April 25, 2007
Dividing Daylilies
Our curved patio is edged with a flower bed about 40 feet long and roughly 3 feet wide. When newly planted about 10 years ago, it was lovely from spring until fall. The last several years, it has fallen on hard times as I devoted gardening time to other places in our yard. But enough is enough and I’ve begun renovating the bed.
Daylilies are a vital part of the bed. Set in the back of the bed, their blooms add bright splashes of color, and the hardy, pest-resistant foliage is a great backdrop for other perennials as well as annuals. 
The truth is that I’m sentimental about daylilies, too. I learned to garden from my grandmothers, and one of them had a passion for the hardy plants. Her yard was filled with a huge array of daylilies in all colors. I’ve bought some of my daylilies but many have been passed on to me by friends and family. I will even confess that there is not a single Stella De Oro daylily in my entire garden. While it is a nice cultivar, I think it is overused, and I prefer larger forms.
Late yesterday afternoon, I began lifting clumps of daylilies out of the bed using my garden fork and dividing them. A fork is better than a shovel because a shovel can cut many of the plant’s roots.
How large a division you create is really based on your needs. I tried to divide them into clumps of one to three plants.
I had more daylilies than I needed for the bed after I finished dividing them. Like many gardeners, I find it hard to toss great plants on the compost pile because there is no more room in my garden.
My solution—divide the remaining lilies into 1- or 2-fan divisions and drop them in an oversized nursery pot. I brought the pot into the office this morning and have been sharing my bounty with anyone who wanted some. Daylilies are a great plant to share because they are so hardy.
You will find excellent information about daylilies in this publication from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The American Hemerocallis Society has a huge amount of information on its Web site and the U.S. National Arboretum has a great photo gallery of daylily cultivars.
I will post updates on my progress renovating this flowerbed.
Posted by at April 25, 2007 11:16 AM | TrackBack