Sunshine Farm and Gardens: Glick Pick Archives: Hemerocallis thunbergii

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Hemerocallis thunbergii

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Imagine a daylily with 84", that's 7 feet!!!, flower stems with brilliant yellow flowers that have an intense fragrance. Well imagine no more, because it exists. I'm describing Hemerocallis thunbergii, a native of Japan, and a worthwhile addition to any perennial garden. As with most Hemerocallis, this is quite the easy plant to grow. I grow it in full sun and it makes a 24" -36" clump in just a couple of years.

Blooming over a long period of time, from June through August, the flowers open around mid afternoon and stay open through the following morning. In their native habitat, they are most likely pollinated by night flying moths. I hand pollinate the flowers to insure a good seed set, by taking the pollen rich anthers of one flower and rubbing them onto the stigma of another. I try to cross pollinate one plant with another to assure genetic diversity.

The seeds are sown outside so as to let Mother Nature do her thing. They'll germinate the following Spring and you may even get a flower or two that year, they'll all flower the following year. Clumps can be divided very easily in the early Spring before growth commences.

There's a cool picture of Hemerocallis thunbergii with MT Fuji in the background at http://gnl.cplaza.ne.jp/pg980819/b2/yusuge. jpg

Just the facts M'am:
Kingdom - Plantae
Phylum - Anthophytae
Class - Monocotolydonae
Subclass - Liliidae
Order - Liliales
Family - Liliaceae
Genus - Hemerocallis
Species - thunbergii
Common name - "Thunbergs Daylily"???
Synonyms - See comments by Jim Waddick
Native of - Japan
USDA Hardiness Zone - zone 5 at least, probably 4, maybe 3
Light preference - Full sun to part shade
Soil preference - Average
Moisture preference - Average to moist
Bloom time - Mid Spring - mid Summer
Bloom color - Yellow
Fragrance - Yes
Foliage - Medium green
Spread - 18" - 36"
Height - 12" - 24", Flower stems to 84"
Landscape uses - Back of the border.
Medicinal uses - None that I have found

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© 2001 Barry Glick and Sunshine Farm & Gardens

Barry Glick, Sunshine Farm and Gardens
696 Glicks Rd, Renick, WV 24966, USA
Phone: (304) 497-2208
E-mail: barry@sunfarm.com

Last modified February 25, 2020
URL: https://www.sunfarm.com/picks/hemerocallisthunbergii-123338.phtml