Can you tell me to what extent such things as light, temperature, pH, soil chemistry impact the expression of colour in daylilies?

Thank you

Welcome CKava to ATP.

Ckava!!!


I am not an expert by any means but if you look at the pictures of the daylilies in the database you will definitely see that they can vary in color and size in everyone's gardens. I would have to think soil is a factor for sure. Everybody's soil and mineral content in their soil has got to be different and that certainly can have an impact on the color of the bloom. Light for sure has an impact. If a daylily is in the sun all day as opposed to a daylily that is in partial shade all day that definitely makes a difference in growth habits. Daylilies really prefer full sun but I do have a few in shade that do well for me too. It all depends on each individual cultivar. As for temperature, most daylilies open much better in warmer weather and those that have ornate edges do better in heat. A lot of daylilies do not open well on cold mornings. I will let someone else chime in. I hope this helps a bit for you.

with all that was said, but also be aware that apparent color differences in flower photos can also just be an artifact of how the photo was taken:

Was the flower in sun at that moment, in shade?
Was the photo taken in the morning or the afternoon?
What was the light intensity, was there a UV filter?
Did the poster use autocorrect on the photo?

Same flower (American Freedom) with and without auto correct:
This was taken in the morning (9:11 AM)


In the afternoon (1:54 PM)


To further complicate matters, I am not sure at this point if this was a real difference in morning or afternoon, or just a photo artifact. I cannot know since this was taken in 2011.

Sun and shade




This is collage of the same bloom (Angels Flight) , photos were taken with different light conditions. There is about a 5 minute difference between the first and last picture.

These are photos taken on different days.

Belle Isle Sentry


Bizarre Behavior 5-28 FFO sun and shade


Bizarre Behavior 5-30 sun and shade


Bizarre Behavior got its name because it does tend to look different from bloom to bloom.


People also tend to post photos they like. Remember that the bloom might not always look like the posted one.

These are both Black Ice. I really like the plant, but it rarely looks like the second photo.


(edited to add last photos)

These are the same cultivar bought from different vendors. One is planted in the back yard and the other in the front.
Strawberry Candy comparison


There really is a difference between the flowers. The one from the daylily seller was consistently a much more vibrant flower than the one from Lowes.

(edited to correct typo)

Good point Laura. Thanks for adding that information!!!

By the way, I sure would like to know if I have the right Angel's Flight. Yours looks very different than mine. Again, here we see flowers looking different in other gardens. Mine is not at all the same color as yours. Mine is peach. I will have to see if I can find a pic of it to post here.

Found pic of Angel's Flight (mine is in shade 75% of the day)

FYI, I bought my Angels Flight from Bluegrass Gardens (Dablaw on the LA) in 2008.

Seller's Photo from auction that I saved as reference


Angels Flight (Hall-D.F., 1969)
height 28in (71cm), bloom 6.5in (16.5cm), season MLa, Dormant, Diploid, Pale cream brushed pink with green throat.

Here are a few other photos.

Angels Flight 7-10


Angels Flight 7-13, close up same bloom


Angels Flight 7-15, same bloom with hand as size and color reference


Angels Flight 7-19 scape

I have had mine for at least 20 years and bought it from Wild's. Stats you give are about right for mine only mine is more peach than pink and I have seen that in a lot of other flowers in my garden. Those that should have more pink can be more peach. Must be something in my clay soil that does that.

Epsom salts can change color of my roses from white to pink -- sometimes a deep rose color even.

I have used epsom salts in the garden. Last time was about 3 years ago though after I found out from a master gardener in my area that out soil in my area doesn't need it.