How To Get Daylilies To Rebloom In The Summer Heat

Known to bloom for only a day, daylilies (Hemerocallis) are alluring, low-maintenance perennial flowers cherished by many for their vibrant colors and easy adaptability. As a single flower stem usually holds more than 12 buds at any given time, daylilies can bloom throughout mid-summer (June and July) before ceasing further growth. However, the availability of rebloomers and ever bloomers, such as Stella de Oro, Apricot Sparkles, Red Hot Returns, Lemon Lollipop, and Ruby Stella, which offer multiple successive blooms, has extended the daylily flowering season beyond the summer. Yet, you must take additional steps to encourage daylily reblooming through the summer heat.

Removing flower stems as they grow old and lose their shade will conserve plant resources that can be used to create new blooms. You can also consider removing newly-formed seed pods after keeping some aside for planting next season to redirect nutrients toward flowering. Adequately fertilizing your daylily after the first bloom is another way to boost reblooming.

One of the easiest ways to enable your daylilies to rebloom throughout the summer is to deadhead them. Deadheading, which involves the removal of spent blooms, prompts the plant to transmit its energy from healing the almost-dead flower to producing new blooms. Besides, it also helps maintain the aesthetic appearance of the daylily bed. But deadheading must be carried out throughout the flowering stage to show its impact.

As the blooming season progresses, keep an eye out on a regular basis for flowers that are beginning to lose their color and vibrancy. Such faded blooms are generally indicative of the daylily's stalk dying. Proceed to cut down the flower along with its stem to completely halt all nutrient flow. This will promote reserve buildup, which can ultimately be used by the perennial to grow more stalks and rebloom. Ensure to cut the stalk at 45 degrees and bring it down to ground level.

As many gardeners prefer propagating daylilies by dividing them, given the speed and ease involved, removing seed pods is another alternative to encourage your plant to rebloom. Since plants devote significant energy and nutrients to developing seeds, especially toward the end of their flowering period, you can redirect these resources to growing new blooms by removing the seed pods early on. Moreover, this will help maintain healthier foliage and may even contribute to bigger blooms in the next cycle.

Granularly fertilizing your daylilies right after the first flowering during mid-summer can encourage them to rebloom, as it helps replenish essential nutrients. Start by watering your daylilies up to 1 inch a day before fertilization to ensure the soil is adequately moist. Next, slowly sprinkle 3 tablespoons of a well-balanced fertilizer for every 4 square feet of planted area while avoiding any foliage exposure. Follow it up by soaking the soil in another ½ inch of water to promote the fertilizer's release. Fertilizer doses can also be given during stem removal to promote the growth of new bloom sets.