Colours, Shapes and Forms of the Daylily
January 5th, 2023
The shape of the Daylily flower can be as individual as the leaves of Pelargoniums. The formation of the 6 petals comes in an array of shapes, sizes and colours. Some with a ruffled edge, some with a patterned centre. Long petals, curly petals, even spoonbill petals! An the colour spectrum has developed from yellow and orange to a rainbow of different hues rivaling the Iris genus.
Reds, purples, pinks, whites, browns and everything in between.
The pigments that determine the colours of Hemerocallis flowers are located in the different layers of the petals biological make up. The yellow tones are the strong underlying colours and are located in the central cells whereas the purples and reds are concentrated in the epidermal cells which are located on the surface, this is why darker shades can be more prone to bleaching and spot damage from heavy rainfall
Each variety has its own unique colouring, flower shape and patterning. Here are just some examples:
Bitone or Reverse Bitone – Different tones of the same colour on the sepals and petals
Eyed, Halo or Banded – Circular patterns around the throat of the flower
Midrib, Throat Coloured or Chevron – Distinct veins on the petals or throat markings
Flower Shapes include:
Star Forms, Triangular or Circular
Doubles, Ruffled or Picotee/Wired Edge.
Modern flower forms include elaborate shapes with wacky shape names such as : Baroque, Pinched and Curled, Cascade, Flamboyant, Cockeral crispata, Pinwheel crispata and Butterfly crispata. These forms are quite rare and we stock just a few, these aren’t always on our sales list but availability can be enquired about by emailing info@woottensplants.co.uk . Below are a few varieties that fit these categories
Hemerocallis in the garden
In the border
Hemerocallis are best grown in herbaceous borders to compliment other summer flowering perennials, we’d recommend planting with Echinacea, Agapanthus, Ornamental Grasses, Crocosmia, Geraniums and hardy Salvia.
In containers – As with any plant, any Hemerocallis can be grown in a pot as long as the pot accommodates the eventual size of the plant, is repotted every year with fresh compost and watered efficiently. Some dwarf varieties lend themselves to containers in smaller gardens this include:
Stella Doro, Happy Returns and Dark Sprite.
Flower Size
Sizes of flower range from 5cm to 30cm. Miniature forms have an abundance of small blooms, varieties include Longfield Bandit and Sugar Cookie. The image below is a great example of the varying flower size. The varieties shown are (from left to right) H. One Last Straw. H. Chicago Knockout and H. Longfield Bandit