Monday 09 Jul 2007
Daylilies 101: Part 3
Hello Fellow Gardeners,
This is part three of our Daylilies 101 series, if you would like to start at the very beginning check out Part 1, and Part 2! We covered a lot of really useful information in them, including where to buy daylilies, what to look for when buying daylilies, how to plant daylilies, and even the soil requirements! Now we will be moving on to just what to do when you got those daylilies in the ground and they need to be divided!
How to Tell if Your Daylilies Need Dividing
Are the flowers smaller and less appealing?
Has your plant stopped flowering all together?
Do they simply look overcrowded?
Daylilies multiply quickly, so they need to be divided about every 3 years or so.
Too Crowded Daylilies…
See how the flowers look like they are being choked by the leaves? There are fewer flowers and they are not as healthy!
What You Want…
When to Divide Your Daylilies
In cold climate zones (2-5) the best time is the Spring time. Divide your daylilies as soon as they start to peek out of the ground. It is easiest then!
Another option is to do it right after they are done blooming. If you divide your daylilies in mid-summer right after they are done blooming, you must cut back the foliage to 2/3 or 4 to 6 inches from the top. Make sure to replant them at the same depth as they were before.
Use a spade fork to dig them up with. It will do less damage to the roots. If you do not want to dig the whole clump then use two spade forks back to back inserted into the ground at the exact area which you want to divide. And with both hands gently pull the spade apart from one another. (see illustration).
It’s best not to move a blooming daylily! It may harm them.
So as not to overwhelm you, in my next article I will cover just what to do after you dig up your daylilies!
Until Then, 
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
Marie | flowers, northern gardening
One Response to “ Daylilies 101: Part 3 ”
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I like your three part series. I am an avid daylily fan. I do have one difference of opinion though. Dividing daylilies while they are blooming will not kill them. ( not much will) As a matter of fact I visited two daylily farm/gardens this week and purchased 15 daylilies this year while they were blooming. I brought them home with the scapes and buds intact–some had open blooms — planted them, and they were blooming the next day. Daylilies, in my opinion, are the best plant on earth.