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Avatar for Daniel
Nov 13, 2013 3:40 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Dan
Florida (Zone 9b)
Avid gardener. Grow many Orchids a
Am in central Florida. I seem to have a lot of trouble growing Daylilies. I bought a lot of "semi evergreen" varieties but over 2/3 years they just seem to deteriorate. Any help. Dan
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Nov 13, 2013 4:55 PM CST
Name: Arlene
Southold, Long Island, NY (Zone 7a)
Region: Ukraine Dahlias I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Houseplants Tomato Heads Garden Ideas: Level 1
Plant Identifier Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Evergreen daylilies would probably be your best choice.
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Nov 13, 2013 4:59 PM CST
Name: Sharon
Calvert City, KY (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Houseplants Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
Native Plants and Wildflowers Dog Lover Ferns Daylilies Irises Cat Lover
Welcome to ATP, Dan.

We have a very active Daylily Forum right here: http://garden.org/forums/view/...
Several of its members live in Florida and they might be able to offer you some advice.
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Nov 13, 2013 6:39 PM CST
Name: Jan
Hustisford, WI
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cat Lover Daylilies Dog Lover Irises Region: United States of America
Region: Wisconsin
There are actually quite a few daylily growers in Florida. I suspect your problem is the variety. Just like there are some that I can't grow up here - no matter if they are evergreen, semi evergreen or dormant.

I suspect some of the posters that live in Florida will chime in soon - they can help you better ~Jan
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Nov 13, 2013 7:01 PM CST
Name: Michele
Cantonment, FL zone 8b
Seller of Garden Stuff Region: United States of America I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dragonflies Pollen collector Garden Ideas: Level 2
Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Hummingbirder Region: Florida Daylilies Container Gardener Butterflies
I have not met a daylily I couldn't grow here but then I'm in zone 8b. I know Florange (Arlene) is in Ponce Inlet, FL which is I believe zone 9b also and she can only grow Evergreens; from what I understand is that anything else does poorly and dwindles away. maybe she will see this and respond.
www.pensacoladaylilyclub.com
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Nov 13, 2013 7:39 PM CST
Name: James
South Bend, IN (Zone 5b)
Annuals Region: United States of America Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Indiana Hostas
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tink3472 said:I have not met a daylily I couldn't grow here


That sound you hear is Mother Nature saying "Challenge accepted!"
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Nov 13, 2013 8:55 PM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Well, I have a variety of NOID daylilies. Currently I have about 150-200 growing in my yard. What I see happen is that some grow well here and some don't and disappear after the 2nd year. All mine are grown from seed (which I have received from generous folks who shared with me from their own gardens around the country). I do my own hand-pollinating of the ones that survive and make more that way. I think some cultivars of daylilies are bred for northern places that have cold winters. But I would imagine that the majority of daylilies will grow in the south without too much of a problem. I am further south on the east coast of central FL.

Dan - What kind of soil medium are you growing them in? Michele grows hers in a very good mix. (Much better than what I grow mine in!) I amend any place I plant daylilies with pine fines, compost, and some good topsoil. I also mulch with pine fines. Michele shared with us her use of Alfalfa pellets to feed the earthworms and her plants. I have since tried that and have already seen results! I highly recommend you try Michele's method. They also need to be watered regularly during the growing season. Another possibility ... the crowns may be buried too deep. If so, they won't bloom and may perish eventually because of that. A lot of factors that could be causing your dilemma.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
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Nov 13, 2013 8:59 PM CST
Name: Jan Matherly
Brooksville, FL (Zone 9a)
Container Gardener Dog Lover Region: Florida
I have several seeds that I have from my varieties that I grew up north, so I'm excited to see if I can get them to go here. I'm on the west coast, central part of the state of FL.

I always found them to be an easy plant up north. I never had to do anything they just grew for me. But then my soil was made up of good topsoil, mixed with shredded leaf humus and horse manure.

Down here I can get rabbit manure, and pine bark fines, with good top soil so will see how they do in containers. I want to be able to take them with me next year without having to dig them up. I love the smaller red and stella dora daylilies.


Idon't understand why my pictures are upload sideways? can anyone tell me how to fix it, as they are fine and upright on my computer.


