Why Daylilies?

Why daylilies? How did you get started?

Linda: They're easy, and success is sure if you follow some basic rules. Fourteen years ago, our daughter, Donna, had just bought a home, and I was looking for plants to help fill her yard. I was at Wal-Mart when a truck delivering daylilies pulled up. They were only $3 each, and I packed 25 of them into my trunk--all that would fit. What we couldn't use at her house, we planted at ours. Sam thought I was nuts, but he read up on them and was hooked. At one point, our collection included 500 daylilies, but now we have about 250.

Daylilies are best displayed in sweeping masses, as you've done along your back border, but there is one bed that's different. Tell me about it.

Linda: I noticed that many daylilies had the same names as members of our family. I thought, "Let's have a family bed." A sampling includes 'Donna's Prayer,' 'Rebecca Marie' for our granddaughter, and now 'Sam's Delight.' For years, my stand-in was 'Witch Stitchery,' which Sam bought as a joke. I'm glad to say we now have 'Linda's Magic' as its replacement.