Introduction

These tips are for new Daylily growers who live along the Colorado Front Range. They are specifically directed to those gardeners with city-sized lots around 80 feet by 110 feet who have flower beds along side their driveways, fence lines and up against the house.  Their flower beds are typically 3-5 feet wide. If you are now growing more than 50 varieties and having good results, you probably don’t need any advice.

Our challenge as Front Range Gardeners is simple: supply what Mother Nature does not provide--and here that means water. To get the most out of your Daylilies- the color, the number of blooms, the size of blooms and healthy lush foliage- Daylilies should get 1 inch (minimum) of water per week from April through September. If we are lucky, we get around 15 inches of water per year which puts us on the edge of a desert. So to get the best out of our plants we need to water-supplement.

During the winter months, throw available snow from the shaded portions of your house or yard onto the driest parts of your garden plots. Your south and west-facing garden plots are usually the driest. It’s free moisture, so use it.

Remember, nothing you do in your garden is as important as supplementing Mother Nature to get that inch of water per week. Daylilies will not die if they do not get this amount, but they will not reward you with the best that they can be!

 

January

Do nothing if your garden ground is hard frozen.

 

Throw available snow on those parts of your garden plots that have crumbly soil. Crumbly loose soil means the ground has air pockets in it and needs moisture. This is especially important around your high-priced trees. Air in the soil instead of water will put the roots at high risk for becoming freeze-dried and subject to winter-kill. Water (ice) insulates the roots from direct contact of sub-freezing temperatures.

 

Dream about warmer weather.

 

February

Same moisture needs and procedures as January.

 

Do some planning. Do you want more or less sod next year? Do you want another garden plot and where will it go? Are my taller Daylily varieties in the back of the beds and the shorter ones up front? Do I need to move some Daylilies around to get a better color display? Should I put in a drip system if I have another station on my Sprinkler Controller? Are my drier spots getting the water they need during the growing season? Do I need more shade plantings?

 

If you have a severe weed problem, apply a pre-emergent weed-killer now or as soon as possible. Even a few hours of warm sun can cause weed seeds on bare ground in loose soil to germinate. If it snows after you apply it, which is likely, that’s all to the good.

 

March

Do the first garden walk-around when the snow allows and take note of any winter-damaged plants.

 

First half of March

  Do nothing if garden is still frozen hard.

 

  Begin to pick up and cut off dead foliage in the garden when weather allows.

 

Second  half of March

  Use snow or hose water on the dry parts of your garden.

 

  Start or continue to pick up or cut off dead foliage.

 

  Some growth will be appearing on plants in the warmer/sunnier spots of your garden.

 

  Take note of dead, dying, or rotting plants; do not remove them now.

 

April

First half of April

    Finish picking up and cutting off dead foliage. Cut it back to 6 inches above the ground. Clean an area about 12 inches wide all around each plant to allow for fertilizer. If you mulched, push back mulch the same 12 inches. Fertilizer put directly on the soil works best. Fertilizer lying on mulch or dead foliage does not do the plant much good.

 

Start to dig out dead, dying and rotted plants.

 

Second half of April

  Time to feed when Daylilies have 6 inches of new spring growth. I recommend you use time-release fertilizer for two reasons. If you use too much the plants most likely will not (chemically) burn and die. Secondly, you will not need to fertilize twice a year if you apply time-release fertilizer now. If you have time to feed them only once a year--this is the time. If you have a large number of plants, apply in a ‘broadcast’ manner according to directions. If you have a small number of plants (or have the time) sprinkle one to two tablespoons of fertilizer completely around the base of each plant on the clean dirt. This procedure does not waste fertilizer on the areas where there are no plants and ensures a good feeding for each plant. If you have time, use a trowel to work the fertilizer into the soil. Water the plants after you feed them.

  Buy 3-month or 6-month time-release fertilizer. Invest a little more money and buy the time-release types with micro-nutrients. Micro-nutrients are the elements in addition to the fertilizer’s main ingredients: N (nitrogen), P (phosphate) and K (potash or potassium). Some of these micro-nutrients are:  S (sulfur), Fe (iron), Mn (manganese), Mg (magnesium), Cu (copper), etc. They are in very small amounts but perform a big job in the soil, often just making it easier for the plants to absorb N, P or K.

  Look for time-release types with N-P-K ratios of 1-1-1 (such as 10:10:10 or 20:20:20) or 1:2:1 (such as 15:30:15).

 

Begin supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

Finish digging out dead, dying and rotted plants.

 

May

First half of May

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

Time to feed if you didn’t do it last month. Daylilies need this feeding now to have enough time to absorb the food and turn it into more blooms, lush foliage and strong roots.

