Daylily plant care: Bloom time best practices, fixing foliage problems

May 18, 2023

Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County’s Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens daylilies have been blooming since early July. The blooms have been colorful and plentiful, such a welcoming site.

A daylily is a perennial plant that grows from underground tubers. The flower's bloom time is only one day; what a clever plant name.

After the daylily flower has bloomed, carefully pinch the spent bloom(s) and place them in a small bucket. Add spent blooms to the compost.

Some daylily plants are rebloomers. There are many varieties to choose from and various flower types: singles, doubles, and spiders to name few. Do not cut back the foliage until it turns yellow and dries. The green leaves left after a flower blooms provide additional nutrients to the tubers so the daylily will grow larger and produce well the next season.

The best time to divide a daylily plant is either in spring or fall. Daylilies should be divided every few years.

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If you notice that the leaves are showing spots, the plant may be infected with daylily rust, Puccinia hemerocallidis. This fungus is spread by spores carried by the winds.

Make sure to correctly identify the problem first. If found, cut back the foliage so it does not spread to other daylilies.

Make sure to clean your pruners in between cutting off infected leaves. Use a water/bleach solution or alcohol wipes. To learn more about the Daylily Rust visit plant clinic.cornell.edu

Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County answers home and garden questions which can be emailed to [email protected] or call 315-736-3394, press 1 and ext. 333. Leave your question, name and phone number. Questions are answered weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, visit our website at http://cceoneida.com/ or phone 315-736-3394, press 1 and then ext. 100.