Gardening Tips Digest
Tips on gardening in your backyard
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dayliliesThese tough perennials have a reputation for low maintenance and require little in the way of special care.

Daylilies are very adaptable and can be grown in almost any soil in every corner of the country. They bloom best if given full sun, and they produce more flowers if they are divided periodically. Division is also a great way to expand your planting and share plants with gardening friends.

When they cluster, it’s time to divide them. This is not a hard task and can be done anytime from late spring to early fall. Their roots will have time to grow before winter comes if this task is completed in early September.

The easiest, most effective way to begin is to use a garden fork to lift the clump from the ground.  Start by placing the fork in the ground 6 to 12 inches away from the base of the plant. Gently push down on the handle to pry the clump up and out of the soil. Work around the root ball repeating this process until the roots are freed.

Carefully lift the root ball from the hole.

Look for weak or thin areas at the center of the clump and insert the garden fork. Gently pry until you break the clump. You can further divide this into smaller plants.

Dig a wide shallow hole. The depth should be slightly less than the height of the rootball. The width of the hole should be 6 to 9 inches greater than the width of the rootball.

Place the rootball in the hole and backfill with soil. Lightly tamp the soil into place.  Apply mulch to a depth of one inch to discourage weeds and protect the roots from drying out and from temperature extremes. The area should be watered thoroughly. As a finishing touch, the foliage may be cut back to a length of about 12″ which helps the plant retain moisture while it is getting established.

January 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 pm


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