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Daylilies, or Hemerocallis from the Greek words hemero meaning beautiful and callis for day, have come a long way since our colonial ancestors brought them to America from Europe. The homesteaders wanted some of their favorite flowers to brighten their gardens, but any plant that made the trip from the old world
had to be hardy and able to withstand a good deal of neglect. The common orange daylilies that line the rural roadsides of North America are all descendants of colonial gardens. An especially interesting fact is that the daylily brought by the colonists to America was a self-sterile hybrid called ‘Europa’, and can only be introduced into new areas by using sections of the root. So the daylily spread literally in “bits and pieces”.Although each individual blossom of the daylily, lasts but one day (as the name suggests), a stem usually produces a cluster of buds that open over a long period of time. By planting several varieties, you can extend the bloom season over most of the summer. Virtually carefree, these plants grow in almost any type of soil, from rocky banks to moist soil along the riverbank, in sun or partial shade.
Daylily foliage is long and straplike, with a central vein running the entire length. The plants grow from stout crowns with thick tuberous roots radiating in an outward circle. They can be divided easily to produce new plants and should be divided every few years when the flowers begin to wane. The flowers are composed of 3 broad petals and 3 narrow petal-like sepals that overlap. They can have thick or thin, long or short petals and may be smooth or frilly. Daylilies come in almost every color except pure white and blue. Many are bi-colored and a few are even tri-colored.
Several lilies grow from bulbs and are terrific in pots as well as majestic as the focal
point of a formal border. They grow on a tall single stem with leaves that may be grasslike or a little wider and more swordlike. The Madonna lily (lilium candidum) makes a wonderful gift plant and can be found in the stores in the spring. It is quite popular as a mother’s day gift and is beautiful for weddings. The Easter lily (L. longiflorum) is very similar. Once the flower is spent, plant them in your garden. They seldom bloom at the right time for these occasions in the garden, but are beautiful year after year with very little care. I have one that grew almost 7 ft tall with 21 buds on a stem.My favorite of the bulb lilies are the Oriental lilies. They are
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the result of crossing speciosum lilies from Korea and auratum lilies from Japan. Big, bold, and beautiful they make a huge splash in the garden. Nothing is finer than sitting on the deck on a warm summer afternoon and catching a drift of their sweet scent. They normally grow shorter than the Madonna or Easter lily. The come in almost every color of pink and white with some wonderful variations of their speckled pattern. A solid yellow one is rare, but I was lucky enough to receive one is a set I ordered from Jackson and Perkins.
I suppose it is obvious that the Asiatic lily is my least favorite since I
One of the first lilies I remember from my childhood grew in my aunt’s yard. It took me many years to learn the name of the Crinum lily. To me
it was always Daught’s pink and white lily. It is a member of the Amaryllis family. The flower stalks grow from the center of straplike leaves and it may produce several of these stalks with a cluster of blooms on each. In the south, they can be planted outside. Plant the bulb with the neck above the soil level. It’s leaves will die back in the winter. With the return of spring, it again puts out new leaves and will bloom happily into summer. Give these lilies plenty of room. They will multiply rapidly and the bulbs can become quite large.The Amaryllis is also commonly know as the Christmas lily
because it is grown as a forced bulb so often around Christmas time. This lily grows so rapidly that you can almost see it grow. I love to buy a bulb in October and try to make it bloom on Christmas day. I’ve only been successful once. After it blooms, I plant the bulb outside. Some Amaryllis produce a flower stalk first before it has leaves.Amaryllis come in many shades of red and white. The white ones are usually more fragrant. I have also grown a peach colored one (shown at the top of this page).
A very different and fun to grow lily is the Lycoris lily. You might also know it by Magic lily or rain lily or even naked ladies. These common names refer to it’s habit of flowering. In the spring it sends up inch wide, strap-shaped
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beautiful healthy plant that seemed to wither and die without ever flowering and thought “What a waste that was.” Then suddenly in mid-august the buds push through the ground and within a day or two, the stalks are 2 ft high and blooming. This usually happens shortly after a summer shower, hence the name rain lily. They also flower without leaves, hence naked ladies. And they grow and bloom suddenly, hence magic lily.It took me several years to put these events together. (Ok, I admit I’m slow.) The Lycoris lily comes in red, white, yellow, and pink. All of these colors except pink produce showy clusters of 6-petaled flowers with long upturned stamens that have a fireworks effect. I have never seen the pink produce this type of flower.
By Charlie Crow © August 23, 2004
One summer’s early morning I poured my morning brew;
Stepped out onto the terrace to smell the morning dew.
The light was thin and murky as the sun poked through the trees;
I spotted something oddly strange swaying in the breeze.
Tall and slender forms emerged from the dappled dawn--
A hundred naked ladies were dancing on the lawn!
They gamboled gaily in the grass--an undulating thrill
Bare and prancing in the breeze--temptresses on the kill.
Brazen smiles their garb of choice, cared not what I might think;
Yet fixed atop each lovely head perched a cap of modest pink.
Shamelessly I stared, agape--abandoned my regard
For nosy neighbor gossip of the scandal in my yard.
Long they danced and I partook--amazed at the bawdy scene;
But soon they faded out of sight, no more to be seen.
No horns or fanfare sounded when their flagrant game was spent;
No whispered kiss or soft adieu--they just simply went.
And oft I think on that summer morn so early in the dawn…
Of five score dainty damsels cavorting naked on my lawn.
Whatever prompted such a show is far beyond my ken;
But if I knew the words to say I’d ask them back again!
Another specialty lily that almost fits in the cacti section is the torch lily, or Kniphofia. It is usually orange, sometimes yellow. It has dense spikes of tubular flowers over stiff, narrow leaves.
I hope you have enjoyed my lily show. Please come back to visit soon.
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A place to find Crinum Lilies.
For Daylilies look here.