THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503110025
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G16 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: WEEDER'S DIGEST
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
THE DAYLILY is no longer an unsung hero in North Carolina. Gov. Jim Hunt recently praised increasing daylily sales for boosting the state's growing economy, noting not only the daylily's contribution to roadside beautification, but its use as a foodstuff, fire buffer and erosion controller.
In proclaiming 1995 ``The Year of the Daylily,'' Hunt last month listed 14 important social, economic and cultural attributes associated with the perennial.
That couldn't be said of just any flower. But even if you don't appreciate the economic and social benefits of daylilies, you certainly should appreciate their beauty. And their ease of growth.
Daylilies have fast become this country's most popular perennial. Today there are more than 15,000 registered varieties, many that look so much alike you can't tell them apart. But eager growers continue to breed and register new varieties.
This wonderful flower came from Japan and was brought to the United States by early colonists and quickly became naturalized along the East Coast. The many varieties known today all developed from those tall orange lilies that bloom in country ditches.
In the earliest records found in China, daylilies are mentioned as food. They were palatable and non-toxic and used in medicines. Even today, daylilies are eaten raw in salads or fried for appetizers.
Some gardeners have criticized daylilies because the older varieties would bloom once and quit. Some new varieties bloom almost all season, called ``everbloomers.'' Those called ``rebloomers'' bloom in spring and again in fall.
Daylilies also are no longer limited to orange. Colors range from scarlet red to almost white, with deep purples with yellow eyes being among the most popular.
The late Fred Heutte, founder of the Norfolk Botanical Garden, once wrote: ``Although it is hard to pick out one variety among the hundreds of the best, I would start with Hyperion, introduced way back in 1950. It is a midseason beauty with golden flowers and is one of the most fragrant, growing 3 feet tall.''
If you need short varieties, they are available, as well as intermediate and tall bloomers. You can plant a bed of daylilies and start with tall ones in the back, moving forward to dwarfs in front.
Stella d'Oro has been the most popular of the dwarf and so-called ``everblooming'' varieties. But many professionals are disappointed in that plant. It often does not bloom in the heat of summer, and newer better varieties may well take its place.
Black-eyed Stella, which hit the market with a blast of publicity last season, also has proved a disappointment to numerous local gardeners, sometimes not blooming at all.
But there are many other good choices. Just remember that daylilies like full sun but will grow in partial shade. They must be planted shallow - just barely cover their fibrous roots.
If you buy them in a container, plant in the ground at the same level they were in the pot. Fertilize them once in early spring, water them when the soil is very dry and leave them alone.
Some are evergreen, and their foliage looks good all winter. If yours are not evergreen, set your lawn mower high in the fall and run over the entire bed. It won't hurt them, and they'll come back strong in the spring.
As they multiply, you can split the plant in divisions and fill in blank spots in your garden or give them away to friends
If you have a prominent bed of daylilies that bloom once and quit, consider moving them and replanting with the new longer-blooming varieties. They can be moved in early spring or fall.
Hunt made a smart move in declaring daylilies his plant for the year in North Carolina. You can make it your plant of the year every year. Daylilies provide more color for your money and less work than practically any other flower. MEMO: The Tidewater Daylily Society meets at 3:30 p.m. today at the Norfolk
Botanical Garden Auditorium. Members include the best growers in the
area who sponsor an annual tour of their gardens. Dues are $5 per year.
Call 858-5521.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROBERT STIFFLER
Herman Dennis opens his Virginia Beach garden for tours each
summer.
Graphic
DAYLILY SOURCES
Garden centers have daylilies both as dry corms or planted in
containers.
The sources below grow their own, have unusual varieties and
often allow you to pick your color while the flowers are in bloom.
Ballard Iris and Daylily, Viola Ballard, 1304 Canal St.,
Chesapeake. Call 487-0176.
Sterrett's, P.O. Box 85, Craddockville, Va. 23341 (on the Eastern
Shore). Call (804) 442-4606. Free variety listing.
Jerry Dickerson, General Delivery, Woods Cross Road, Va. 23190
(near Gloucester). Call (804) 693-5240.
by CNB