and not blooming. What's wrong with them? daylily bud shriveled ( photo / image / picture from Tina's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Tina's Garden )
Tina, your daylily begs several questions: How long have you had the plant? Is this the first year it has flowered? Have the other, earlier flowers, on same plant, done the same thing? Is this a division from another daylily? Are you on the wet or dry side of Washington? If the dry side do you water the plant regularly? Did you fertilize your daylilies this year? What kind of soil is the flower planted in? Enough questions for now.... Jerry
Thanks a lot for responding Jerry. I am answering your questions below : How long have you had the plant? 2/3 years Is this the first year it has flowered? No. But this is the first year I have had this plant (and all plants) in my new house. Have the other, earlier flowers, on same plant, done the same thing? No Is this a division from another daylily? Yes. I moved the plant from my old house and also divided them when I brought them here. Are you on the wet or dry side of Washington? Wet side of WA. I live in Seattle. If the dry side do you water the plant regularly? I do water my plant regularly when it doesn't rain. Did you fertilize your daylilies this year? No. What kind of soil is the flower planted in? Sandy soil
Hi Tina, O.K. The plant has been transplanted, while daylilies are a forgiving plant they still experience stress till they are established. Early in the season all the ingredients for healthy bloom are there, but as the blooming season continues and the pantry runs out of the good stuff and the plant sacrifices some output for the survival of the whole. This may tell you something…..food. Yes, daylilies grow in all kinds of soil….but thrive? I noticed the narrow leaves, a sign perhaps of a need for more nutrition . The characteristics of sandy soil usually have little moisture retention and fewer nutrients(they wash away with the water). Side note: I was surprised at how the daylilies from my parents garden exploded with large green leaves and an abundance of scapes after I transplanted them from their sandy soil to our rich organic soil. Good soil preparation prior to transplanting will make your daylily happy, and provide the nutrients and moisture the plant needs through the bloom season. Speaking of nutrients, a daylily farm grower recommended to me years ago that I sprinkle 10-10-10 granular fertilizer around the daylilies in the spring as they are starting to emerge from their winter slumber. Work it into the upper layer of soil. Repeat the process in mid-season, something I am about to do soon. As you have already divided your plants, experiment with them. Replant some with new garden soil. Prove to yourself, with comparison, the benefits of good healthy soil for your plants. Each year in the spring I purchase six 32 qt bags of soil to use during the season. An inexpensive investment with loads of benefits. You may also want to pick up a bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer, other plants too will benefit from a general purpose bag of goodies. Now if you could only get the sun to shine for more than a few days year……. If you have more questions, comments or thoughts please don’t hesitate to ask. Jerry
Thanks a bunch, Jerry. You have given me excellent advice. I will move them to a part of the garden where the soil is better. The fertilizer and soil bags are something that I am going to start getting every year from now on. Thanks again.