I’ve had a trip out to one of my favourite Cotswold gardens to find out more about growing hemerocallis – or daylilies.
Hemerocallis flowers may be short-lived but they certainly put on quite a show. Colours range from soft yellows through to vibrant orange and dusky purple. There are tiny, rounded blooms and others with long arching petals. They can have flushes or stripes of a second colour, or be a single tone. And for every flower that is fading after its day of glory, there are numerous buds waiting to open.
Commonly known as daylilies, they usefully fill the gap between the best of the roses and the start of late summer flowers. Best of all, they are pretty fool-proof, tolerant of most soil types and undemanding. In fact, with hundreds of varieties available, the hardest part is knowing which to choose.
I went to visit Sue Beck at her Cirencester garden to find out more about hemerocallis and to get some ideas about good varieties to grow.
Sue has been growing daylilies for decades and is a long-standing member of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society, as well as the American Hemerocallis Society from whom she received the International Service Award in 2015.
Her garden may be small but it is stuffed with plants, including more than 200 hemerocallis. The collection did number nearer 300 at one point but she’s been weeding it out and keeping only those plants she considers really good.
“When I started growing I bought everything that was pink,” she said. “Then I realised that some things are not as good as others. I’m keeping the very best.”
When it comes to growing hemerocallis, Sue advised choosing a sunny spot to get the best flowers. Dark coloured flowers may scorch in full sun so partial shade is better for those varieties. Hemerocallis are reasonably unfussy when it comes to soil but do like some moisture and food during the growing season.
“Don’t plant them too deep,” she warned.
Sue feeds her hemerocallis with fish, blood and bone, giving them a light dressing in autumn and spring.
“If they’re growing in containers, I give them some tomato food.”
Deadheading the flowers as they fade improves the look of the plant but isn’t essential.
It is worth checking for slugs and snails, which like to hide in the foliage, and be on the lookout for gall midge. The signs are distorted, swollen buds, with the tiny grubs inside.
“Take the buds off and destroy them. Don’t put them on the compost.”
Fortunately, this problem affects only some earlier flowering varieties.
Large clumps should be divided to improve flowering. Autumn is a good time to do this. Cut the leaves back by about half before replanting.
If you choose carefully, you can have hemerocallis in flower from May to September.
And what of Sue’s favourites? Here are just three that she picked out.
The wonderfully named ‘Jellyfish Jealousy’ is one that is often commented on by visitors to Sue’s garden. The large flowers with their creamy yellow colour marked with pink are certainly striking.
“This is fabulous. Everybody loves it,” said Sue.
‘Killer’ is a dark, sultry purple with more rounded petals and darker markings towards the centre, which is a contrasting yellow-green. As Sue said: “Quite a handsome one.”
‘Websters Pink Wonder’ is described by Sue as “superb” and the dusky pink flowers are certainly eye-catching.
The flower she’s waiting to see is ‘Sue Beck’, a new variety that has been bred by hybridiser Robert Grant-Downton from Oxford. He’s a friend of Sue’s and named the ivory-primrose daylily to mark her 40th anniversary of opening gardens with the National Garden Scheme.
As for me, I rather liked this one. There’s something about the delicate creamy colour that appeals. Another for my list.
Sue’s garden at 25 Bowling Green Road, Cirencester is open for the National Garden Scheme. Find out dates and details here.
Feature picture at top of blog: H. ‘Ann Kelley’.