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Dormants staying green-should I worry?

16 years ago

Hi everyone,

I have another question for you. All my new daylilies that I planted in the autumn have stayed green all through the winter regardless of whether they are dormant, semi-Ev or Evergreen. I have read that dormants HAVE to go dormant otherwise they die off. However I have had Mini Pearl for many years which is supposed to be dormant (I believe) and she has never gone dormant for me but continues to increase and flower her head off year after year.

Mini Pearl however was bought as a potted plant from a local garden centre, the plants planted in the autumn were the first time I have planted bare-rooted plants and I wondered if I had done something wrong.

Interestingly my Tradescantias, which are also supposed to be hard dormant plants, also stay green all winter for me--it is strange as I live in the North of England which isn't exactly famous for brilliant weather!

Can anyone reassure me that all is well please?

Nikki

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Comments (4)

Ed
16 years ago
Hi Nikki,

I have MINI PEARL here in zone 9 and it does very well. I don't remember it going dormant, so maybe it's not a hard dormant. It does have probably the best foliage of any daylily I grow.

If your daylilies stay green all winter long, then apparently you don't get to freezing temps, or all the foliage would die back on all plants, at least temporarily.

As long as the plants are healthy and appear to be growing, I wouldn't concern myself with what their foliage habit is supposed to be.

Ed
nikki42
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Ed,

this is my first year of "serious" daylily growing and all I have seemed to do so far is worry! I know from the forum that some people can't grow dormants in their area as it doesn't get cold enough for them to go into the "resting" stage and wondered if that was what was happening here.

However the (few) specialist daylily growers over here all sell dormants so I figured that they must do okay over here for them to sell them, or maybe I am just being naive and trusting!

Mini Pearl is great isn't she?

Nikki
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beaufort-2006
16 years ago
HI NIKKI I have Mini Pearl as well. Ilive in z5 by the book but I treat this area as a z3 do to freeze thaw conditions and mine goes very dor. I believe that in warm areas such as you are in sometimes the plants act differently like in my area some ev go dor so in other areas where like you live the dor. might go evergreen or semi eve this is only my idea but after many years and the school of hard knocks do to loosing so many flowers z for 5 and hybd my own flowers i belive it GOOD LUCK DICK
nikki42
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Dick,

thanks for that. I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best. As my other half says-"if they grow, they grow, and if they don't then you will have the fun of choosing new ones!"

Nikki

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