How can I best thin these Tiger Lilies?There are too many. I only want a few. I would like to plant some other things in this little spot. I tried pulling them at the beginning of the season, but the root won't come up. Is there a special tool I can use to dig them up?

Best way to thin them is to make sure soil is soft enough to dig in, water it well if you have to and have a spade and shovel handy. Find where one of the plants you want to dig starts and using the spade first dig out around it. I say use the spade first because it's crowded in there and the spade can cut through the roots better than a shovel can at first. Once you get one out you can switch to a shovel. Dig out the ones you want and leave the rest but know you will have to do this every couple years.

pepper23 said:Best way to thin them is to make sure soil is soft enough to dig in, water it well if you have to and have a spade and shovel handy. Find where one of the plants you want to dig starts and using the spade first dig out around it. I say use the spade first because it's crowded in there and the spade can cut through the roots better than a shovel can at first. Once you get one out you can switch to a shovel. Dig out the ones you want and leave the rest but know you will have to do this every couple years.

Thanks. Sounds crazy, but I have never used a spade. I am new at gardening. I will pick one up next time I'm at Lowe's. 🙂

PS: Those aree Daylilies not Tiger Lilies.

That looks like it could be the "ditch daylily", Hemerocallis fulva 'Europa' (a closer pic might help), which spreads by rhizomes. Bits of rhizome that remain in the soil when broken or missed during digging will regrow, so it may take some time to entirely get rid of it. It may keep popping up again here and there in that spot.

But if they dig up the entire patch as best they can, they will make a huge dent in the population. Then if they move them to a more suitable location, that's a win!
Once completed, a few stragglers will be much more easily dealt with down the road.

GET A LONG HANDLED SPADE, IT WILL SAVE YOUR BACK!!!!! You won't bend as much.

DaisyI said:PS: Those aree Daylilies not Tiger Lilies.

Wow!! Imagine me - all these years thinking they are Tiger Lilies and telling people they are Tiger Lillie's. Thanks for putting a stop to that!

sooby said:That looks like it could be the "ditch daylily", Hemerocallis fulva 'Europa' (a closer pic might help), which spreads by rhizomes. Bits of rhizome that remain in the soil when broken or missed during digging will regrow, so it may take some time to entirely get rid of it. It may keep popping up again here and there in that spot.

They have hurt my peony. I have attached a picture of them. I hope I can dig them up. I like them, but not this many. Thank you for your reply.

BigBill said:But if they dig up the entire patch as best they can, they will make a huge dent in the population. Then if they move them to a more suitable location, that's a win!
Once completed, a few stragglers will be much more easily dealt with down the road.

GET A LONG HANDLED SPADE, IT WILL SAVE YOUR BACK!!!!! You won't bend as much.

Thanks, Big Bill! I will certainly look for a long-handled one. 🙂

The daylillies have hurt my peony. It is crowded and didn't bloom. It would be nice to remove some of them.

Thanks for your help.

Hey Anna, good luck!
I did a patch once about 15' long by 4' wide. My first effort got rid of about 90%. Next year I got the rest but even after a few years, little guys kept popping up.

And named cultivars of daylilies are different, staying neatly in one clump. You just happened to have the species version, a spreading kind commonly referred to as ditch lilies as mentioned.
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)

I would dig up the whole giant clump. It likely won't be easy. Then use a solid knife and cut a small chunk. Soak that chunk in a bucket of water. It will make it easier to pull apart. Replant the amount you want. Don't be afraid to be brutal. They can take it.

jvdubb said:I would dig up the whole giant clump. It likely won't be easy. Then use a solid knife and cut a small chunk. Soak that chunk in a bucket of water. It will make it easier to pull apart. Replant the amount you want. Don't be afraid to be brutal. They can take it.

Thanks! I'm going to go at it full force after the blooms die off. That's a great idea to soak a chunk. I would have never thought of it.

Calif_Sue said:And named cultivars of daylilies are different, staying neatly in one clump. You just happened to have the species version, a spreading kind commonly referred to as ditch lilies as mentioned.
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)

Thanks, what a terrible name - Ditch Lily. It was nice when there were a few, but now it has overtaken my peony. Thanks for your reply. 🙂