Need 'self cleaning' daylilies!

ryseryse_2004

9 years ago

I have several hundred daylilies many of which I have hybridized myself over the years. I am very tired of them and when we move, I might not take any with me.

Because there are so many, I don't pick off the spent flowers unless company is coming. When I don't, the dead stuff just hangs there (sometimes for several days) before they fall off. It really takes away from the beauty of the blooms when they are surrounded by death! When I do clean them up, I 'live head' the evening before so everything is beautiful the next morning. Because I was having company, I did that and it took almost two hours.

What a waste of my life -- someone needs to come up with a self-cleaning daylily and maybe I would come to like them again.

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Comments (7)

lucillle
9 years ago
"It really takes away from the beauty of the blooms when they are surrounded by death"

I'll trim ratty foliage from time to time and deadhead roses and day lilies or whatnot every once in a while but it does not seem to have a huge negative impact on me when it is not done.
aachenelf z5 Mpls
9 years ago
I agree about the spent flowers - they do look like death. No suggestions other than fewer daylilies. That's what I did and I can clean them up in a snap.

The worst ones IMO are the ones that take forever to dry-up and just kind of melt all over the other un-opened buds. Hate those!

Kevin

This post was edited by aachenelf on Sun, Jul 20, 14 at 10:56
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ryseryse_2004
Original Author
9 years ago
Lucille, when you have thousands of blooms, it does make a huge difference. I dead-head very little else in the garden unless I want a re-bloom. I'm not at all picky and don't mind disorder but the dead daylily blooms really bug me.
sunnyborders
9 years ago
Understand where you coming from (or going to!), RR.

The hybridizing sound like an interesting hobby and an achievement.

I got talked into using daylilies in mixed perennial beds 5 or 6 years ago and I'm glad I was.

On the other hand, I like neat flower beds and keep up with deadheading (also to prevent seeding).

I also find some of our daylilies get too large too quickly.

Personally, I happen to like orange and burnt orange doubles, though 'Forty Second Street', below, which just started blooming yesterday, is my favourite.

Why keep none? If you have favourites keep those.
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
9 years ago
I too love Forty Second Street as well as many others. I have all of mine in mixed perennial beds and the beds look just fine without the daylilies. I just saved way too many and will probably end up taking a few with me on moving day.
sunnyborders
9 years ago
I'm lucky I'm not familiar with so many daylilies, RR.
Easier selection.

Other than developing self-cleaning daylilies, perhaps they could develop weeklilies. Wouldn't need so many buds if each flower lasted a week.
crunchpa
9 years ago
I have areas so thick with daylilies that the gardens need to be mulched or weeded rarely. Saving time and money. They are lower maintenance viewed from afar..I will give you that. There is no better ground cover for that long border.