I know it is not recommended to mulch daylilies, but given the heat index, might that be a good idea afterall in the hotter climates? It might help keep the plant's roots cooler?

I mulch my daylilies because my soil is so sandy. I just keep it pulled back from the crown of the plant. My daylilies (my whole garden for that matter), has done much better since I started mulching about 4 years ago.

Thank you. It is mainly my seedling bed. And they are planted very close to each other. But I bet those babies are literally dying in that hot raised bed. I need to put some mulch in there. Thank you, Valerie!

I mulch. Good mulch is getting harder to come by! The city used to only mulch wood, each pile was its own tree. Cedar and cottonwood was best. Actually cottonwood was best. Light white color did not absorb heat and the wood holds unto moisture extremely well, cause that is what cottonwoods do. Now it is everything anyone sets out mixed up. I have seen oleander end up in the mulch, scary. Store bought is hard. I had to pass up really nice inexpensive cypress, but southern states say it defaces their natural wetlands. Do not want to do that. It is hard to responsible. Besides mulch vs. no mulch what does everyone use?
Many blessings for a Spectacular Sunday!

Normally when I mulch, I use chopped up Oak leaves because I have 2 big oak trees in my yard that drop their leaves every year. Free mulch! But now, no leaves of course, so will have to consider wood mulch. I'll likely use Pine Fines. They would work really well and help enrich the soil.

If you mulch in the spring, it settles (and decomposes) so as not to harm the crown later.

I have never heard that mulching was not recommended for daylilies. Well, I have read that it harbors diseases and pests. Yes, I have leaf streak, I have rust, I have some snail and slugs, and other things, but I still recommend mulching (based on my experience with my garden). Not only do I have all those problems but I also have a lot of beautiful plants. Water and mulch are too huge pluses in my opinion, and they equate to earthworms which are another plus in my opinion. I just mulched this bed the other day. It is not the prettiest mulch (half rotted oak leaves) the main purpose of my using mulch in this location is actually not to keep the soil cool and moist, but to keep me from sinking down in the mud.


Edited to add: What you do not see in this picture is weeds! The mulch does a great job on helping to keep the weeds down.

Becky, have you ever used frozen pollen? I keep a good supply in one of our freezers. If I need pollen and there's no fresh available, chances are that I'll have it in the freezer and will use that. So far frozen pollen has worked well for me.

I mulch all my daylilies except my seedlings. I want the latter to be tough enough to survive in my zone without much assistance from me.

Thank you all! Mulch it is!!!

Larry - I have tried frozen pollen and no luck so far. I can try it again though. How exactly do you do it? I have those centrifudge containers with lids. And I have the box to put them in. I had saved several things of pollen, but no pods when using that pollen.

I've been going through my pictures and have found a few second year seedlings that bloomed for the first time for me this spring:

MAZIE FARR x ICICLES


Two sibs from the cross TOOPHER x CASPER'S REVENGE


TOOPHER x DR CELIA STUMP


And this one is a third year seedling that is looking better all the time:
ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL x PEPPERMINT PINWHEEL

Betty - Lovely seedlings! I really like that last one, too!

Becky - I use pine straw mulch, and plenty of it. It's lighter than wood mulch, and I don't feel it hurts the daylilies to put it right up again the fans.

Betty - I love that first seedling!

Here are a couple of blooms from today. I only have a dozen blooming today.

We Are the Champions


Blazing Cannons

Nice seedlings Becky. Like them all but the last is my favorite. I have been pulling off a lot of the old yellowing and brown foliage on my daylilies, but after reading about the mulch, have to wonder if maybe it would be better to just leave it and use it like a mulch around the base of the plants. I know some people also cut the whole clump down short and then let new leaves grow in after a few weeks. Any thoughts of leaving it or not?

Thanks, Susan! Well if leaf streak fungus and thrips are in that old foliage, I have decided it's better to collect the old leaves and bag and toss them. I like pine fines a lot.

Debra - I can not get straw here. Hay, yes! But usually lots of seeds in that hay that is sold.

Becky, when I harvest the pollen I bring it indoors and expose it to the air conditioned air for a day or so before I put it in the same containers that you have. It's important to freeze only the anther and not the filament that it's on. If you freeze the filament as well, you tend to end up with a mushy mess when you unthaw it. Once the frozen pollen reaches room temperature, it's ready to use. I refreeze the pollen after use but have not used refrozen pollen yet. Some folks say it's still good, others say to discard it.

I only had one bloom today, but my daylilies did get a visit from this fellow as well. He was munching on my Lady Alvatine foliage, when I gently removed him and placed him on a bush in the very back of the garden.

Raspberry Mountain



Raspberry Mountain



Noid







Noid

Becky-- are there any retirement areas near you and would they have tall pines? I bet any person with one in the yard would let you come and rake pine needles and cones. I use the cones in the bottom of my potted plants. Plants can usually take acid before alkalinity. Free pine straw and with the bigger older trees the more there is. Many blessings for a wonderful week!

I didn't know either you aren't supposed to mulch daylilies I've been mulching for years with no problems. I use hardwood mulch from our local tree service that is chopped extra to decompose quicker. I've used bagged hardwood but have had mold problems with it. It also gets too expensive when you have to get 20 to 30 yards of it!! I have to watch to make sure it doesn't compact. Some areas have River Rock. Both do well for the lilies

Not quite as hot today. Most daylily blooms doing well.


I'm toying with the idea of registering this seedling. It isn't fancy or patterned, but I really like its consistent looks no matter what the weather. It's form is quite stable as well, something I strive for, and it's quite vigorous. VVOL is one of its parents.


Scatterbrain


Eyes Bright


Fins to the Left, sometimes with a few teeth


Fuchsia Four


Fulton's Ford


Gentle Ed


Grapefruit Guts


Jolly Poly


Jungle Queen

Can't imagine why I bought these two :


Larry's Obsession


Iowa Greenery

Larry, how has Jungle Queen grown for you? Has it survived a couple of winters? Does it bloom above the foliage and increase fairly well?