Thumb of 2013-11-14/meadowyck/3538aa
Blessings to you,
Jan
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Nov 14, 2013 7:12 PM CST
Name: Arlene
Florida's east coast (Zone 9a)
Birds Bromeliad Garden Photography Daylilies Region: Florida Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Tropicals
I'm on the east coast of Central Florida, actually on the barrier island. I've tried growing daylilies in beach sand but that didn't work. So went to the Kinnebrews 5-6 yr ago and John showed my husband how to build boxes. I now have 6 boxes of varying sizes. My daylilies now grow in a nonsoil mixture of peat, pinebark and perlite with significant applications of fertilizers administered from Nov. to February, in the coolest months of the year. My garden ONLY grows evergreens. Hybridizers who don't show parentage are a crapshoot for me as well as hybridizers to provide parentage that may or may not be related to the plant I want to buy. I've been around way, way too long. Basically, I rely on seeing plants grown in my own area--it's still a very active hybridizing region, so that works. Also I purchase fairly new cultivars on the Lily Auction at discounted prices so that if they don't grow, I'm not out a lot of money.

If you live in the middle of the state--Orlando, Ocala--you have less stringent requirements than I. You can grow all evergreens and may be able to grow some semi-evergreens, not all. You get colder than I do and I don't freeze. That's the key difference. Head up to Gainesville and points north, they can grow all all evergreens, most semi's and some dormants. Here I have serious envy issues , but the key is picking the appropriate cultivars for your location.

In Oct/Nov I usually move, divide, and toss whatever doesn't fit my fancy. I'm always open to giving plants away and appreciate postage in return. I never, ever sell plants. Of course rust visits on a regular basis, as do aphids. That's the way it is if one wants to live in a warm climate.

I love my daylilies and tropicals!

Hope you get a handle on growing what you want. In hot areas, daylilies that have dormancy in them will get smaller and smaller and disappear in 2-3 years. Please, if you have questions about cultivars, just ask on this forum or send me a tree mail. We are here to help each other in our chosen addiction!
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Nov 15, 2013 3:19 AM CST
Name: Glen Ingram
Macleay Is, Qld, Australia (Zone 12a)
(Lee Reinke X Rose F Kennedy) X Unk
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Welcome Dan. Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Hurray!
The problem is that when you are young your life it is ruined by your parents. When you are older it is ruined by your children.
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Nov 15, 2013 8:33 AM CST
Name: Maurice
Grey Highlands, Ontario (Zone 5a)
Kaskel hybridized and registered 75 daylilies between 1988 and 2005 in zone 10, near Miami, Florida. Of those, three are dormants, five are semi-evergreens and 67 are evergreens. All are tetraploids.

All of those daylilies should grow in zones 8, 9 or 10 in Florida, at least as far as the winter conditions affect growth and flowering.

Dormant means not growing. It does not mean without leaves. A daylily can have green leaves but be dormant at the same time (just like evergreen trees in winter in cold climates). Deciduous means without leaves (in winter typically).

There are two ways a daylily can be dormant. One way the daylily would absolutely require some days of cold weather to be able to grow again and in the other way the daylily would not require any cold weather to grow again.

If you grow daylilies in zones 8, 9 or 10 and you have cultivars that have dwindled each year after being planted I need your help. I'm looking for daylilies that absolutely require some days of cold weather to be able to grow again (for tests). I'm in zone 4 and so far I have not found any.

In my conditions basically all daylilies are dormant during the winter. If I dig up some fans after they become dormant in the fall and bring them inside into warm temperatures, with plenty of light so far they have all started to grow again - they did not need cold temperatures to grow.

If you can, please help by posting the names of cultivars that dwindled, old or new, diploid or tetraploid, doesn't matter.
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Nov 18, 2013 7:52 PM CST
Name: Arlene
Florida's east coast (Zone 9a)
Birds Bromeliad Garden Photography Daylilies Region: Florida Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Tropicals
Maurice, I call my location "the epicenter of evergreen". I live a block from the beach, on an island and officially somewhere between 9a/9b. I think 9a is appropriate but we haven't had a freeze in 10 years. I've learned the hard way to research parents before I buy a cultivar. Often that doesn't help when the target cultivar and it's parents are all described as SEV. Interestingly, some cultivars are labeled "EV" even when 1 parent is dormant. That is the kiss of death in my garden. I have a short list of daylilies that have dwindled ... there are more on my "Lost and Tossed" list. Failure to thrive isn't unusual here.

These daylilies have dwindled to nothing:

Guilded Knight
Ring the Bells of Heaven
Royal Celebration
Texas Big Red
Winter Tapestry
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Nov 19, 2013 12:56 PM CST
Name: Maurice
Grey Highlands, Ontario (Zone 5a)
Thank you, Arlene.

