General Description/History

Day lilies are very popular, drought tolerant garden plants that are sometimes used as cut flowers. There are dozens of species and thousands of hybrids available, ranging in colour from yellow, orange and pale pink of the species, to hybrids of vibrant red, near black, cream, greenish tones, purple, every colour it seems except blue. Some varieties are scented.

Flowers are bell-shaped and have 6 tepals (petals) each with a prominent mid-rib. The centre of each flower is called the throat, and this is usually a different colour to the tepals. There are six stamens, each with a two-lobed anther. As the name suggests, flowers are not long lasting, often opening in the morning and withering that night. There are usually several flowers per stem, and these can open sequentially, so that at least one flower per stem will be open and fresh each day.

What to look for

• Stems with several flower buds;
• Buy when one of the flowers is fully open and leaves (if any) are glossy green;
• Avoid bunches with all the flowers open or shriveled.

Flower Care

1. Keep cool at all times.
2. Recut at least 2 cm off each branch and place in water immediately.
3. Always use a preservative as this will help open buds and maintain the open flowers.
4. Replace vase water with fresh preservative every day.
5. Remove withered and dying flowers.

Interesting Facts about this Flower

The flowers of some species are edible and are sold (fresh or dried) in Asian markets as ‘golden needles’.

Botanical Name: Hemerocalli sp.

Common Names: Day Lily

Stem Length: 30 – 80 cm

Country of Origin: Europe, China, Korea, Japan

Available Colours: Black, Cream, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White, Yellow

Season: Summer,Spring

Availability: January,February,September,October,November,Decemeber