The late Ra Hansen ( Dan Hansen's mother for any who might be newer to daylilies) always said to wait until the scapes were brown and would come out when pulled or tugged gently . She knew daylilies, and I've always followed her advice. Just last night, I went around and gave a gentle tug to the brown scapes - if they pulled out easily then they were pulled and and added to the compost pile. Sometimes they brown and are still not quite ready to pull - they won't come out with a gentle tug. A few snapped off last night , so they were just left until they've browned a bit more. If the scapes look too unsightly, you can always prune them - it's whatever floats your boat. But I agree with Sue, at some point they need to be pulled. In the fall ( beginning in late Sept. here) the entire garden will get cleaned - all scapes will be pulled and the foliage will be cut back to about 6". Perennials will be cut back too. Some in more northern climates prefer to leave all the old foliage to act as mulch during the winter, but here it's better to get the garden as clean as possible so that no insects or diseases are harbored on the old foliage over winter.
