Historic Daylilies

This year I began my focus on historic daylilies. I am absolutely enamored with how old homesites can have barely ruins of what was once there and still have daylilies coming up.

This year we found some historic daylilies that had naturalized at the historic cemetery. Autumn Reds and Fulvas, so far. AI tells me seeds would not survive birds digestive system. Those Autumn Reds and Fulvas were probably planted there by a loving family member or friend or a volunteer gardener. Can you imagine the stories they could tell?

I got to thinking – those daylilies have probably survived grass cutting and deer munching for decades, maybe longer. Fulva could have been planted when the historic cemetery began. A testament to their endurance.

We had a drought this year. The historic cemetery does not have sprinklers. The garden looks rough. But the daylilies bloomed and even made abundant pods (which I pulled and put in compost). The greens are fine.

And I thought of the Autumn Reds out front at the townhouse. They are not part of the sprinkling pattern. They survive on rain, and even through drought they look beautiful.

I looked at my daylily inventory, and also my own seedling list. A vast majority of the seedling varieties have at least one historic parent. Many have both. Which ones would survive drought and low to no maintenance best? I am guessing the historic ones would fare best.

And I thought to myself, what would happen at the historic cemetery if I replaced fading plants that are not very drought tolerant to historic daylilies? What would it look like in 10, 20, 50 years? Would they still come up and bloom? Would they naturalize if the cemetery volunteer program faded, as has happened various times during the cemetery’s history? I am guessing the daylilies in the garden would be there, blooming away.

Daylilies, Daylilies. Yes, please, more historic daylilies 🙂