Daylilies---I have 3 plants-well established. The blooms are dead-is this normal?

Question

The yellow blooms are dried up. Is this normal?? What do I do?

Answer 1

Each flower lasts a day. Then more buds open usually on the same 'scape' which is the name for the whoe stem.

Deadhead the spent blooms by snapping them off with your fingertips right at the little soft spot just above where they are attached to the scape. When all the flower buds on the scape are finished, cut the scape down.

Plants can begin to look ratty after they bloom. If you want to trim foliage back in about half at that time you can usually get a second flush of better foliage, especially with a little plant food. Then you are just waiting for the next bloom season. Some varieties will rebloom. Stella D'Oro and Happy Returns are the most reliable, and best known, but there are a few others. None of the others are terribly reliable and are best described as "May Rebloom" or "Usually Reblooms". It can have a lot to do with local weather. If it is a rebloomer you may get a few more scapes through the summer but it is never as profuse and gorgeous as the first bloom. Next year the plants will be bigger and have more scapes on each plant. If the leaves look good you are doing everything right.

Answer 2

I'm assuming the yellow blooms, which would probably be a Happy Returns or Stella have bloomed and now the blooms are drying up on the end of the bloom stem. This is normal and you may remove these from the plant. Once they are somewhat dry, you may easily pull them off of the stem and dispose of them. Green seed pods may develop at the ends of the stem. These may be removed also or you can let them remain until they have turned brown and harvest the black seeds from inside should you wish to start more daylilies from seed. These may not have the same characteristics as the parent plant.

Answer 3

Yes, it's normal. Daylilies don't bloom very long. If you cut off the dead stalks, you will encourage the plant to bloom more, but they only bloom at certain times of the year so it's not going to keep blooming too much longer. Don't get discouraged if they seem to die off completely, either, once the weather turns cold. Next year they'll probably come back.

Answer 4

Hi,

Removing the spent flowers is a good idea. Here is more information on how to keep your daylilies healthy and happy:

Daylily:

Few plants are as rugged, widely adapted, or versatile as daylilies. And with more than 13,000 cultivars available, there's a size and flower color for every garden.

About This Plant-

Plant breeders continue to expand the color palette available in daylilies, which now includes yellow, orange, red, white, and purple flowers. Varieties with muliticolored blooms, often with a contrasting "eye," or center, are increasingly popular. Most daylilies have a distinct, three- to four-week bloom period in early to late summer, although some varieties continue to bloom sporadically all season long. Individual flowers last just one day but new ones open daily for the duration of the bloom time. Foliage height ranges from 1 to 4 feet, depending on variety. Flower stalks on the tallest varieties can reach 6 feet. Flowers are edible.

Special Features:
*Easy care/low maintenance
*Multiplies readily
*Tolerates dry soil

Site Selection-
Select a site with full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. In areas with hot summers, light afternoon shade will keep brightly colored flowers from fading.

Planting Instructions-
Plant in spring, spacing plants 1 to 3 feet apart, depending on the variety. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot the plant is in. Carefully remove the plant from its container and place it in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Carefully fill in around the root ball and firm the soil gently. Water thoroughly.

Care-
Apply a thin layer of compost each spring, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. Avoid excessive fertilizing as this will inhibit flower production. Water plants during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Remove individual spent flowers daily and cut back flower stalks once all flowers have gone by. Divide plants every three to four years as new growth begins in the spring, lifting plants and dividing them into clumps.

Best wishes!

Answer 5

They're called Daylilies because their blooms only last a day. So it is normal just cut them off and maybe you'll get more.

Answer 6

Yes, that is normal....."dead head" or pick of the dead blooms and they will bloom again.

Answer 7

Yes it's normal cut the dead ones off.

Answer 8

Most day-lililes are one time bloomers. Stella-dora day-lillies are repreat bloomers, and will continue to bloom.