Daylilies, Why They Are so Unique and Loved
Daylilies are some of the most beautiful flowers you will ever see, and enthusiasts are found all over the world. But what exactly are daylilies, and what makes them so unique and treasured by gardeners? Daylily is the common name of the species of flower and any of its hybrid creations belonging to the genus Hemerocallis. The name of the genus is Greek in origin, and comes from the combination of two Greek words. The first part of the name is from the word hemera, which means day, and the second part of the word comes from the Greek word kalos, meaning beautiful.
These beautiful flowers originated in Europe and then made their way to China, Korea, and Japan. Now, daylilies can be found in all parts of the world due to their tremendous popularity. One of the reasons daylilies are so popular is that they can be hybridized to create new varieties. These colorful and unique varieties of daylilies are called cultivars, and there are more than 60,000 registered dayliliy cultivars in the world. There are several international cultivar societies where new daylily creations are registered, shared among enthusiasts, and appreciated.
Daylilies are perennial plants, and while most of the species of daylilies open at sunset and whither at dusk, to be replaced by another bloom on the same stem the next day, some species of daylily bloom at night. Due to the nature of their daily blooming cycle, most daylilies are not used as cut flowers you would typically see in professional arrangements; however, if daylilies are used in arrangements they can be a beautiful addition. If you are lucky enough to have some daylilies in your garden, try some in an arrangement.
While daylilies have dramatic colors and are beloved by gardeners around the world, most of the species of daylilies you will find are not scented. That said, there are more scented varieties being created by enthusiasts, and you may well find scented daylilies available at some online stores and garden shops. One of the things that make these flowers so popular is the daylily’s amenability to hybridization. What gardener does not want to create a new variety of a flower that has never been seen before?
Daylilies are definitely one of the most hybridized of all garden plants. There are thousands of new varieties of daylilies registered every year, and because of the sustained efforts of gardeners, you will find colors ranging from white, yellow, pink and orange, to the darker range of the color spectrum where you will find green, lavender, red, and colors approaching black. You might have noticed that the one color missing from the previous list is a true blue. The creation of the elusive blue daylily is a secret dream of many daylily cultivators.
