I care about day lilies

Joe Agosta demonstrating how to divide a daylily

 I can't believe I care about daylilies. Until Saturday I knew only three things about them:

1. Grandma Frey used to have them in the back yard of her duplex on Rich Street.
2. They were in the front yard when we bought this house. 
3. Clark would mow them down. To him they looked like grass. 

Then Saturday I heard Joe Agosta talk about his beloved flower at Tallahassee Nurseries. He is president of the Daylily Society, and I think he mentioned that he tends 1/2 acre of daylilies. I went because someone had to save our daylilies.

Now I know this about daylilies:

1. Divide them every three to five years.
2. They need at least 6 hours of sunlight.
3. Plant them 12" apart.
4. They like moist soil of 1"-1 1/2"  water/week.

A Daylily Year

Feb. 14: Fertiize with Milorganite and Osmocote 3:1:2
April: Bloom season begins. There are 2-3 weeks of rest between blooms. I'm not sure how long this goes on.
April: Fertilize with Milorganite only.
September: Best time to divide and plant.
September: Fertilize with Milorganite and Osmocote 3:1:2

Some neat words:
Floriferous -- blooming
Bloomscape -- stalk
Fan -- bloomscape
Corms -- not bulbs

How to divide a daylily:

1. With a spade cut a circle bigger than the plant, digging down 6"- 8".
2. Lift the plant out.
3. Remove dirt.
4. Hose off roots.
5. Cut the fan to 6". 
6. The plants will separate. If they don't, encourage with a screwdriver.
7. Trim roots to 6". 
8. Replant or give to friends.