Went outside to dig up day lilies and give some away and replant
by
Louise
+8
others since they're WAY too bunched together. (With recent rain, the soil is easy to dig.) Have never been thinned since I planted them maybe 20 yrs ago. Sometimes I'm not the best plant mom. :-) For years they haven't bloomed well due to too little sun and maybe being too squeezed in with each other. BUT, some are getting ready to bloom! If I still continue with my plan to dig them up but replant them within a few hours, will that harm them and/or keep them from blooming?
10 answers
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My guess is that they would bloom. I would do the deed in the evening and water them in. You might even shade them for the first day, but generally...just try and kill a day lily. Bet theybloom any way!
Lori J
on Jun 15, 2013
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They will be ok. Just keep them watered because they are going to shock with all the digging they have been through. Not sure about blooming, they might. But just think how pretty they will be next year! :) I love daylilies!!
Nancy Hand
on Jun 15, 2013
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Thanks. I'll go ahead and do it. Cross your fingers.
Louise
on Jun 15, 2013
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Bulb plants should ideally only be moved and separated after the bloom and have died back. The plant after the blooming cycle rejuvenates itself with the leaves providing some of the energy needed for the bulb in the ground to develop itself. If you pull them out to soon, not only will the ground nutriments be lost to the bulb but so will those that are provided by the leaves. I would wait until the plant leaves begin to droop and die off before I would pull these up. While they may regrow after planting again, the quality of the plant may be hurt for a few years after until the bulb redevelops itself again.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jun 16, 2013
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Ewww, I don't like the sound of that. I guess I can wait if it's going to hurt the plants that much. The poor little things are going to be so pretty with their coming blooms, so I'll leave them. I still have a LOT of other things I can do in the meantime.
Louise
on Jun 16, 2013
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Daylilies are pretty tough plants and you can actually divide them almost any time. But if you divide them now, you definitely will lose some blooms, so I would wait until you've enjoyed the show. Here's a step-by-step guide from the U.S. National Arboretum: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/DaylilyDivided.html
Douglas Hunt
on Jun 16, 2013
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Thanks, Douglas. I'll check this out.
Louise
on Jun 16, 2013
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Listen to Douglas! He knows what he's talking about & is usually right on the money. Nothing likes being dug up, torn or cut apart & replanted when it's just about to bloom. Wait until September. Oh, and Daylilies are NOT a bulb plant!
Judy
on Jun 17, 2013
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I have found my daylilies to be very resilient! I have some I desperately need to divide! I love daylilies and possibly have about 30 different kinds! I need to have a party and have a bunch of people come and share when we split the plants...this would have to be in the fall for everything except daylilies!
Tanya Peterson Felsheim
on Jul 08, 2013
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I never got around to dividing my lilies, most which are orange day lilies. But now the weather is cooler and we've had rain recently so the soil is great for digging. I think I'm not supposed to cut back the green parts, right? And what about a few irises I have? If I move them around, do I cut off their green parts? I remember when I was a child, my mother always cut them down (don't have any idea WHEN she did it) to just a few inches. I also have a very few tiger lilies. Might just leave them where they are, but if I move them, what's the correct process?
Louise
on Oct 19, 2013
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