Stout found that evergreen was dominant to dormant in diploids meaning that when a dormant (from a long line of dormants with no evergreens) is crossed with an evergreen (from a long line of evergreens with no dormants) the seedlings will be evergreen (although they will carry the ability to produce dormant as well as evergreen seedlings when they are used in crosses). Making assumptions and simplifications, in diploids an evergreen could be EE or Ee but a dormant could only be ee. In tetraploids the equivalent would be EEEE, EEEe, EEee, and Eeee that might all be evergreen and dormants would be eeee. I'm not going to try to guess what semi-evergreens might be. And it is quite likely that the situation is not at all as simple as one gene with two alternatives (more likely several genes, etc). But even with the simplest scenario there could be evergreens that respond differently depending on how much dormancy they have present and not completely inactive.
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Nov 19, 2013 5:22 PM CST
Name: Arlene
Florida's east coast (Zone 9a)
Birds Bromeliad Garden Photography Daylilies Region: Florida Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Tropicals
Thank you so much, Maurice. Your assessment makes sense! Your last sentence echoes my own assessment that has come from years of experience in this location. That's the reason I purchase daylilies from resellers and the auction--prices are significantly lower and the pocketbook doesn't get dinged as hard when a daylily decides it doesn't like it's new home. In the past I focused my purchases on major hybridizers who live in my same county, assuming that their daylilies will thrive here. However, I forgot to recognize that they aren't creating plants that will grow here--they are aiming their introductions at existing customers "up north", which is where growers originated. Over a number of years, success with my purchases has been hit and miss. In the past couple of years, I've successfully included numerous smaller hybridizers who are in FL or in the very deep south and who take the time to label their products as EV, SEV or DOR. A tip of the hat to those who do this. A lot fewer of the plants I buy are whining and shriveling and that's good news!!!
Avatar for Bec
May 22, 2016 8:13 AM CST
Winter Haven FL
I live in Winter Haven and have a green thumb with lots and lots of beautiful tropicals. About 5 yrs ago a friend gave me some daylilies that she divided. I planted as advised and they have never bloomed. The clumps have grown and I have moved some hoping for better results in a new location. No luck. They are green all year. The plants look wonderful. I need advice please.
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May 22, 2016 8:27 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Hi Bec, and welcome Welcome! I only have a few daylilies right now, because my garden is mainly shady. I have four huge oak trees around the house, so only the middle of my back yard gets much sun. The daylilies require at least a few hours of direct sunlight to bloom well. So I've kept all mine in pots so that I can move them as the shady areas of my yard vary.

The soil mix, or potting soil is also fairly important for daylily health. When they're putting on their major growth in the springtime, it's important that they not dry out too much. Our native soil here is very sandy and dries quickly so you must amend if your daylilies are growing in the ground with major amounts of compost, pine fines, and other good organic amendments. Plus alfalfa pellets are fantastic for stimulating growth on daylilies in the spring - they are available at any feed store (it's horse food). If your plants are putting up good healthy leaves, it's curious that they aren't blooming. Are the clumps increasing in size? What are you fertilizing them with?

Daylilies are also affected by a rusty fungus disease here, because of our high humidity. I should modify that to say "some" daylilies are affected, because there are some that aren't. If your daylily leaves are getting spotted all the time, that might be what's setting them back and keeping them from blooming. You should probably ditch them and try another variety. My favorite (pictured here) is Siloam Double Classic - very vigorous, beautiful double flowers and seems to be completely resistant to the rust disease.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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May 22, 2016 6:03 PM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Bec - Welcome!

I would like to see a photo of your fans, Bec. Any chance of taking a photo and posting here?

I say that because I have a friend who thought she had daylilies, but they turned out to be something else and hers never bloomed. I think that is how she discovered what they really were. I forget now what she has instead of daylilies.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
Avatar for Josiebell1
Sep 1, 2017 4:44 AM CST

What do you feed the day lillies in Central florida
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Sep 1, 2017 8:42 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
I give mine a handful of alfalfa pellets in spring, summer and fall. Mine are all in 3gal. or larger pots so if you have bigger clumps in the ground, a generous sprinkle of alfalfa, 3 or 4 handfuls maybe, all around the root ball would work.

In early spring, Feb. or early March I fertilize with Dynamite 18-6-8 timed release pelleted fertilizer. It's formulated specially for Florida's heat and high humidity conditions so it does indeed last 6 months as the label states. Between October and early spring, I just make sure they have enough water. In winter I top dress around them with compost to keep the organic material going into the soil all around them. Can't ever add too much compost.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Sep 1, 2017 8:52 AM CST
Name: pam
gainesville fl (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover The WITWIT Badge Region: Ukraine Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Native Plants and Wildflowers
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Milorganite, labor day and valentines day. I have lots of shade too, spend more on carts to move the pots around than the plants themselves...and thats saying something Blinking You have lots of great gardens to visit in central fl., Floyd cove has alot of shade, right there on the lake, gives me hope for my yard. Nicoles garden in full bore sun, as is dan hansens, best places to see how flowers hold.

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