Daylilies are a popular perennial plant known for their colorful flowers and hardy nature. While daylilies bloom prolifically in late spring and summer, their appearance can quickly deteriorate after blooming finishes Proper care during this time is essential for daylilies to remain healthy, rejuvenate, and prepare for next year’s bloom This article will explain everything you need to know about caring for daylilies after they bloom.
Remove Faded Blooms and Spent Flower Stalks
When daylily flowers start to fade, they turn brown and look bad. Cutting or snapping off the flower stalk right above the leaves is the best way to get rid of spent flowers. This makes the plant more likely to focus on making lush leaves instead of seed pods. During the bloom season, keep cutting off the ends of faded flowers to get the most blooms.
Some daylily varieties produce a second flush of blooms in late summer or fall if old bloom stalks are promptly removed Frequent deadheading also keeps daylily plantings looking neat and tidy Use bypass pruners or garden scissors to quickly trim off faded blooms,
Cut Back Flower Scapes
Daylilies grow tall, thin scapes with seedpods on top after their first blooming period is over. These scapes take energy away from the roots and leaves, just like spent flowers do. Once the main blooms are over, cut back the scapes to the plant’s base.
By cutting back scapes, the energy that would have been used to make seeds is put toward growing leaves and roots instead. This can help daylilies get better faster and bloom again in the fall. Getting rid of the scapes also stops daylily seeds from spreading around the garden on their own.
Divide Overgrown Daylilies
Mature daylily clumps often outgrow their space after several seasons. Blooms diminish on overcrowded plants competing for light and nutrients. Fortunately, daylilies can be divided in summer after bloom season ends.
Divide congested clumps by digging up the entire plant and separating it into smaller clumps using a sharp spade or soil knife. Each division should have 3-5 vigorous shoots. Trim foliage to about 6 inches before replanting divisions 18-24 inches apart. Dividing daylilies every 3-5 years boosts vigor and flowering.
Apply Organic Fertilizer
After deadheading, cutting back scapes, and dividing, feed daylilies with a balanced organic fertilizer to replenish nutrients. Fertilizing in mid to late summer helps the plants recover from bloom season and grow strong for next year.
Scatter granular fertilizer around each plant, following package instructions for application rate. Water in the fertilizer to encourage rapid nutrient absorption by the roots. Organic fertilizers with an NPK ratio around 5-5-5 or 6-4-4 work well for daylilies.
Monitor Water Needs
Once established, daylilies can handle drought, but they need to be watered often in the summer to keep growing after the bloom season is over. Soak the soil around each plant deeply once or twice a week if it doesn’t rain. Daylilies have thick, fibrous roots that are mostly in the top 12 inches of soil. Try to keep the root zone evenly moist, but not soaked.
Reduce watering frequency in early fall as daylily foliage starts to yellow. Daylilies enter dormancy once hard frosts arrive, requiring very little water until growth resumes next spring.
Remove Damaged Foliage
During summer, prolonged hot, humid weather can cause daylily foliage to yellow or develop unsightly brown spots and streaks. Prune off affected leaves at the base to maintain an attractive appearance. Removing tattered leaves also reduces disease risks.
In early fall, daylily foliage naturally starts turning yellow as it prepares for dormancy. Allow the leaves to dieback naturally during this transition period. Then cut back foliage to 2-3 inches above ground level after several hard frosts blacken the leaves.
Mulch Around Plants
Apply a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch such as shredded bark or pine needles around each plant. Mulching helps conserve soil moisture, suppress weeds, and insulate roots from temperature extremes. Replenish the mulch as needed in fall.
Leave the mulch in place over winter. It will further protect the dormant roots and can be pulled back in spring as new growth emerges.
Stake Tall Flower Scapes
Some extra tall daylily varieties have weak, floppy scapes that tend to topple over from wind and rain. Insert 1-2 sturdy stakes around each plant in early spring before scapes elongate and gently tie the scapes to the stakes as they grow.
This prevents flopping and keeps the large blooms displayed attractively above the foliage. Staking is worthwhile for top-heavy daylily varieties like ‘Francine Joiner’ and ‘Bela Lugosi’.
Enjoy Reblooming Varieties
Many modern daylily hybrids rebloom in late summer and early fall with proper care. Popular repeat bloomers include ‘Happy Returns’, ‘Stella de Oro’, ‘Rosy Returns’, and ‘Pardon Me’. Deadhead promptly after the initial bloom cycle ends to encourage rebloom.
Daylilies that only bloom once can also be persuaded to rebloom by cutting back scapes and applying fertilizer after the first bloom flush ends. With a little TLC, you can enjoy daylilies flowering for months!
Following these simple care practices keeps daylilies looking their best after blooming finishes while ensuring excellent performance in future years. A well cared for planting of daylilies will provide beauty and pleasure for decades to come.
Deadheading daylilies – When is it time?
I take time every few days deadheading daylilies, but if time is limited for you, there are three specific times when deadheading is in order:
- To get a better bloom and a neater plant, cut off the scapes of plants that don’t have any more buds ready to bloom. This will clean up the plant and encourage more bloom in the future.
- When the plant makes seed pods, cut off the flower stalks before the seed pod cracks open at the top, which means it’s making seeds.
- In late fall or early spring, daylilies are seasonal. When the flower cycle is over, it’s time to remove the spent flowers.
A note on deadheading daylilies
It takes a bit of practice to get good at deadheading daylilies. If you are not careful, or try to deadhead the spent bloom too soon, you can easily damage the scape or dislodge neighboring buds which have not opened.
You might decide to wait and remove older, dry, and withered blooms instead of the fresher ones. These seem to almost fall away by themselves. However, the ovary is still left behind, attached to the flower stem.
To stop the plant from making seeds and help new buds grow, this ovary must be taken out by snapping, pinching, or cutting it with shears.
Caring for Daylilies After They Bloom: Trimming Back the Garden
FAQ
What to do with daylilies after they bloom in summer?
Daylilies are strong performers in the garden. If you deadhead them (cut off the old flower stalks at the base) you will get even more blossoms than if you leave the stalks up to form seed pods which over the summer will ripen and burst in the fall. While it isn’t necessary, doing it will get you better performance.
How to keep daylilies blooming all summer long?
How do you keep daylilies blooming all summer? To extend bloom time, deadhead spent flowers regularly to promote the formation of new buds. Reblooming varieties will flower longer than other types. Daylilies not blooming can result from too little light, poor soil, overcrowding, or from clumps being planted too deeply.