Growing Bright and Beautiful Daylilies

Daylilies are popular perennial flowers known for their bright colors. They can be found in many gardens from summer until the first frost. As the name suggests, each individual flower only lasts a day, but the abundance of blooms on one stem provides a three-week bloom period.

Carl Weatherman, a veteran farmer from scenic Spruce Pine, North Carolina, has been growing daylilies for more than 40 years. At 97 years old and going strong, you could say he’s something of an expert on the subject and a cherished example of the farmers who add so much to our daily lives.

As Weatherman explains, daylilies are extremely easy perennials to grow, “there’s less work in them than any flower you put out.” You could dig them up, toss them on the ground and they’d take root (not that you’d ever want to treat darling daylilies with such disregard).

What’s the secret to growing daylilies? “Love, love the daylilies!

There are more than 60,000 varieties of daylilies, which come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Daylily is a resilient flower that can be grown in just about any soil type, and the roots even help with erosion problems. Optimum planting time is around early fall or spring.

Watch this In the Garden segment to discover more about daylilies, as well as one indomitable farmer who dedicates his life to providing for others.

More Daylily Resources

• Review the full daylily plant bio from Extension Gardener.
• Read why daylilies make the perfect perennial!
• Learn how daylilies are more than just “roadside lilies.“