Daylilies for the North

11 years ago

Hi everyone, I spend my summers a little North of Fort St. John, zone 3 I think, and would like to know if daylilies grow there and if they struggle or thrive. Also what varieties are best. Planting tips would also be appreciated. A link to a Northern BC or Alberta grower would be good too.

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

weeper_11
11 years ago
Parkland Perennials is in Alberta...http://www.parkland-perennials.com/cat/section.php?id=6&sc=0
They are a good vendor, and they get good reviews.

If it is zone 3 or 2b, you'll definitely be able to grow daylilies. Have a look at the parkland catalog, anything in there you should be able to grow just fine. Daylilies thrive for me, and I live in zone 2b. Daylilies are classified as dormant, evergreen or semi-evergreen(refers to the behavior of it's leaves in winter). As a general rule, dormants will always survive for us, but there are also many semi-evergreens and even a few evergreens that do fine as well. You may need to enquire with whoever you are buying from to be sure of hardiness. There are just too many "greats" to list here.

One planting tip I have is to make sure you don't plant them too deep. If you buy from Parkland(or almost any mail-order vendor, the daylilies will come bare-root. Plant the daylily with the crown of the plant(where the stem meets the roots) just at the soil surface, so the roots are all buried, but the stem isn't buried much at all. Daylilies won't bloom if they are planted too deep. Water them well right after planting, and water regularly until they are established(usually after the first season).

Their first winter, I think it is not a bad idea to mulch them, but ONLY if you will be around first thing in spring to remove the mulch, or they'll rot. They will most likely survive alright even without any mulch their first year anyway, and certainly if they get good snow cover.

Enjoy!
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Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
11 years ago
Ditto everything Weeper has already posted. A couple of other places I order from is Mother and Daughters Daylilies and Hemerocalus Montfort. Both are excellent to do business with.

Here's a few shots of daylilies from Parkland Perennials I planted late Sept 2012. These shots were taken a few minutes ago. Buds on scapes of Doug's Red Mercedes and White Crinoline already. :-)

Almost zero snow cover last winter and no mulching except for the fallen leaves. Zone 3a in Edmonton

Ginny
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brugpuppy
Original Author
11 years ago
Many thanks for the prompt replies. The info is much appreciated. I am in Aspen Parklands, moose, elk and deer are everywhere, so would they eat daylilies? Would I have to have a strong fence.

Thanks!
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weeper_11
11 years ago
I find it is a gamble. We have tons of deer around our farmyard, and they often browse our trees and occasionally wander up to the house to nibble on my roses. This spring they ate a couple fans of one particular daylily, but suprisingly, they didn't bother any of my other daylilies. They are supposed to be one of their favorite treats, so I'm not sure why they have left them alone.

So, do you need a fence? Might be a wait and see what gets eaten the first year type situation. As far as whether you need a strong fence; I find high is more important than strong. Where I do use fence for deer it is more of a deterrant than it is a barrier if they were to launch themselves at it. Could be different in your situation...if your place is unoccupied over the winter, you would probably need a decent fence, because the critters will really "move in" when they realise there is no activity in your yard.

And elk and moose are nearly impossible to keep out, unless you build a serious game fence. They walk/jog through nearly any kind of fence you can thow at them - very strong, and very bold!
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northspruce
11 years ago
I agree with the others about buying field raised daylilies from a Canadian grower. There are several in Quebec; I have bought from Montfort and Vivaces Nordiques more than once and had great results. I have never lost a daylily except one that did well for 2 years then I think got choked out by some dianthus.
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fillagirl
11 years ago
Hi, I was reading this thread and was interested in the comment about daylilies being planted too deep and didn't bloom.

I have some Pardon Me daylilies which get about a half day of sun, but they are not blooming....perhaps I should dig them up and replant, a bit shallower so they're not so deep. Anybody do this and have luck with getting daylilies to bloom?
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weeper_11
11 years ago
fillagirl - you can check whether your daylilies are too deep without digging them up by just digging down with your fingers a bit and checking whether the base of the stem/beginning of the roots is just under the surface. If it isn't, digging them up and replanting could definitely be helpful. Daylilies will generally still bloom(though not as profusely) in part-sun.
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