The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 2 Spring 2012 | Page 7

Spring Perennials
Hemerocallis or daylilies, as they are most
commonly known, are native to Eurasia
including China, Korea and Japan but
these colourful and versatile perennials
are equally at home growing in Zimbabwe.
The name Hemerocallis comes from the
Greek word ‘hemera’, meaning day and
‘kallos’, meaning beautiful. Hence, ‘Beauty
for a day’ refers to the fact that a bloom
lasts for a single day.

‘Beauty for a day’ refers to
the fact that a bloom lasts
for a single day.
Daylilies have become gardeners and
landscapers most useful plants for large
mass plantings or single clumps. Colours
range from the purest of yellows to
oranges, reds, browns, pinks and mauves.
The pleasing green foliage with the large,
bold flowers enable the plants to fit into a
variety of garden themes from an English
cottage look to tropical lush gardens.

Colours range from the
purest of yellows to
oranges, reds, browns,
pinks and mauves.
Cultivation is simple and they don’t
require special attention other than
a sunny position, average watering,
compost and single super phosphates
mixed in the soil before planting. Feeding
throughout the flowering season with
manure, compost and a liquid fertilizer
formulated for flower production will
promote strong, multi-flowering stems.
Mulching will assist in keeping the roots
moist.

How to split Daylily clumps
• Lift the clump and wash off the soil.
• Gently pull the clump apart, ideally
keeping three ‘crowns’ together.
• Cut back the leaves in an inverted
‘V’ formation, cutting the outer
leaves short and leaving the inner,
newest leaves long.
• Plant the small clumps into
place after preparing the
site with compost and single
superphosphate fertiliser.
• Press firmly down and water well.
• These new clumps are very likely
to flower the same year! In that
time, a new small clump will have
multiplied into a large clump
giving many stems of blooms. Split
clumps every three to four years.

Everyone can grow
daylilies as they are:
• Frost hardy; these little gems will
shrug off the meanest of frosts.
• Easy to propagate from existing
clumps by simple splitting.
• Sun loving, but can tolerate some
shade.
• Great for the vase. Choose stems
with several buds on. Remember
to remove the spent flowers
at the end of each day and the
remaining buds will continue to
open.
• Attractive in any part of the
garden.
• Good competitors and grow well
with other perennials without
being overwhelmed.

Peak flowering in
Zimbabwe is between
October and November.
They suffer from very few problems
being hardy and pest resistant. Even
moles seem to pass them up for other
preferred plants. Flowering is from August
to May and they will produce flowers
during winter if conditions are warmer.
Peak flowering in Zimbabwe is between
October and November.

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