Divide Daylilies Now

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Now that the Daylilies have completed their three-months of flowers, it is a good time to divide them. Soon, all their leaves will be invisible and you will have to wait until next spring to find them again. 

Daylilies are not the same as true lilies but are called that because their blossoms look like true lilies but their flower last only one day. They are all originally from China (http://daylilydiary.com).

Hemerocallis flava and Hemerocallis fulva are the orange daylilies you see growing in ditches and old homesteads. They have been cultivated for their medicinal properties since 479 BC and their bulbs are still cultivated for flour which you can purchase or make. (Daylily Root Cake recipe at https://the3foragers.blogspot.com)  Many gardeners make fritters with their flowers.

Divide yours to make more plants. Start by cutting the remaining leaves so you can see the root crowns at the surface of the soil. Dig a large circle around the entire clump,  allowing for the roots that grow several inches out from the center.

Pry the clump out of the ground and turn it over. You can hose off the clump to separate the roots or you can use a shovel and cut through, making several smaller plantings with soil attached.

If you cut the entire ball into chunks, turn the plants right side up and tease out the roots. Each new plant will have a fan of leaves with a cluster of roots attached.

Plant each root in a spot with loose, amended, prepared soil. You can space them a foot apart or as close as 6-inches apart. The closer they are the more established your bed will look next spring but the sooner they will have to be divided to keep the flowers coming.

One fan per planting hole
 There are thousands of Hemerocallis hybrids. You can find them in 10-to-60-inches tall and with early, mid-season and late flowers to keep the show going for several months. There is a grower in Oklahoma City, Stout Gardens athttps://www.stoutgardens.com who welcomes visitors.​

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