DAYLILIES, or HEMEROCALLIS, are versatile, long-lived, and easy-to-grow. They are on the "Top-Ten list of America's favorite plants. One thing I love about them is that they are very tough--undemanding in nature, and tolerant of extreme conditions--heat, cold, and a wide range of soils make this perennial so popular. There are literally hundreds of different varieties to choose from. These beauties have blooms that only last a day, but they have so many buds, that they can bloom for 3-4 weeks. Their scapes (erect stalks) can be as tall as 7 feet tall, but most are about 3 feet. Mine have just barely started to open. I had three open today, with many more that look to being open soon. One thing to note that will tell you the size that your plant might get to is to look at the bloom scapes. Well-branched scapes with lots of buds of various size indicate a long bloom season; poorly branched scapes with buds that are all of a similar size indicate a short one. Shapes vary. Trumpets are classic lily-shaped flowers, while recurved blooms have petals that curve back to form an almost flat face. Spider and star-shaped blooms have narrow, widely spaced petals. Petal edges can be ruffled as well. These three are the first of many that will be blooming in the yard. With some blooming early, and some mid or late bloomers, there should be many days to enjoy these showy, abundant flowers.
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