Hi,
I'm new here, but I've spent 2 days reading this forum and see that you are all very helpful people. I've just moved back to the United States from overseas and bought a house in northwest Texas as a retiree. My mother always had full to bulging daylily gardens, and I want to do the same thing now that I can. I have a landscaper digging out a 30 foot by 18" bed along my front walk. I've ordered 20 cultivars to plant there but understand (thanks to you guys!) that they'll be small and therefore may not even bloom this year as well as not filling up the bed.

Should I buy some more daylilies from the reputable sellers you name? Or should I buy some annuals to at least give me some blooms this year? Or should I buy perennials of some sort to fill the bed with my tiny daylilies? What plants and recommendations can you give me? I have more future beds planned but have to start somewhere!

I appreciate your advice in advance!!!

Hi @Barbalee! Congrats on your move!

I envy you your planting space! Personally, I would get all your beds ready while you wait and see what you get in the way of daylilies. Think about your beds - do you want just daylilies or do you also want spring color? How about "winter interest" as they call it? Since you just moved back, take a trip around your neighborhood and see what other people have growing that looks nice to you. When I first moved up here, I learned the hard way that just because things were marked for this zone or for sale at a local nursery didn't mean they would grow here. I still experiment (just can't help myself), but for the most part if I'm really hesitant to invest a large $$ amount in one plant/tree if I can't see it in the ground here. As I am not the most patient type and want instant flowerification (sort of like gratification, but with blooms ), I tend to grab flats of annuals so I can have SOMETHING to look at while I wait. and plan. and wait. and wait. Did I mention wait? Geez winters here seem soooooooo long sometimes.

Anyway, good luck on whatever you decide...and remember to post pictures of all projects big or small... a success is a success!

Thank you, Darcy! I've driven around here, and so far all I've seen is daffodils. It's early yet, though, so that may change. It's a good idea to get flats of whatever I see in the nurseries just to give me that flowerification I need! Otherwise, I shall wait and wait (gol durn it!)
Barbalee

I know it is a technical term thing(not overly important), but 30 feet by 18 inches I would consider to be a border and not a bed. Keep in mind I am not by any means a landscape person, just something that mind help you find some info in searches.
I know it is possible that some of the daylilies you get might not bloom this season, but in your location I think it very possible that most if not all of them would, depending on the vendor and the variety and the weather of course.
But at only 18 inches wide I think your 20 plants will be more than enough to fill up your bed. They will look very sparse maybe the first month or so but when the weather warms up they will fill in the bed pretty fast. Check the heights of the plants you have ordered, that can sometimes be a clue as to how long the leaves will be on the plant. Of course the short plants will often multiply more rapidly and could actually end up taking up more space than some of the taller plants in a couple of years. I know Primal Scream multiplies pretty slowly here, and the small 'Prairie Blue Eyes' and 'Crimson Pirate' multiply fast here.
Still, I think about twenty daylilies of any kind would fill you bed pretty darn full in a year's time.

Terrific, Larry! That gives me hope. The vendor was Gilbert H. Wild & Son - on another piece of this forum, people thought the plants would be very likely quite small. Yup, I'd agree that it's a border rather than a bed! All of the plants are of the large variety, so I may be needing to get another area ready pretty quickly. Good! Thanks!

Oh my, oh, my! I just found out about tissue culture...definitely not good. I think I'll put the ones I've ordered much closer together than planned and order some true DLs to be more sure of them. If the tissue culture ones do well, that's awesome, and I'll be able to either space them out or move them to a different place. I'm a new retiree and not enjoying it much--these pages have gotten me interested in hybridizing as many of you are doing. I won't want to use tissue cultured ones to begin that process!

I appreciate you all!

Barbalee,

Is your bed a foundation planting, along a fence, or out in the open?

What's the sun exposure? (If against a structure, which direction does that side of the structure face?)

Are there any trees nearby? will they shade the bed at all?

Ken

Hi, Ken,
I hadn't seen your response until just now. Sorry 'bout that! It's actually a border along the sidewalk and the trees in the yard aren't close, so it's full sun all the way. Northwest Texas is sunny, sunny, so there's no shade at all. Have any suggestions??

Barbalee

Hi Barbalee! Here's a post (by admmad) about tissue culture that I really appreciated and think you might too: http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Basically, tissue culture is probably not as bad as many of us have thought in the past.

I hope the daylilies work out well for you.

That was a great article, Admmad via Anne! It relieves my worry about the original 20 plants I ordered despite being more pleased by finding reputable vendors via this forum!! So now I'm back to figuring out how to fill a 30' border with those plants plus the 8 new ones I've ordered and the 11 extra perennials that are on the way. I think I better do more digging plans! Thanks, Anne!