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The hybrid colour range of hemerocallis flowers will brighten up your garden not just for a day but for years, writes
Kiran Narain
Hemerocallis or daylily (liliaceae) is a native of Asia where it grows wild in the mountains and temperate regions. Hemerocallis makes an excellent garden plant which is not difficult to grow. It is, therefore, surprising that the plant is not grown much in the plains of India, in spite of its easy cultivation. It gets its name from Greek word Hemerocallis, meaning "beautiful for a day", since individual flowers last only for a day, though the various buds keep blooming successively over a period. In England, it was known as the "Cinderella of garden plants". The enchanting orange and yellow funnel-shaped flowers borne in numbers on strong stalks, the daylilies are herbaceaous perennials of great beauty. They multiply even in the plains with no extra care and are versatile. They are adaptable to different soils and situations and can be planted beside a water garden, as a border, or on slopes to bind the soil. H. flava, the native daylily, bears free flowering clear yellow blooms that are good for cutting. Having a height 2-3 ft, it was first described in botanical journals in the West in 1570. H. flava and its double form bear coppery coloured flowers shaded with crimson from May to August-September in colder climates and April onwards in the plains. It is, however, the hybrids that enlarge the flower colour range from apricot to deep maroon and copper or the bi-coloured ones and are available in a variety of cup-size and height. British raisers were the first to take hemerocallis in hand for raising hybrids. George Yeld first began its hybridisation in about 1890 and developed a hybrid named ‘Apricot’ in 1892. By 1906, he had introduced about half a dozen more hybrids. Some of these are still grown and appreciated in America, while Amos Perry did his utmost to popularise the flower with his multi-coloured seedlings. Now not only have new colours been introduced, but there are early, mid-season and late flowering kinds ranging from dwarfs of 12" to giants of 6 ft. A race of double flowered daylilies and some types of blooms which last for two days have also come up due to hybridisation. These have become very popular with gardeners in the USA. Since most varieties of daylilies used to close before midnight, these were not popular for flower arrangements, but now many of the hybrids last through the night and florists are experimenting with them. In some states of America, the Highway Department has made a liberal use of the daylilies to cover steep banks in all types of soil. The heavy root system and clumps of strappy foliage, which is always graceful and effective, check soil erosion. At the same time, the colourful blooms add to the enjoyment of the summer motorists. Even when the plants are not in bloom, the gracefully arching foliage fills the landscape with greenery. Manual cross-pollination gives an abundance of seeds, even from hybrids, which are easy to germinate. However, it does not flower the first year from seed. Gardeners acquire plants from established clumps at the time of division when they are dormant. Daylilies are unique herbaceous perennials that flourish both in the sun and shade and dry and wet soil. They should be preferably treated as bog plants. Once planted, they are satisfactory for many years. They can be planted in ordinary garden soil and the problem of maintenance is practically non-existent. Although some hybrids are evergreen, especially in the tropics, the foliage of most daylilies dies down during early winter only to come up a few weeks later. |
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