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Daylilies
These lovely plants produce a succession of lily-like flowers each of which last for just one day. At first this seems rather disappointing, but they are such bright, exotic flowers and produced in such profusion that this isn't actually a drawback. In fact, it means the plants always retain a fresh boldness as the flowers never hang fading and waning on the plant. They range in colour from white through yellows and orange to the deepest, richest reds. Originally from the orient, daylilies have been cultivated for over 4000 years and there are now over 35,000 named or hybrids, so the choice is almost endless. Daylilies were incredibly popular in Victorian times but, until recently, had fallen out of favour with many gardeners. Now, with the inclusion of grasses and hot colours in many garden schemes, daylilies are making a come back. They flower for such a long period of the summer that they remain while different flowers appear and disappear around them.
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Using daylilies
Daylilies make excellent border plants and smaller varieties look good in containers. Once clumps are well established, daylilies can be used en masse forming wonderful deep groundcover, effectively suppressing weeds. Ideal for difficult areas such damp, slippery slopes that are awkward to weed. Larger more vigorous varieties of daylilies can also be used as specimen plants. They look particularly effective when planted next to water where their fine form and colourful flowers can be highlighted in the surface reflection.
Curiously, daylilies were originally introduced to this country not as an ornamental plant but as a culinary and medicinal herb. The flowers and buds of old-fashioned varieties are still used today to make a tasty and colourful addition to salads.
Variety Guide
Daylilies look equally good in traditional garden borders or more contemporary schemes. Mix the beautiful white flowered 'Ice Carnival' with pale lupins, foxgloves, phlox and scabious for a real cottage garden feel. |
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Alternatively, plant the rich yellow 'Golden Chimes' or 'Stafford', which bear the most gorgeous dark red flowers, with other vibrant colours, such as the iridescent purple dot flower heads of Verbena bonariensis , the huge blue globe heads of Agapanthus africanus and small, flaming red trumpets of Crocosmia 'Lucifer'.
Grasses also look lovely with daylilies as their thin swaying leaves offset those of the daylilies which are much more stiff and arching. Their gracefully arching foliage is particularly effective when planted along a pathway so they hang over the edges, softening the harshness of any lines. Planting along side the soft grey leaves and lilac flowered catmint is really pretty.
Some of the taller growing varieties like 'Frans Hal', can reach up to 1.2m, making them excellent mid- to back of the border plants, their fountains of leaves making a luscious foil to the flowers around. This particular variety also has unusual red and yellow striped flowers.
In Containers
There are smaller growing daylilies which look stunning in pots and can withstand the
dry conditions found in containers. This allows their green strap-like leaves to cascade over the sides and soften the harshness of the containers. Daylilies are best planted singly because they are quite effusive in their nature and are best being allowed the space to spread their leaves unhindered. 'Stello d'Oro' is an excellent plant which has
a really long flowering period and grows to a neat 28x30cm with fragrant brassy yellow flowers. |
Growing Guide
Daylilies are easy plants to grow and are tolerant of most soils as long as it isn't water-logged - they cannot stand stagnant conditions. Although they hate to be standing in water, daylilies need quite a lot of moisture for the buds to form properly. Mulching in late autumn and spring will help to keep up the water levels in the soil without making it soggy. Daylilies prefer a sunny spot where they will produce the biggest and most numerous flowers, they can cope with shade but will flower less. Be careful with the dark coloured flowers which will fade and even shrivel in extremely bright midday sun as they absorb so much heat. Plants are best divided every two or three years to keep them vigorous.
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| Each spring, give plants a generous mulch of well-rotted organic matter to help retain moisture in the soil during the summer months. During periods of drought, daylilies are worth watering thoroughly once in a while to keep the production of flowers going. When the leaves turn brown in autumn, pull them off the plant rather than cut them back, so that there are no convenient over-wintering hiding places for their main pests. |
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Propagation
Seeds can be sown in containers in a coldframe in autumn or spring. The seeds collected from hybrids and cultivars don't come true, so they need to be shop bought. Regular division every two or three years is the best way to create more plants.
Potential problems
Daylilies can be quite prone to pests and disease when they get old and lose vigour. You can prevent this by dividing clumps every other year in either spring or autumn. The problems to watch out for are rust, spider mite, thrips and aphids. Slugs and snails can also be a problem (when can't they?).
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African Lilies
Agapanthus, commonly called African lilies, produce glorious clusters of lily-like blooms that last throughout the summer. These clusters, made up of lots of bell-shaped flowers, can be globe-shaped or pendular, held aloft on vertical stems that can reach 1.2m tall. They mainly come in shades of blue, from a dusky, powder blue to an almost indigo-purple, but you can get some superb white varieties as well. They are at their best in mid- to late summer, even stretching into the autumn, thus creating colour and interest in the garden long after the spring madness has calmed down.
