FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Just received your plants and don’t know where to start? Or are you a seasoned gardener looking to expand your knowledge? Explore our helpful tips to keep your plants growing strong and healthy!

What Daylilies Can I Grow?

It’s pretty simple: most of you can grow any of the daylilies we sell. If you live in an area with a sustained cold period like we do in East Tennessee, you can grow all the varieties. However, If you live in an area that doesn’t get freezing weather in the winter, dormant varieties won’t work for you; you need to choose evergreen or semi-evergreen varieties.

I live in the deep South, can I grow daylilies?

Yes, but you need to choose either evergreen or semi-evergreen varieties. Dormant varieties like to have a cold period in the winter when they can go dormant, and will decline over time if they don’t get it. (You can sort daylilies by their foliage type on our website.)

Will My Daylilies Bloom the First Year?

The plants we send are blooming-size, but whether they’ll bloom the first season depends in large part on when you get them. The earlier in the season you plant, the more likely it is that they will bloom. (Of course, you need to wait until most chances of freeze have passed, so that limits how early some of you can plant.) Typically, if you can plant by early to mid April or so, you should have a good chance for blooms the first year. That’s not to say that daylilies planted later won’t bloom, but don’t count on it. Likewise, sometimes daylilies planted plenty early enough in the season don’t bloom, for no particular reason except that they’re live plants: they’re going to do what they’re going to do.

What does dormant, semi-evergreen and evergreen mean?

This refers to the foliage – Dormant daylilies like to have a cold period in the winter when they can go dormant (the foliage dies back to the ground). Evergreen daylilies try to grow foliage all year long, and semi-evergreen daylilies are somewhere in the middle, not full foliage, but not completely dormant. Keep in mind, if you live in an area that gets cold winters, foliage-type doesn’t really matter, it will all get frozen to the ground.

When is the best time of year to plant daylilies?

Spring and fall are good times to plant, but many gardeners can plant straight through the summer successfully. (At our nursery here in Tennessee, we plant from March-October.)

How to Plant Daylilies

In this video, we show you how to give your daylilies a solid foundation by planting them the right way.

What are Reblooming Daylilies?

Learn about reblooming daylilies and the best way to care for them to achieve optimum results.

Do I need to divide my daylilies?

The only time you would really need to divide your daylilies is if you notice them not blooming as well as they used to. Some varieties may need to be divided every 3-5 years, while others seem to perform fine for much longer.

How to Divide Daylilies

Ever wonder how you can divide your daylilies safely? Watch this video to find out!

Will daylilies grow in shade?

Daylilies love sun, but will tolerate light shade, a general rule is to make sure they get at least 6 hours of sun a day.

How Our Daylilies Get to You

From the field to your front door, learn the process of how we get the freshest plants to you!

What kind of fertilizer should I use? And when should I fertilize?

Daylilies aren’t too picky, we recommend using a high quality, nitrogen rich fertilizer in the spring and possibly again in the fall.

What is rebloom?

“Rebloom is the tendency of a daylily variety to bloom more than once a year. The later cycles of bloom may come soon after the main bloom cycle, or may be weeks or months later. Some things to keep in mind about rebloom –
– Growers in the South will have a lot more opportunity to get rebloom than Northern growers, because of their longer growing season.
– Don’t expect rebloom to be as prolific as the first bloom, it usually won’t be.
– There aren’t good rebloomers in every color and style of daylily, so you will really limit your choices if just get rebloomers. It’s a nice trait if you can get it, but we typically recommend you choose the varieties that most catch your eye, regardless of whether they are rebloomers or not.”

My daylilies aren’t blooming as well as they used to, what might cause that?

You may need to divide your daylilies. Some varieties need to be divided every 3-5 years, while others seem to perform fine for much longer.

What does diploid and tetraploid mean?

This refers to the number of chromosomes – diploids (dips) have 22, tetraploids (tets) have 44. Tetraploids may have a “huskier” appearance, with thicker blooms and stems, but it isn’t always apparent just from looking. This is mainly just an issue if you are interested in hybridizing daylilies (crossing to make seeds), as you can only cross diploids with diploids and tetraploids with tetraploids.

Do deer eat daylilies?

Yes.

Do daylily colors look different in different areas of the country?

Sometimes, but it’s hard to say what the difference might be. We hear most often about variations in some pink varieties, where the color can range from peach to pink in different areas.

Are daylilies bulbs?

No, daylilies grow from roots.

Is it too late to plant (this spring)?

“It depends on what you mean –
– If you mean “”is it too late to plant and get blooms this summer””, then you need to get your daylilies in the ground before they start sending up bloom scapes (in our area, we would want to plant by the end of April or so).
– If you mean “”is it too late to plant for the daylilies to survive””, then probably not. We have sent plants all around the country through the summer for years. “

Is it too late to plant (this fall)?

We typically recommend getting your daylilies in the ground 3-4 weeks before your first frost. If you can add mulch after planting, you can plant later.

I live in an area with severe winters, can I grow daylilies?

Yes, most daylilies will do fine in areas with cold winters, especially if there is consistent snow cover (which acts as insulation). Some of the most challenging places to grow are areas with cold winters, but little snow cover, or areas which have wide temperature swings in spring (like here in Tennessee). Occasionally we’ll hear of a variety that doesn’t seem to be reliably hardy, in which case we stop offering it for sale.

Are the daylilies labeled when they come?

Yes, each variety will have a label.

We’re here to help!

Complete planting information is included with every order. And always, if you have questions or concerns, please visit our YouTube channel to review our instructional videos, call us at 865-687-3770, email us at [email protected], or write us a note (our address is below). We want you to be successful and happy growing daylilies!

FAQ