Daylillies

Photo: DiscoverAchiever

Daylillies bloom for only one day and prefer full sun.

Plants grow quickly with have multiple buds to bloom one after another.

Daylily plants (Hemerocallis) are not Common/True Lily's from the Lillium family. True lillies grow from a bulb while Daylillies have thick tuberous roots helping the gardener to divide the plant easily.

Photo: EPhotos

The notable difference between the two is the Day Lily has leaves that are blades that grow from the ground having a 'fountain' grass look.

The Common, or True plant has one stem with leaves growing off of it.

As a beginner gardener I really like these. Growing mid-season in summer, they come in many colors and don't need a lot of care. They're durable and grow in many types of soils and weather conditions. As far as flowers that attract butterflies, I've seen a few different Brushfooted Butterflies on my plants including the Monarch butterfly and different Fritillary butterflies.

It's best to plant in well drained areas and far enough away from trees where there isn't competition for soil nutrients and moisture. Over time they behave more as ground cover taking up a lot of space at 1-3 feet tall (30-90 cm), depending on species.

These are hardy, herbaceous perennials that can withstand very cold winters, especially in planting zones 3-11. Unfortunately I've learned with a few other plants with extremely cold winters, the summer months come with very hungry deer to eat flower buds. These are not deer resistant. Click for more about deer prevention.

One way to get a good start on growing these where deer are present is to purchase a lot of plants at once. Get them growing fast and when the deer do come around, there are a lot of flowers blooming where those buds that do get eaten aren't as noticeable. If there is only one plant like I started with, it grows slower because of the multiple set-backs with all the chewing on it.

Daylillies are used for medicinal purposes around the world.

Maybe the deer have it right with consuming these plants. The Romans used them medicinally along with the Europeans and in Japan & China Daylillies are dried, pickled and cooked.

B.T.W. - 'Day Lily' is Greek when translated means 'Day Beauty'.

There are many cultivars available:

There are those that rather coming out during the day only bloom in the evening and the flower stays open for 24 hours, or until the next evening. Those who like to moon garden may find these an option. These are also quite fragrant.
The different form flowers come include triangular, ruffled, circular, star and spider shapes.
Common names for the Day Lily where they are named after their colors are the Tawny LIly, or Fulva and the Lemon Lily, or Flava.