One of the most popular perennials in North American gardens is the daylily or Hemerocallis. This wonderful plant deserves its best-seller status because it thrives almost everywhere in the garden. It will tolerate just about any kind of soil from sand to clay. It appreciates full hot sunshine and the only place it does not thrive is full shade preferring sunlight for at least four to six hours a day. A shovel of compost in the spring is all the feeding it asks and the only care necessary is to cut off the dead flower stalks once the plant is finished blooming. It is one of those perfect perennials in that it thrives from year to year without turning into an invasive monster or demanding dividing to renovate and increase its blooms. Plant it and ignore it for the next twenty years!

Old varieties of Hemerocallis would open one flower each day from each flower stalk and the blossom would last for one day (hence the name daylily). This bloom time was for approximately twenty-one days in the middle of the summer. New breeding brought us reblooming daylilies and the best known of these is Stella de Oro. Stella, with its two blooming periods in warmer areas and uncertain repeating in colder areas, has now been surpassed by new introductions.

Look for Trophytaker or Happy Ever Appster daylilies this coming spring. These daylilies bloom regularly almost all summer! In my garden, Big Time Happy - a lovely yellow - bloomed from the end of June right through to the end of September. Red Hot Returns with its rich, true red blossoms bloomed from early July through to the end of September. There are 40 new blossom colours to pick from one for every garden palette and situation including containers and hanging baskets.

Doug Green

Award-winning garden writer with over 25 years in the nursery business. Written seven books, syndicated columnist, experienced radio host and e-publisher answering gardening questions through his websites and blog.