How do I prune my day Lilly's?

Question

when I pop off the dry first blumes of the summer should I pull the whole stem or what

Answer 1

Yes, remove the stem after ALL the buds have opened and gone.  Cut, don't pull.  You can pop off the spent blooms, but don't yank on the stem.

Answer 2

Depending on where you live, you can give the whole bush a hair-cut (which will take care of the spent stems) and you will get a second blooming.

Just rake the leaves and stems upward into one hand, like one would with hair for a top of head, pony tail, and then clip it off at about 18 inches above the ground  

By doing it this way, the center is shorter, you still have the droopy leaves that make the plant still look nice, enough leaves to photosynthesize and split the bulb, but have removed enough of the "i gotta grow more, longer, lusher, green stuff" attitude that most plants focus on at this time of the year; and you actually trick it into blooming again!!

Best of luck and happy gardening!