Photo by Kat Pearson.
BY KAT PEARSON, GIRL IN THE GREEN
The daylily season has well and truly commenced and is set to continue all summer long! A fabulous, hardy ornamental plant, daylilies are actually edible* (though apparently not by cats) and not related to lilies at all. They are, however, in the same subfamily as Dianella (fun fact) and in the same family as grass trees (Xanthorrhoea)! Who knew?
Daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.) originated in Asia, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years for ornamental and medicinal purposes and since being introduced to Europe and eventually America, they have been hybridized to produce the thousands (and thousands) of different colours, shapes and styles we have today – from the simple orange and lemon through to darkest of maroons, multicoloured and ruffled petals.
The genus name Hemerocallis is derived from the Greek words ‘Hemera’ for day and ‘Kallos’ for beauty – typically because each (beautiful) bloom only lasts a day – but each stem has multiple flowers to keep the beauty coming.
When they aren’t flowering, daylilies are a somewhat unassuming grassy plant that can take the place of many a strappy leaved plant in your garden design. They are unfussy in their growing conditions and fairly resistant to pests and diseases, although I do fight rust on them in one garden I manage. Depending on the severity, I either remove the affected leaves or chop the whole plant back. You can also spray with a fungicide if you so desire. As always prevention is better than cure, so make sure they are healthy, and as with growing many plants in our humid summers – keep good airflow! My husband complains that once summer hits, I never turn off our ceiling fans because I like to keep the air moving. Maybe I should get one installed in the garden for the sticky mornings before the sea breeze kicks in!
*Once again, I have not eaten them and probably don’t intend to, but I’ll keep it in mind for the next pandemic, or should I be in one of those fanciful situations where I am stuck on an island and only allowed to bring one plant….
ABOUT KAT
I love gardening, growing my own food and plants in general. I’ve been working on our current garden in subtropical Brisbane for the last six-plus years, but have been gardening for much, much longer in all sorts of places. I’m an ex-engineer, recently turned horticulturist (life’s too short not to work in something you love!). I grow edibles and ornamentals in an often wild, rambling jungle, filled with birds and bugs, including a handful of pet chooks and a brand new puppy (who likes to chase said chickens, and is not averse to helping me dig a hole!).