 

Consider adding Iris to your garden. Daylilies begin to bloom here in mid-June. To get a big splash of color before this, try Iris. Iris (the tall-bearded types) peak in my garden between May10-30, about 4-5 weeks before I get good Daylily bloom. Dwarf Iris varieties bloom even earlier; in the middle of April. If you plant iris now, they will bloom next year.

 

Get weeds under control; pull them, turn the soil over, dig them out, or cut them off at the ground level. If you cut them off at ground level, they may come back because you didn’t get the roots, but at least you have bought some time. If you have a severe weed problem, use a pre-emergent weed killer, but apply by early March if your plots are snow-free. Do not apply pre-emergent now; it’s too late. The weed seeds are already germinating and pre-emergent doesn’t work once the weeds have germinated.

 

It’s OK to move/divide/plant Daylilies and other perennials.  Move the taller plants to the back and the shorter varieties to the front, or rearrange for better color display. If you move or plant perennials now, you may be giving up some or all of the blooms on these plants. The fall is the best time to do this chore. If you have to do it now, it will not hurt the plant, only possibly reduce or eliminate the blooms this year.

 

 

 Second half of May

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

Keep after weeds

 

Do not divide/transplant your Daylilies now as it is highly likely you will give up blooms this year. Enjoy the blooms to come and move the plants in the fall, if you have the choice.

 

June

First half of June

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate

 

You should see an increase in Daylily clump-size over last year.

 

A few early-blooming Daylily varieties may bloom now. If none bloom now, it means you don’t have these types.

 

You should see 12-15 inches of foliage on your Daylilies.

 

You should see Daylily scapes - the stalks that hold the buds and blooms - rise above the foliage.

 

You may see buds beginning to form on the scapes.

 

Second half of June

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

First blooms are likely now if you have more than one dozen Daylily varieties.  With more than a dozen varieties, odds are in your favor you will have an early-blooming type.

 

July

First half of July

This is Daylily time---blooms will happen! Each day during this period you will have more varieties in bloom and more blooms on each type.

 

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

During bloom time (now through August), supplemental watering is best done at night before most blooms open for the next morning. If you water around 6am you will have water on and inside the already-opening blooms. This often detracts from their appearance. If you can, water your flower beds after 5pm.

 

Do not feed now. It’s too late to create new buds. Just let them bloom their little buds off!

 

Some plants will not bloom at all this year. Usually these are the Daylily plants you moved around earlier this year or they can be some you planted last fall. Some varieties just take longer than others to adjust to their new home and need another year before they bloom. They should begin to show increase in clump size, however.

 

Second half of July

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

During bloom time (now through August), supplemental watering is best done at night before most blooms open for the next morning. If your sprinkler system goes on around 6 am you will have water on and inside the already-opening blooms. This often detracts from their appearance. If you can, water your flower beds after 5 pm.

 

Some bloom decline is usually noticed during this period. Our average or normal peak bloom time is between July 7 and 21. After this time they begin a slow normal decline.

 

Late bloomers arrive!  Some Daylilies begin to bloom just now. This is normal and depends on the variety. These types extend the Daylily bloom season just as early varieties do in June.

 

Begin to make plans for next year. Make lists of varieties you have that are too similar to each other or you just don’t like anymore (hard to imagine that!). I hope you kept your flower’s name tags. Take notes of clumps you want to move/divide next month. What Daylily colors, patterns and flower forms do you want for next year? If tag ID’s have faded re-label them with a Sharpie.

 

August

First half of August

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. During bloom time (now), supplemental watering is best done at night before most blooms open for the next morning. If you water around 6am you will have water on and inside the already-opening blooms. This often detracts from their appearance. If you can, water your flower beds during the 8pm-2am time period.

 

You will notice an increasing decline in Daylily blooms. This is normal.

 

The empty scapes will begin to turn brown. This is normal.

 

You may notice that some of the varieties that finished early are sending up new scapes in order to rebloom. This is normal, but doesn’t happen often in our gardens due to the short growing season. Enjoy these bonus blooms!

 

Last half of August

Attend our Mile High Daylily Society Plant Sale inside Tagawa Garden Center, usually the 3rd Saturday of August starting at 10am. Check our Calendar link for up-to-date info on this event. We try to have all the varieties with pictures, when the doors open. All are $5 a piece for double fans (2 plants with roots). All plants are grown in our Society members’ gardens along the Front Range, so they have been Colorado winter-hardened for several years. All are tagged with their names. Every purchase includes a Bonus Plant, while they last. Each year we have some of all the colors, all the color patterns, and all the flower forms and sizes that are on the market today. They won’t be the names you see in the Daylily Catalogs, but they will look similar and they aren’t going to cost you $200. Come early on Saturday for best selection; some varieties go fast. Discounts on remaining plants are offered beginning around 2pm..

 

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

This is the best time to do your transplanting/dividing/rearranging of all your perennials. Daylilies need to be divided when:

         the clumps are more than 24 inches across at the base,

         you notice decreasing blooms over the last several years,

         or its been more than 5 years since you did it the last time.

