How long are the blooms of daylilies supposed to last? Mine last just one day.?

Question

I am new to daylilies. Last year, I purchased a small one and planted it. This year, it's got a lot of blooms on it, but they only bloom for one day. Is that normal? I have lots of Asiatic lilies in my yard and their blooms last quite a while ... weeks! I have heard that anything outside of orange and yellow daylilies are not technically daylilies. Is that the problem? Mine are kind of a salmon pink with yellow throats. My neighbors have the orange and yellow ones and they seem to have been in bloom for quite a while. Any information would be very appreciated! BTW, I live in Zone 5 (Chicago) and the plant is in a very sunny location, plus I water it every other day. Thank you!

Answer 1

You are correct. DAYlillies stay open for one day. Their growth pattern is such that they send up stems which have many flower buds on them. It may look from a distance that your neighbor’s lilies are blooming longer than yours but they are not. Your neighbors DAYlilies may be more established and they may be of larger “clumps” and therefore have sent up more flower stalks but each individual flower is only staying open for one day. Sometimes – if there are two overcast days in a row, an individual flower may stay open for a day and a half or two days but the nature of the beast – the daylily – is to close up as dusk approaches, never to open again.

You can also pick off the spent flowers daily, maybe while drinking your morning coffee of evening tea – giving the plants a tidier look and making the bunches of buds look fresh and new.

But, from your description, it seems you are taking good care of them.

Re-blooming daylillies, will send up new stems with fresh flower buds but the pattern is the same, one flower - one day.

Answer 2

Yes, daylily blooms only last a day, but the plant usually produces dozens of blooms, especially as it matures.  I find that cutting off the bloom stalk after all of the blooms are spent often encourages reblooming.  Daylilies come in many colors; I have yellow, peach, red and burgundy.

Answer 3

I have quite a few daylilies myself and all the blooms on mine last a day or two in this heat but if you want them to bloom more dead head(pull off the old dead blooms) and that will stop them from going to seed and will extend the blooming time.

Answer 4

Hemerocallis (Daylilies) last for one day for each flower, hence the common name: Day Lily. But they produce numerous bloom stalks which provide a multitude of flowers each. They do like the sun best.

Daylilies come in just about any color except blue. There are three different height groups, probably three different seasonal bloom times, not counting rebloomers. Some rebloomers will bloom three times a season. There are single and double flowers, diploid and triploid flowers (double and triple chromosomes) which make the flower feel velvety. Some have fragrance, some are even evergreen in some climates. A few varieties even rebloom on the original flower scape. There are probably 20,000 varieties available on the market today. They are very tough. You can even divide them in full bloom and they will survive and recover. (although you should do them when dormant). You can even eat the blossom. A colorful garnish for salads. (Although I would not eat many, it annoys your throat. And remove the pollen.)

This nursery has some very nice varieties.  www.sandysplants.com.

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