Maybe I can keep someone else from making the same mistakes I have made with daylilies. I think my worst was planting new fans where I wanted them to be eventually. I know I lost a lot that got lost in the weeds or went unwatered in a drought. Now I have a separate nursery area for new plants. I think it is best to keep one whole order together, so you can make sure you got all the right plants and you know what everything is. After it blooms you can move it out into the big world...Keep it near a hose so it can be watered frequently. I have an orphanage too, for noid babies. I'm hoping that some of my Olallie and Mahieu babies that went missing will show up in this bed someday!

I never ever plant mine where I want them in the yard unless they are at least a three to four good size fan clump. If I plant one or two fans, they rarely make it. I put those in pots until I can get them good and strong. Either the squirrels dig mine up and eat the roots, they pull themselves down in the dirt and get crown rot, etc.

Exactly! It is so much easier to keep an eye on them when they are all together, but planting in a pot would work too if you don't have the space for an extra bed.

I wish I had the option of planting new ones in a separate bed but I don't. No more room left.

You don't have a lawn? ;>)

Yes I do but I am having trouble taking care of the ones I have now. I really am seriously thinking about downsizing.

hahaha. That's what I thought too, and then a new patch of ground became available...

Im for sure downsizing. Even if I get rid of 5 and add 1, Im for sure going to makes things easier. Want to grow a few veggies next year too. Cutting way down on the whole seedling thing too. I really need alot more hardscape.

I think my daylilies do better if I put them in a pot on my patio first (and water as often as necessary) then plant them in my garden a few months later. (I am planning on Labor Day Weekend) I learned the hard way NOT to overwinter them in pots in my zone - even though they were in large pots (I recycle plastic kitty litter bins)

And I agree, as much as possible plant orders together. Sure helps when trying to figure something out the next year if a plant was mislabeled. ~Jan

I have made all the mistakes that you are talking about and maybe more.
I need information.

I have been potting new arrivals and I plan to overwinter them in a cold greenhouse. This is an addition to my garage and I can easily control heat and, of course, I can water and work there.

All these plants are from Maryott's.

What is the coldest temperature that I should allow for really safe overwintering?
How should I modify watering?

I am rather new to daylily growing. I am really knowledgeable about hostas.

I appreciate any information that might give me.

Gerry

Gerry!

I live in south central Wisconsin, and my first year with daylilies, because of a variety of reasons, I still had some in pots. Realize that the pots were the large plastic kitty litter bins that I had drilled holes in and had gravel on the bottom for drainage. I put them in a protected corner next to my house, mulched them well - and lost every single one of them in the spring.

I was told that I should have laid the pots on their sides - that they died of rot in the icky spring we had. Since then I have never overwintered outside.

Others here do overwinter in pots up here in the north. As for a cold greenhouse, I can't answer that, but I am sure there are others here who can.

Again, welcome ~Jan

Last year i planted a few DLs and one iris together in a large pot of potting soil. These were fans that broke off at the crown, or in someway needed TLC. I kept them outside and watered until frost, then I set them inside the garage for the winter and forgot about them. They all survived the winter and I planted them out this summer.

Last year I overwintered about 20 potted daylilies, 12 eight month seedlings in 1 gal pots went into a small in ground cellar, the others were in 2 to 3 gal pots, those I put under my deck surrounded by some bags of mulch and I put dried leaves on top, all survived the winter in fine shape.

I'm planning on leaving some on pots this winter. They are coming onto my enclosed porch. That way they will get a small amount of light and I can control water etc. I don't want to leave them outside as we get too many freeze and that cycles for my (or their) comfort.

Thank you, Jan, Caitlin, and Margaret,

I appreciate your helpful input. Maybe others will share their knowledge.

Gerry

JWWC,

Tell me more about their need for light and water.

Gerry

My thoughts are that they likely won't go completely dormant on this situation because the porch rarely gets below 40. In that case I figured I would try to keep them as happy as I can, growing slowly, and mimicking what they would get outdoors.

I haven't done this before so I'm playing it by ear. If I see something go hard dormant I will water minimally if at all.

Here in the north I plant mine in the garden before Labor Day. Sometimes I pot up spring deliveries for awhile but usually I plant them in the garden and make sure to keep an eye on them. One year I had a couple of seedlings that were potted up and put in the garage over winter they did not survive and they had winter hardy parents. Daylilies just do much better for me in ground.

Betty,

Thank you. Every time I complain about the cold in zone five, I will remember that you in zone four grow day lilies.

Gerry

JWWA,

I want to keep my greenhouse no warmer than 40. I will also keep an eye on them all.

Thanks,

Gerry