Water well after transplanting. Fertilize these new plants 2 weeks after you plant them; they need a little time on their own before feeding.

 

Buy fertilizer and other garden supplies now. These supplies are discounted at K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Target as they need to get the old seasonal stuff off the shelves to put out the new seasonal things (Christmas?) Lowe’s and Home Depot do not discount as vigorously and neither do the garden specialty stores. By early September, these bargains are usually gone.

 

Feed established plants ½ the dosage you did in the spring. This feeding isn’t as critical as the spring feeding, but it’s a good idea because it gives plants a boost to recover from blooming (that’s hard work!). From now until hard freeze we enter an 8-10 week Golden Period. Blooms are finishing, top growth slows and the weather cools. The real work going on in your garden is hidden. Plants are putting down great root development if given some water and food. Do feed them if you can.

 

Keep track of the names of your Daylilies.  Once the obsession hits, how else can you keep track of more than a dozen different types?

 

You will see your last Daylily blooms usually during this time period.

 

September

First half of September

Continue supplemental watering regimen of 1 inch (or more) per week if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

Start/Continue transplanting/dividing of perennials. You still have enough time.

 

Feed established plants ½ the dosage you did in the spring if you didn’t do this last month, if you have the time. Water well afterwards.

 

You will see Daylily foliage shrink now. Cut off the dead brown scapes if you don’t like looking at them. Do not cut back the foliage yet, as it will continue to grow. You’ll be cutting it again before hard freeze. Even if we get freezes now, some top growth will continue and the root systems will continue growing.

 

Last half of September

Cut back on supplemental watering regimen to 1 inch every 2 weeks if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. Days are shorter and nights are cooler so evaporation rates are down. Water needs become less now.

 

Finish up transplanting/dividing of perennials. The deadline for safe transplanting/dividing is now. By finishing now you will give plants 4-6 weeks before the first normal hard freeze arrives. This allows the root system to become established so it will survive winter. You run the risk of losing plants if you’re still doing this past month’s end. Remember to give these plants extra water.

 

Do some note taking on what you liked this year and what you will want to change next year in your garden plots. Do some of this work now if you can, such as making new garden plots.

 

Keep after weeds. They make a comeback as the weather gets cooler.

 

October

First half of October

Begin to cut back dead Daylily and other perennial foliage if you like.  If you cut the foliage back now, it will stay short as top growth has about ended. The roots are still growing. Trim foliage only if you don’t like looking at brown dead stuff in your garden that will get matted down under the snow. You do not have to cut back foliage now; it can wait until spring. Some people say the dead stuff acts as mulch, protecting the plants against winter winds and temperature extremes. So there’s the other point of view. I’ve cut it now and other years I’ve waited until spring.  I haven’t noticed any difference in bloom or foliage on my 150 Daylilies. I haven’t read anything that proves fall or spring is the better time to do this chore. I see it as a personal choice. I have found it’s easier to stuff the foliage and scapes in plastic trash bags now when it is still flexible. In the spring it’s dry and crispy (or wet and soggy if you do it too early) and harder to put in those bags. Cut the scapes off and the foliage back to 6 inches above ground.

 

Cut back on supplemental watering regimen to 1 inch every 2 weeks if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. Days are shorter and nights are cooler so evaporation rates are down. Water needs become less now.

 

Keep after the weeds. They seem to survive all temperature changes this time of year. The weeds you pull now will not produce seeds for next year.

 

Last half of October

Blow-out the sprinkler system before the end of the month.

 

Hand water the garden plots and trees once every 2 weeks if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

 

Keep after the weeds. Some will survive the first snows. Pick the seed pods before they ripen or open.

 

Continue to clean up and cut back dead foliage, if you haven’t finished.

 

November

Move snow to dry parts of the garden.

 

Hand water plants and trees once every 2 weeks if the soil is dry and crumbly.

 

Continue to clean up and cut back dead foliage, if you haven’t finished and weather allows.

 

December

Do nothing if the ground is hard frozen

 

Hand water when soil becomes dry and crumbly

 

Move snow to drier parts of the garden such as the south and west facing beds.

 

 

 

 

You’ve survived another gardening year. Taken all at once, a full year’s chores are formidable. Visit this link once a month or once every two weeks during the growing season and the list becomes more manageable. Treat these as guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. Time-tables for the chores must be adjusted for each year. If the winter has been long and very cold, time-lines will be later. A short mild winter will move things up a bit earlier.

 

Gardening is work; it’s only when the results surpass the efforts that it becomes a pleasure and a joy. If you follow these tips, your results will be better.

 

Let us know how you’re doing and what else you would like to see here.

 

                             Fred Barmwater   febarmw@yahoo.com.             January 2014