Day Lilies Poisonous
Day lilies poisonous or not to pets? The flowers are not poisonous to dogs but are toxic to cats. Also known by their Latin name of hemerocallis, daylilies are native to the temperate areas of Japan, Siberia, China, and Eurasia.
Growing daylilies is so easy and as one of the summer’s flowering delights, the day lily deserves to be more widely grown and can be ordered easily over the internet. The plants’ exotic blooms make a superb and easy to grow garden plant
There are many known species of daylilies but only a few of these are grown in gardens today. The day lily species Hemerocallis minor, with its graceful grass-like foliage and vivid yellow flowers provides the garden with dense clumps of sweetly perfumed groundcover plants.
Day lily species Hemerocallis fulva ‘Kwanso’ has star-shaped rusty red flowers and Hemerocallis liloasphodelus AGM is clump-forming with delightful yellow flowers Both are very popular daylilies.
Hybrid DayLilies
And the species day lily Hemerocallis dumortieri is late spring flowering with light yellow flowers and dark bud from May into June.
Daylilies readily hybridize and the modern day lily owes much to the work of Dr. Arlow Burdette Stout who spent over 40 years at New York Botanical Gardens hybridizing and growing daylilies.
Stout is responsible for introducing about 100 cultivars of day lily and published the definite work on these plants, titled simply Daylilies.
The day lily is a remarkably tough and resilient plant able to survive with very little care and in a wide range of climates. So growing daylilies shouldn’t be much of a problem even for non-gardeners.
In fact, the day lily is the ideal summer plant. And with careful selection, you can have daylilies flowering from late spring well into the fall.
Day Lilies Care
When growing daylilies remember that mature clumps of daylilies should be lifted and divided approximately every three years. This keeps them flowering well and promotes vigor. Do this immediately after flowering or in early spring.
Also be aware that when choosing a day lily, many of the evergreen and semi-evergreen varieties that come from the southern United States may not be fully hardy in northern states or in the UK. However, these make ideal pot plants.
Day lilies poisonous to cats, if you have a cat that chews on plants, you might want to keep an eye on it. However, the plant is none toxic to dogs and dog owners have nothing to worry about. You can also read this post on other poisonous flowers to cats.
Growing Day Lilies in Pots
Growing daylilies in pots, particularly the less hardy cultivars, is easy and means you can bring them inside for the winter where they need very little attention other than the occasional water to stop them drying out completely. They can then be divided and repotted in spring ready for the coming summer.
Daylilies Pests and Diseases
The day lily has a few pests and disease to look out for. The most serious, particularly in the southern United States, is Hemerocallis rust. Always buy from a reputable source and if you suspect your plant has rust then remove the infected leaves and burn them. don’t compost diseased leaves. If the disease is serious then destroy the whole plant.
Clumps of growing daylilies attract slugs and snails and these can be a problem for young leaves and flowers. Regularly inspect the day lily clumps and destroy and slugs and snails before their numbers build up.
In yellow-flowered varieties of daylilies, the Hemerocallis gall midge can prevent flowering and cause bud distortion. Remove infected buds by hand and destroy.
The natural form of the day lily flower is trumpet-shaped but it also comes in other forms including spider-shaped, circular, star-shaped, flat and ruffled.
Popular Day Lily Varieties
When growing daylilies, you’re spoilt for choice. Here’s just a few to choose from:
Day Lily Chicago Sunrise has golden yellow flowers and is an evergreen perennial.
Day Lily Janice Brown is unusual in that it has a light pink flower and a rosy pink center. It is very free flowering.
Day Lily Pandora’s Box is a beauty with large cream flowers and a purple eye.
Day Lily Stella de Oro flowers from June to August. It’s low growing and ideal for the front of a border and has masses of golden yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. One of the best.
Day Lily Lime Frost is one of the best of the white-flowered varieties.
Day Lily Luxury Lace flowers from July through August. Its flowers are peachy with a faint lavender tint.
Day Lily Golden Chimes AGM gives a massed display of small bronzy yellow flowers during July and August.
Day Lily Golden Zebra has striking yellow variegated foliage and exotic sunshine yellow flowers. It likes full sun and is long flowering. Ideal for pots and containers.
Hardy Day Lilies for Naturalizing
These beauties are a snap to grow. They produce bigger clumps and more flowers each summer, giving you so many colorful blooms you’ll have plenty left over for your cut-flower bouquets! They’re stunning in the garden among other flowering perennials, in masses, in beds, or as a colorful border around evergreens and other trees and shrubs. Or, to give your yard an unplanned look, try several of these Lilies in a naturalized setting. They’ll grow up to 3′ tall in full sun to partial shade.
Blooms: Summer
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Height: Up to 3′
Zones: 3 – 9
Size: 10 – 12 cm bulbs
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