July Daylily Care
July Daylily Care
In July the daylilies are at their peak, and most of the time we can just sit back and enjoy the show! But some fast and simple daylily maintenance will keep your garden at it’s best and the plants looking their most attractive.
1. If you haven’t fertilized your daylilies yet this year, a light application of Flower-tone or Plant-tone is advisable if a soil test indicates that your ground is low in nutrients. Daylilies are one of the perennials that benefit from a little extra fertilizer. And if your plants have been really neglected, after the fertilizer goes down an inch of compost or composted manure would be just the thing to improve the soil and your plants’ performance.
2. While the daylilies are flowering, removing the spent flowers can improve how they look by 100%! Pick off the soggy “mush mummies” and dried flower petals and toss them in the compost pile.
3. Once the daylilies stop flowering, cut the stalks down into the plant. Don’t let the seeds fool you into thinking there are more buds to come, especially on varieties such as Stella d’Oro and Happy Returns. How to tell the difference between daylily buds and seeds? The buds are slim, and green with a hint of color, while the buds are round and pretty quickly turn pale yellow. When cutting the stalks down, at that time remove any spotted leaves as well.
4. Water these and other perennials deeply once a week – regular splashing from more frequent irrigation results in leaf-spot fungi that doesn’t look good in the garden.
5. If Stella d’Oro, Happy Returns, and Early Bird Cardinal daylilies are promptly deadheaded and fertilized they frequently put out some additional flowers later in the summer.
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