When I plant a daylily I put a handful of alfalfa and chicken litter in the hole, mix it in the soil as I make the mound to sit the daylily on. After planting I top dress with the same thing plus slow release and have never had a problem with heat. I do most of my planting in boxes and one thing I look for is worms, if I have lots of worms then the soil is in good condition and the worms are also feeding the daylilies. This is also a good sign in the seedling beds that are in the ground. Worms love alfalfa.
