Stella de Oro Daylilies Add Beauty to Garden

A few years ago my neighbor had put two containers of Stella de Oro daylilies at the curb, they were near death and I did not think they would survive but took them anyway. I submerged the container of extremely dry dirt in tepid sink water. This allowed the container to take in the water and the soil became evenly moist. I removed the container plant and drained the sink before setting the container in the sink to drain.

When all the water had drained I set two lilies close to a plant to grow light, since they had been in a dark garage for several days. I knew that they needed light.  Well, I rescued the Stella de Oro's in time because both survived.  They were transplanted into my garden and today they bloomed. The repeat large gold star flower blooms are beautiful.

Plant taxonomy classifies Stella de Oro daylilies under the daylily genus, Hemerocallis, which derives from the Greek, hemera, "day," plus kallos, "beauty”

Word of Mouth Garden Job

 I have been working on my gardens for the last 7 days.  Know that my yard and garden represents my skills and if I am to get jobs in the neighborhood then my yard and gardens better be near perfect.     

My yard and gardens are not formal because every plant that I grow is to benefit wildlife.  The only way to describe my yard and garden is to say that it is a sensory garden with fragrant flowers, wind chimes and water features.  Plus there is an original (came with the house) American Indian sculpture and cement sculptures that I have made scattered throughout the garden.

Upper-level garden; patio and sandstone walkway

My gardens take up a half acre of land and they are a sight to behold especially when in full bloom. There are three levels of gardens plus paths and garden nooks then a meadow that has a path that goes around it where you can view the pretty flowers, stop to watch the birds at the feeders, sit on the garden bench and read from your Kindle or sleep on the hammock. The meadow is an area that I created for neighborhood children to learn more about flowers and nature.  

Lower level garden by grass garden

This week the bee balm, Asiatic and daylilies are in bloom as well as the roses, black-eyed Susan's red clover, catmint, and coneflowers.  So if you walk down the alley you can look down into my yard and see my pretty gardens. 

Stella de Oro lilies and Black Eyed Susan's in bloom

To make a long story short, people from the neighborhood were walking down my alley to get to the nature trails and a man stopped to look at my yard and gardens.  He came into my yard and took the path that winds around my pond,

Garden path to brick patio and grass garden

I went out to talk to him and we had a nice chat, he told me his daughter just bought a home in Branson, MO and she needed help with planning her landscape and asked if I did this sort of thing.

I gave him my business card and that is how word of mouth got me my next digital garden job.

 

Lily Growing Tips

Lilies come in a variety of colors and sizes.  There are border lilies that are mid-sized that may be grown along a walkway or encircling a tree.  

Then there are the smaller lilies; Stella de Oro or happy returns that look good grown in the front of the garden. In the back or in the center grow  Asiatic, Orientals, and tiger lilies in the back of the garden.  These lilies will add interest and height to your flower garden.

If you want to add an exotic appeal to your yard and garden then grow tiger lilies.  The lily is a summer-blooming flower that will produce flowers in July and August.   

Lilies that bloom in my garden.   

Growing Lilies

Lilies are easy to grow. Plant the lily bulbs in the fall.  Nursery-grown lilies are planted in spring after the danger of frost has passed.  

Grow lilies in full sun to part sun in well-drained acidic soil. If you have extremely hot summers then lilies will welcome partial shade.  My summers are hot with temperatures soaring into the 100s.   

My lilies have four hours of the morning sun, four hours of partial shade in the afternoon, and four hours of the late afternoon sun.  I shelter them from the peak heat and they are healthy. 

Planting Lilies

Clear your garden site by removing grass, weeds, and rocks.  Loosen the soil to sixteen inches deep.  Dig a hole that is six inches deep.  Add some bone meal and then set the fat flat end of the lily in the center of the hole the slightly pointy side should face up. 

Backfill the hole with the remaining soil and water the lilies well.  For multiple planting of lilies space your lilies 12 to 18  inches apart.

Tips
When lilies are above the ground apply mulch around them to help to maintain moisture and to discourage weed growth.
In autumn cut your lilies back.

Then add three inches of mulch on top of the lilies this will protect them throughout winter.

 Here are some tips on growing Asiatic lilies in a container: