be complete if you do not remember the variety of varieties and species of this beautiful flower. Of course, it is simply impossible to tell about everyone. Natural species are very easy to care for, and therefore very much in demand. Such plants can often be seen behind the fences of the plots, as they are incredibly unpretentious. These include daylily yellow, orange, Middendorf.
All other representatives are hybrids. There are an incredible number of varieties - more than 60,000. Of particular interest to gardeners are terry daylilies (double). Such flowers have additional petals near the perianth. The most popular varieties of this species are: Double Classic, Double Dream, Double River Wai, Night Ember, etc.
Arachnids are no less interesting. The flowers of such plants look like spiders. This species includes the varieties Mint Octopus, Grape Witch, Star Twister and many others.
There is also a group of fragrant daylilies. It was named so because of the wonderful aroma exhaled by flowers. Combs of this type include: Katerina Woodbury,Apple Spearing, Pandora Box.
Many gardeners are fans of white daylilies. There are many such varieties. However, white flowers are conditional. They are very close to this shade, but painted in different shades. Pure white daylilies simply do not exist.
In home gardens, people often plant variegated forms, pleasing with their beauty. Among the varieties, the most popular are Night Bacon, Bestseller, Masquerade, Arctic Snow, Darla Anita, Moussaka, Macbeth and others.
Where to grow daylilies?
Planting and caring for a plant are not difficult. However, for a flower, you must choose the right place on the site. In their natural habitats, daylilies grow among shrubs, on the edges of forests, so it may seem that plants need partial shade. Actually it is not. In our climate, beautiful flowers should only be planted in sunny places, especially when it comes to hybrid varieties. Daylilies need plenty of light and warmth.
Soil
Experienced gardeners always recommend using daylilies to decorate home gardens. Planting and caring for them is not so difficult, but in gratitude you get beautiful flowers. Despite the fact that the plant is reputed to be unpretentious, it is still worth following the elementary rules of care that will allow you to achieve lush and long flowering.
Growing daylilies is possible on any soil. But still, when planting, it is worth lowering the root of the plant into the soil that it likes. Daylilies prefer loam rich in organic matter. The main condition for a successful landing is not to use depleted land.
Experts recommend adding compost and sand to clay soils, and a little clay to sandy soils. The ideal soil option is rich loam with excellent drainage. As for acidity, the soil should be slightly acidic or neutral.
When choosing a place for a flowerbed with daylilies, it must be borne in mind that plants need freedom. They do not like the presence of large competitors nearby who can claim their place in the sun. Light varieties certainly need to be placed in the sun. But the darker ones can be identified in light penumbra. In order to simplify the planting and care of the daylily, choose places that are not flooded in the spring. In addition, the roots of the plant should not be located near groundwater.
Time to board
Daylily flowers are able to please their owners for many years. The plant is generally long-lived. It can grow in one place without a transplant for up to fifteen years. This is worth remembering when choosing a landing site. The most lush flowering plants please only the first five to seven years. After the peduncles, it becomes much smaller, and the flowers on them become smaller. It is for this reason that every couple of years the plants are transplanted, dividing the bushes into parts. They tolerate this procedure very well.
Still, planting and caring for daylilies in the open field requires some knowledge. planting a plantpossible from early spring to late autumn. Spring planting is always very successful. Young plants are quickly accepted and rooted, blooming in the same year. Landing is best done at a time when there are no more frosts. If you have already purchased planting material, and the weather is not good, do not worry. By digging plants in the sand, you will save its root system and wait for optimal planting conditions.
In the summer, planting is also quite safe, provided regular watering is organized. But in autumn, plants do not always have time to take root, and therefore there is a certain risk that by spring it will not get stronger.
Daylilies: planting and care in the open field
Planting a crop is not too different from planting other plants. Acquired seedlings must be sorted out, removing dry or damaged roots. An hour before planting, the plants are placed in a solution with mineral fertilizers.
In advance, it is necessary to prepare holes up to thirty centimeters deep. They must be placed at a distance of half a meter from each other. A perennial plant grows very quickly, so it needs a place. Pour a light and loose substrate into the pits. You can prepare a mass of a mixture of humus, peat, sand. It is also worth adding some ash and fertilizers (phosphorus-potassium). We place a seedling in each hole and sprinkle it with earth on top. Next, water the plant and sprinkle it with soil again.
Plant transplant
Among the avid gardeners there are many fans of daylilies. Planting and caring for the culture is quite simple, and therefore people decorate theirhousehold plots. However, daylily bushes grow quite quickly and the question of transplantation arises. To do this, you need to dig the plant from all sides. And then extract it from the ground along with an earthen lump.
Next, they clean the soil and try to carefully divide the bush into parts. If the roots are very tightly woven, then they can be cut with a knife or secateurs. Places of cuts after treated with coal. Next, the seedlings are planted on the prepared site.
Seed propagation
The plant can also be propagated by seeds. However, this method is the most unsuccessful. This is due to the germination of the seeds themselves. They are capricious in storage. In addition, it is necessary to germinate them at home, planting young plants in the ground. In general, this method has not justified itself, and therefore is little used. Daylilies are much easier to propagate by dividing the bush.
Plant care
After planting, daylilies need only watering, periodic loosening of the soil and weeding as needed. In the warm period, an actively growing culture needs a fairly plentiful watering. You can notice the lack of moisture in the appearance of the plant. Foliage immediately becomes faded. Also, the plant can drop buds. Perennials are very fond of additional moisture in the summer. Therefore, they can be planted near water bodies or arrange shallow sprinkling.
In summer, during the heat, daylilies need to be watered abundantly. The soil should get wet by 20-30 centimeters. If summer is not sohot, then you can moisten the earth less often, but at the same time monitor the condition of the foliage. It is best to water the plants in the morning or evening as there is no risk of daylilies getting sunburned at this time. Planting and caring for a plant, as you can see, is no different from caring for other plants. If everything is done correctly, then even plants planted in spring can bloom in summer.
In the first year, daylilies are usually not fed. It will be possible to make complex mineral fertilizers next spring. When choosing a product, you should pay attention to compositions with a moderate content of a substance such as nitrogen. Because it causes lush growth of foliage at the expense of beautiful flowering. For the whole summer, perennial bushes are fed no more than twice. But in early autumn, you can add potash-phosphorus fertilizers to prepare for the winter period.
In principle, daylilies are hardy. However, they can suffer if there is little snow. Therefore, it is better to cover the plant for the winter with any improvised materials. After the onset of a massive thaw and snowmelt, it is necessary to open the plants, since prell may appear on the root collars.
Post-flowering care
After flowering, the plant also needs care, depending on the species. So, for example, deciduous forms immediately begin to turn yellow after the flowers wither, the foliage gradually dries out, so it is cut off later. For the winter, plants can not be covered, since such varieties are winter hardy.
Semi-evergreen and evergreen varieties are notsusceptible to green wilt. They are sheltered for the winter in cold regions and where winters are snowless or with little snow. To form a shelter, you can use dry branches, sawdust, straw.
Pest pests
We have already mentioned that daylilies are very unpretentious. In addition, they are less susceptible to all sorts of ailments. In general, the plant can be called very stable. Most pests are repelled by the strong aroma of the flower. And yet there are insects that can harm the plant. For example, these are thrips. They penetrate from the ground and feed on the juices of the plant, as a result of which it becomes weak. There is no effective method of dealing with thrips, so it is recommended to dig up a diseased bush and remove it from the site together with a lump, or better, burn the plant.
Another dangerous pest is the lily mosquito. It lays eggs in buds, and the larvae that appear gnaw on the foliage and spoil the appearance of the plant.
Dangerous diseases
Among bacterial ailments are:
- Root rot, which usually appears in the spring. In this case, the foliage turns yellow and stops growth. The plant must be dug up and the affected roots removed. After washing the root system in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Rust can only appear if Patrinia grows nearby. As a preventive measure, plants are periodically treated with fungicides.
- Fusariosis is a fungal disease. It causes drying of foliage and general oppression of the plant. In the early stages, the disease can be de alt withwith the help of fungicides. At later times, it is recommended to simply remove the diseased bush.
Gardeners recommend periodically treating plants with insecticides and fungicides as a preventive measure.