The fountains of simple strap-shaped leaves produced by African lilies provide a wonderful contrast with more ordinary shaped foliage even before the flowers open. All African lilies are perennial, growing from an underground rhizome each year. Leave the hardier varieties alone in a sunny, sheltered spot in the garden and they will form bold clumps. They are equally suited to growing in pots on the terrace or patio, where not only will they look sensational, but also you can move them around for best effect.
All make excellent, long-lived cut flowers. The decorative seedheads can be left to add interest to the border in autumn and winter and, as they dry, will scatter their seed. The seedheads also can be cut and dried for indoor decoration. |
Early developments
The first African lilies to arrive in this country, from their native South Africa, were too tender to be grown outdoors. Fortunately, the Hon. Lewis Palmer, who fell in love with their impressive flowers, set about breeding new varieties that would be better suited to the English climate. Consequently there are now several hardier varieties that will withstand the winter weather in most parts of the country. The main difference between the two types is that the tender ( A. africanus ) which originated from the milder coastal areas are evergreen while the hardier ( A. campanulatus )coming from moister, mountain grassland, have slightly smaller flowers and die down in winter before re-emerging again the following spring. You can still get hold of the more tender types, but you will need to protect these in winter by keeping them in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. |
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Kaffir Lilies
At the time of the year when everything is turning to reds, russets and browns, the Kaffir lilies ( Schizostylis ) start to bloom in the most fresh, spring-like pinks and white. The flowers themselves are delicate and starry, carried amidst thin almost grass-like leaves. Kaffir lilies are easy to grow and suffer from few pests and diseases, so ideal for the keen but clueless gardener with an eye for the unusual. They are also long flowering for the time of year, with many varieties blooming for two months or more. Indeed, since each variety flowers at a slightly different time you can get a continuity of colour for up to three months by combining two or more in your garden. Kaffir lilies are well adapted to the autumn garden because they can shrug off light frosts, cold winds and even snow. But flowering will be shortened if the cold spell is prolonged. |
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In the garden, Kaffir lilies make excellent front-of-the-border plants where they go unnoticed for much of the year, but take center stage while in bloom. They can be combined with other autumn flowers such as sedums and dwarf Michaelmas daisies with the blooms looking particularly eye-catching set against an evergreen shrub or other dark backdrop. |
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| In the front garden, Kaffir lilies look good planted en masse in a narrow border alongside a path where their foliage will spill over to soften the paving edge and their blooms can be seen at close quarters. Elsewhere, Kaffir lilies make impressive container plants for brightening up the cold greenhouse or conservatory, and their flowering stems can be cut to freshen-up indoor floral arrangements. Once you grow Kaffir lilies, you will wonder how you ever got along without them |
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Kaffir Lilies Variety Guide
Kaffir lilies are a good garden plant for coming into colour and life when most other plants are waning. The form and colours of the flowers is so exquisite that they are worthy of the spotlight that is thrown on them at this time of year. The colours range from pinky-reds through to the palest pinks and white. They are best grown in mixed borders, although if you have the room they look stunning planted in one unbroken block.In a border
Kaffir lilies make excellent border plants and associate well with a wide variety of shrubs, perennials and grasses. A lovely mixture is the variety 'Snow Maiden' with Anemone hybrida 'Alba', their white flowers standing out in the fading light of the evening. Add in Miscanthus sinensis , with its towering flower plumes for extra boldness and stature. |
The variety 'Maiden's Blush' is the most beautiful, seductive pink and looks exquisite planted beside the fine purplish-brown leaves of a Japanese acer such as Acer palmatum 'Crimson Queen'. When the leaves of the acer turn ochre in the late autumn the effect is quite dazzling. Alternatively, a bold, acidic combination is the sugary pink 'Mrs Heggarty' with the dark green leaves and buttery yellow flowers of the winter jasmine ( Jaminum nudiflorum ). If you are very brave add in the ice plant Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant' with its fluffy pink flowers and lime-green leaves!
In containers in the greenhouse
Kaffir lilies can be grown in an unheated greenhouse or conservatory to produce flowers nearly the whole winter through. They look particularly impressive planted as bold single specimens in large containers (30cm/12in diameter) filled with a loam-based compost such as John Innes No2. Keep the container outside until the nighttime temperatures start to dip, them move into the protection of the greenhouse or conservatory. Kaffir lilies also make excellent cut flowers which last for ages. If they are picked before all the flowers are open, they last even longer.
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