We have 5 clumps of daylilies in our front yard. I am not a particularly big fan of daylilies, especially the yellow daylilies, so I decided to move them to the side of the house.. Even if you don’t want to transplant your daylilies, sometimes, they do need to be divided. They can get a bit dense and it will affect their bloom and how manicured they look.
Early spring is the best time to transplant daylilies, but you can also do it in the late fall, when you know that their flowering is done. Either way, know that they may not flower the year that you transplant them. Likely, they will just send up green shoots and die back, feeding themselves for the NEXT flowering season.
Dividing daylilies is really pretty simple. Start by loosening the soil all around the base of the plant. Lift the plant out of the ground in one big clump. Then, using a garden fork or even a hand shovel, loosen the root ball. Pull out smaller clumps of daylilies, making sure that you have both the root and at least three sets of leaves. If you plan on transplanting the pieces you have divided, cut the leaves back to about 6 inches long. If you aren’t moving the daylilies, just put the smaller divided pieces back into the hole you just pulled them up from. {For the best results, follow the transplant directions even if you are putting it back into the same hole–it will help the divided daylilies acclimate faster.}
To transplant the daylilies, prepare a spot by loosening the soil and digging a hole about 10″ deep. It’s best to plant them with a bit of compost that you have worked into the soil in the newly dug hole. Space each transplant at least 18 inches apart. When you set the daylilies into the hole, make sure to fan out their roots before you cover them with dirt. Back fill the hole completely with dirt, and then pat down and water in well.
Daylilies grow CRAZY fast, so you may find that you need to repeat the dividing process every 3 years or so to keep them looking spiffy.
Now go divide and conquer.
~Mavis
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Candy says
Hi Mavis, Thank you for the step by step dividing of dayliles. They are so careful,sturdy, and dependable.The yellow varieties happen to be my favorite and mine are scented. It is difficult to think that other parts of the country is already dividing their dayllies as I live in Ohio and we are facing -35 tonight with winds at 20mph and freezing fog. Church services are actually cancelled for Sunday. It is days like this that I am especially thankful for all the hard work of gardening done the previous season as we have a well-stocked pantry and freezers and no need to go out. I look forward to reading your blog and have gained some good information and taken advantage of some of the excellent deals amnd books you have posted.Enjoy yoouir garden.Perhaps in a couple months I will be out there as well.
Renay says
I have that same yellow fragrant variety as Candy and they do not spread like the other kinds of daylily. I have that kind too, and they are actually invasive and tough to get rid of – either digging or ‘sharing’. haha
The fragrant yellow one is a very well behaved one in my northwest garden.
Jennifer Meyer says
Does dividing Shasta daisies work the same?
Elise Baldridge says
I have a maroon daylily that i have had for quite a few years. I have not divided it yet but i was going to do it this fall and create more gardens with some existing perrenials that i have. My question is this….my daylilies produced babies, similar to a spider plant. Should i discard these or try to grow roots on them and transplant them in September? A response would be appreciated.