Our talk in April was entitled “The day of the daylily”, given by Paula Dyason, referred to sometimes as “Hemerocallis.”
The speaker first developed an interest in daylilies from her mother, when still a teenager and living in the States. She rekindled her passion for these flowers after leaving her profession as a dentist, and settling in Britain with her English husband. Paula holds many National and International awards, all relating to daylilies.
She wanted to create an English country garden, to include daylilies, but there were limited varieties available in the UK. This is where the nursery in Histon, “Strictly Daylilies”, came about, over a decade ago. Initially with only about 20 different varieties, the nursery has grown to have a collection of 2,000. Breeding is still very much in progress. The nursery is the largest in the UK, growing these flowers.
Each year, about 10,000 seeds are sown, in the hope of breeding some wonderful varieties. Standards are very high and if a bloom is underperforming, the plant is dug up and binned. Plants need to have a “nice face & legs”. The “legs” refer to the stalks or scapes that need to be robust to withstand strong winds. As the name implies, flowers bloom for 1 day only, but there are many buds on each stalk.
In certain parts of the world, eg Taiwan, the flowers are farmed for human consumption. Petals, in particular can be used raw in salads or in a stir fry.
We were shown slides of a wide range of blooms grown in the Histon nursery. The diversity is quite phenomenal.
Bloom size from 2.5 – 7.5 inches, stripes, spots, curling, twisting, spider forms, overlay patterns etc. The stalk length can vary from 6- 72 inches, with flowering periods from May to November. Blooms come in all the basic colour, but as yet no true white, black or blue.
We were given advice on how to grow them on in our garden. Daylilies are drought resistant if established, but may not bloom that particular year. Sunny position is preferable, and does not require fertiliser or watering if planted in the ground. Whether a variety is evergreen or dormant, it is best to cut right back in winter. Deadheading is not essential, as this will not produce any further flowers that season. Plants are pre programmed to how many buds it will produce that year. To divide the crown, dig out, rinse the soil off and separate by “cracking” not cutting.
Rabbits don’t like the blooms, but deer are getting a taste for them now. So Fowlmere & Thriplow residents, don’t plant them in your front gardens.
Paula has a motto, “There is a daylily for every garden, for every gardener, for every taste and climate”
Plants are sold from the nursery online only, as bare roots. The nursery may be open to the public over a couple of weekends in July. Check the website for updates. It certainly would be worth a visit.
A selection of plants was brought in for members to buy at the end of the evening. One was very kindly donated to our Easter raffle, with proceeds going to the charity “Perennial.” Our members had a very enjoyable and colourful talk.
Hanna Roberts
