Daylily

The daylily is a completely hardy perennial and needs no winter protection outdoors. The fleshy storage roots come through the Central European lowland winter without trouble in the soil. After the first frost, you can cut the foliage back close to the ground, or leave it standing as natural protection and remove it only in late winter/spring; in a container, wrap the pot in hessian or fleece and stand it on an insulating base, since the roots chill more there.

The classic orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is a triploid plant and forms no viable seed; sowing is not possible for this species.

Division (preferred method): divide established clumps every 3 to 5 years in early spring as growth starts, or alternatively in early autumn (at least 4 weeks before the first frost). Dig out the whole clump with a spade, separate the fans with a sharp spade or knife into sections each with several leaf fans and strong roots, and replant them immediately; make sure to leave enough space of about 60 to 70 cm. The new plants usually flower as early as the following year.

Runners (stolons): H. fulva spreads naturally via underground stolons that root new shoots at the nodes. You can separate already rooted daughter plants at the edge of the clump and move them; this works best in spring or early summer. This method is particularly gentle on the parent plant.

Proliferations (plantlets on the flower stem): after flowering, small plantlets sometimes form directly on the stem. Let them grow until they show their own root beginnings (about 2 to 3 cm), cut the stem above and below the plantlet and insert the proliferation in moist propagation medium or a glass of water (water level only up to the base of the crown, otherwise there is a risk of rot) until it is well rooted. This method works particularly well in damp weather.