Looking over a sea of white, yellow, red, orange, purple and pink at Golden Meadows Landscaping in Rollinsford makes one wonder why so many folks limit themselves to wild tawny orange and Stella d’Oro yellow in their plantings of hemerocallis—that’s the daylily, in common tongue. Daylilies are one of the easiest flowers to grow. You can dig them out to transplant at any time of the year. They aren’t picky about soil, but they’ll thrive in rich, slightly acidic soils, or maybe over-thrive! They bloom best in full sun but will tolerate shade if need be. They propagate themselves readily and bloom for weeks at a time. They range from low-growing minis tickling your ankles to stalks towering over your head.
This is peak season for daylilies. It’s a great time to visit local nurseries and growers to find a flower that calls to your heart to bring her home.

Things to consider before heading out on your search for daylilies include: bloom season, size, color and growth habit. Most bloom in midsummer for a few weeks, but there are perpetual bloomers with nearly a month of bloom time and repeat bloomers who have an early flush and repeat later in the autumn. Their height ranges from hard-to-find minis to giants (the wild ones). Most are in the midrange of 18 to 36 inches. Check your garden plot to determine the best height for your yard.
Bloom size varies as much as height, from delicate star-shaped flowers to thick velvety handfuls to stringy, spidery spindles to double frillies. The colors include solid oranges and yellows, whites with a green throat, creams, pinks with a dark picotee edge, orange petals streaked purple, purple petals with green stripes and more.

A final consideration is growth habit. Some hybrids are real slow growers, focusing their efforts in their blooms. These are great for a nice clump in the perennial border that will rarely need attention. Others are rampant, spreading, filling in, crowding out their neighbors. Put these in a summer hedge or as erosion control, as they’re commonly used in Japan. Ask questions of the vendor. The worst experience you’ll have is rapid growth, forcing you to dig out clumps and pass them off to friends and neighbors or sneak them into abandoned plots in the neighborhood in the dark of night.

Easy to grow, colorful, varied, and to top it off, edible. Ayup. A classic use is in hot and sour soup at your local Chinese restaurant. See those flower buds floating around? They’re also great for stuffing hors d’oeuvres or pairing with cheese mixes, taboulis, egg salad and shredded vegetables; an elegant solution to finger food. Shred a few colors in slivers to top off rice, salad or a main dish. The best part of picking these flowers for food is that tomorrow there will be new blooms bursting open so your garden doesn’t look denuded.

Local propagators of daylilies are Tom and Cyndi Cowland of Golden Meadows Landscaping in Somersworth (22 Clement Road, 603-742-5134). They’re open Wednesday through Sunday or by appointment. Cyndi and Tom have hundreds of varieties in myriads of colors. Their love and knowledge of daylilies is a great local resource for gardeners. Don’t neglect a visit, next time you’re in need of a fresh flower for your yard.

Miss Mara Vaughn is available to answer your questions at missmara-at-wirenh-dot-com.