I have a thing for daylilies.
I think daylilies are the perfect perennial. They are super easy to grow, have few pests or diseases that affect them, can take quite a bit of abuse, and happily flourish, grow, and multiply in all sorts of different soil, sun, and water conditions.
Daylilies belong to the plant genus Hemerocallis. The word Hemerocallis comes from the Greek meaning "beauty" and "day" and refers to the fact that each daylily flower lasts only one day. However, the total flowering time period of a single daylily plant isn't just limited to one day, but usually spans several weeks or more. Many daylilies re-bloom throughout the summer giving weeks upon weeks of sunny, happy blooms.
Did I mention I think daylilies are the perfect plant?
I currently have about 200 different registered varieties of daylilies growing in my gardens, along with numerous unnamed/mixed varieties. I grow quite a few from seed each year and have hybridized my own daylily varieties as well.
Someday I think I'd like to open a daylily nursery, but for now, I'm happy to have them everywhere I look.
I'll be highlighting the daylilies in my garden in posts to come, but today I want to show you one of the earlier bloomers I have growing: Black Eyed Stella. My Black Eyed Stella's have just started blooming here in Virginia (the photos above and below were taken in my garden just yesterday!). Aren't they beautiful?
Black Eyed Stella
Blackeyed Stella daylilies are early bloomers and easily re-bloom throughout the summer months if spent blooms are deadheaded. They get to be about 14" tall with flowers about 3 1/4 inches across. The flowers have an apricot-gold base color with a crimson "eye". The foliage is a dark blue-green. Black Eyed Stella's prefer full sun and grow well in zones 3 through 9. (Black Eyed Stella Hybridizer: Robertson (1989))
Do you grow daylilies? What varieties do you grow?
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