Gardening writer JACKIE WARBURTON says daylilies are a summer-flowering plant, with each flower lasting just one day.
Daylilies are an ordinary garden plant that has been around for a long time. However, with a surge of new colours and varieties, they have become popular again.
Botanically known as Hemerocallis, daylilies are not true lilies, despite their common name.
They are summer-flowering plants, with each flower lasting just one day. Fortunately, there are many buds on each long flowering stalk, so plants flower over an extended period.
Daylilies are tough, surviving on very little water. They prefer full sun to flower well and, in our climate, are deciduous, with fresh growth appearing in spring as the weather warms.
The best time to plant daylily tubers is autumn, allowing them to establish before cold weather sets in. They are not fussy about soil and grow well among other garden plants. Clumps can be divided to propagate new plants, provided each division includes part of the crown and some fleshy, water-storing roots. Cut most of the foliage off to encourage root growth and replant straight away.
All parts of the daylily are edible. The tubers taste similar to potatoes, the leaves can be steamed, and the flower buds eaten raw.
However, it is essential to thoroughly research the plants you have and be confident in their botanical identification before eating any part.
Hemerocallis fulva is a vigorous, clump-forming daylily that grows well in our climate and is suitable for rural properties.
It is drought tolerant, not eaten by rabbits, and a fast grower. Its tall tangerine flowers are borne on stalks at least a metre high. When planted in swales, it can look very effective.
Enjoy the autumn colour, then trim plants to the ground and mulch for winter. This variety can be too vigorous for suburban backyards, where modern varieties are better suited to smaller spaces and also perform well in pots. An annual top-up of compost is all they need.
A LOVELY little native currently putting on a show in the dry garden is Chrysocephalum apiculatum, commonly known as everlasting yellow buttons.
This plant is endemic to most Australian states and thrives with little care. It dislikes excess water, preferring full sun and open positions rather than growing under trees. Although short-lived, its branchlets can root along the ground, forming new plants and thickening the ground cover.
Its flowers are only yellow, but it grows well alongside other native flowers such as Xerochrysum bracteatum, or strawflowers, which come in many vibrant colours and thrive in the same conditions.
An added advantage of strawflowers is that they can be picked once finished in the garden and used in dried arrangements, bouquets or vases.
IN the vegetable patch, tomatoes should now be starting to show red colouring, as heat is required for ripening. Keep compost topped up and fertilise with a product high in potash that is suitable for fruiting vegetables. Foliar feeding works more quickly than soil application and should only be done in the cool of the day.
SOIL preparation for autumn planting can begin now. Plan where crops will be grown, and if you intend to grow legumes, raise the soil pH with a light application of lime. Continue practising crop rotation to minimise pests and disease. If you would like to give garden beds a rest, consider planting a green manure crop in autumn.
Jottings
- Start ordering spring flowering bulbs to be planted in autumn.
- Take semi-hardwood cuttings of camellias and daphnes now.
- Sow seed for annual autumn planting.
- Spray fungicide on cherry trees for shothole.
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