What to plant before and after day lilies bloom

(Question)

I am considering planting a variety of day lilies in a bed in my front yard that gets full sun. My concern is what to plant before they bloom in July and after the blooms have finished. The bed is about 15’ x 2’. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks very much.

(Answer)

You will have a colourful front garden when you get this all planted! But a depth of two feet can be a challenge. You will want to ensure the daylilies get full sun for several weeks both before and after bloom, so consider planting other companions between the daylilies. The foliage likes lots of room, so select only two or three other flowering sun lovers to ensure continuous colour.

Daylilies enjoy the company of Echinacea, lavender, Shasta daisy, Bergamot, Phlox, heliopsis and Yarow, They all love sun, good drainage, tolerate some dryness, and are all easy care.  Do check out their habits to ensue you don’t have any one selection take over the space too much. All these plants will need thinning out every few years.

Some early bloomers which may be shorter and not interfere with the growing foliage of the daylilies are lamium, dianthus, and creeping sedum.

 

For general information on long-blooming perennials, try our own Gardening Guides, visible when you enter the Toronto Master Gardener site.

You may wish to search all of these varieties to select your favourites.  Try the link site below, and select Long-blooming perennials for a colourful list and growing habits.

http://www.Missouribotanicalgarden.org

  http://www.perennialplant.org