COLCHICUM, AKA COLICHUM

Colchicum - colchicum, crocus belongs to the family Colchicaceae -Colchicum(formerly part of the family Liliaceae).
These are corm ephemeroids, common in the Caucasus, Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia. About 70 species have been found in nature.
Colchicum - very unusual plant, living and blooming according to its own rules, as people say - not in time and without time. This extravagant style of existence helps the plant avoid the unpleasant consequences of summer drought in its homeland, where they have adapted to retire during hot summers and bloom and grow during relatively mild winters. Colchicums maintain their life calendar in our conditions.
They are characterized by a lopsided corm, covered with dry scales, and funnel-shaped flowers of 6 leaves fused into a tube at the bottom.
We are accustomed to admiring and growing autumn-flowering species and their varieties in our gardens. From the end of August to the beginning of November, simple and double flowers appear, their color ranging from varying degrees of pink to white.
And in the spring, leaves grow, covering the low-lying seed pod. After the seeds ripen aboveground part the plants dry out, and the colchicum freezes until autumn.
There are also very spring-flowering beautiful views that bloom in our climate in early spring. Simultaneously with flowering, leaves appear.
The plants themselves are about 15 cm in height with a flower up to 4 cm in diameter. At the beginning of June, the leaves turn yellow and the colchicum goes into retirement.
These colchicums are quite rare and can only be found in collectors' gardens. The reason for this is not so much their capriciousness, but their lack of free sale and extremely low reproduction ability, in contrast to their autumn-flowering counterparts.
In fact, any gardener can grow this flower in the garden if you know some tricks:
It is advisable to plant spring-flowering colchicums in the second half of September, to a depth of 3-4 times the height of the corm.
Choose a planting site that is windless, sunny, and well-drained. It can be alpine coaster or some kind of elevation.
The soil must be fertile and retain moisture well during the period of crocus growth. I make my own mixture - the base is loam, I add well-rotted compost, coarse washed river sand and dolomite flour.
The plants are rare and, in order not to lose them, I plant them in deep plastic containers, but this is not necessary.
For better formation Corms and flower stalks should be fed in the spring with fertilizer such as Kemira-combi.
During the growing season, do not forget to water and, preferably, protect from slugs.
When the leaves turn yellow, be sure to dig up the corms to dry and store them like tulip bulbs. Since my plants live in containers, I simply take out the containers and leave them under cover until planting. I change the soil in the container every three years.
At the very end of October, with the onset of cold weather, the plantings need to be mulched with leaves and protected from winter dampness. It could just be glass placed on pebbles. You can adapt an ordinary small greenhouse. Personally, I like five-liter plastic containers from drinking water. I don’t remove the cover, I make two narrow slits on opposite sides for ventilation and the personal shelter is ready. At the beginning of April I remove the jars.
There are not many species of Colchicum that can overwinter in our conditions. In my garden grow:
Colchicumhungaricum, syn. S. doerfleri.

It is found on the gravelly slopes of the Tien Shan, Pamir-Alai, Tibet, and Himalaya mountains.
One of the first to bloom in the garden. As soon as the snow melts, sunny bright yellow flowers appear and a little later the leaves begin to grow.
The corm is ovoid-oblong, flattened, with brown scales. This is the only species of colchicum with a yellow perianth.
In our climate, plants are capricious and do not always overwinter successfully.
They need very good drainage, light soils and careful shelter from winter dampness. Florist Leonid Bondarenko from Lithuania achieved great success in acclimatizing this species. He managed to select clones capable of producing one or two daughter corms and seeds.
Varieties: Golden Elf, Minion, Vahch.

Colchicumkesselringii, syn.C. regelii. Grows in wet clayey-gravelly areas in the subalpine mountain belt Central Asia, Pamir-Alai and Tien Shan.
The plant itself is very similar to a crocus. The small corm is oblong, with leathery dark covers. Amazing flower. He's white and outer side The perianth is decorated with violet-purple stripes. It blooms early in the garden and leaves grow at the same time. The leaves are slightly curled during flowering.
Colchicum Kesselring comes from the same places as the yellow crocus and is in many ways similar to it - in its instability and requirement for care,
Varieties: Glory of Highland, Janis Ruksans, My Choice, Purple Star,

Colchicumszovitsii. Its homeland is South Transcaucasia, the Mediterranean, where it is found in the mountains in subalpine and alpine meadows.
The corm is round, dark brown. The flowers are pink to white and relatively large. The leaves are lanceolate and after flowering they become very elongated.
The plant is stable in cultivation, blooms regularly, but sets seeds extremely poorly and rarely reproduces vegetatively.
Variety "Alla's Giant": "Alla's Giant" Tivi.

It is worth mentioning the brandus and merender, which used to be part of the genus Colchicum.
Bulbocodium vernum. Originates from the Mediterranean and Southern Europe, where it lives in floodplain and mountain meadows.
It blooms in early spring with lilac-pink funnel-shaped flowers with a short tube (as if sessile on the ground). Leaves appear at the end of flowering.
Frost-resistant, unpretentious in cultivation, prefers humus-rich, well-drained, moist soils. Reproduces vegetatively.
About Merender. There are about 20 species, their range is the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, Western and Central Asia. They grow in the same conditions as colchicums. They differ from them by star-shaped flowers of 6 leaves, not fused at the bottom into a tube, but free, painted in dark pink and white tones.
The following species are most often found and grow and bloom without problems in the spring in the garden.
Merenderasobolifera. In the Moscow region it blooms very early, the flowers are pink and white, fully open. Reproduces mainly by seeds.

Nina Zabelina, member of the "Adonis" section

The selection of daylilies in recent years has presented many surprising surprises. Flowers are becoming more diverse in color, pattern and shape. Anna Rubinina, chairman of the daylily section of the Moscow Flower Growers Club, talks about a completely new group of multiform varieties, recently officially registered by the American Hemerocallis Society. Help in the preparation of this material was provided directly by American breeders themselves, pioneers in this direction.

The United States has undeniable primacy in the hybridization and breeding of daylilies. The American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) is the world's official cultivar registrar. Based on the structure of the flower, until recently, terry, multi-petal, spider and varieties with an unusual flower shape (UFO) were divided into separate groups.

And recently, classifiers had to add another special group for varieties that do not fit into any of the previous ones. It began to include daylilies with flowers that have characteristic features of two or more forms at once, namely: double spiders, double UFO, multi-petal spiders, multi-petal UFO, spider-UFO. And also spiders or UFOs are both terry and multi-petaled. And they called this group Daylilies with Multiple Flower Forms, colloquially multiform, translated literally Multiform, there’s no other way to say it.

The first such varieties began to appear a little over 10 years ago. And the pioneer on this path was Mrs. Jane Joyner Jan Joiner, daughter-in-law of the famous Enman Joiner Enman Joiner, who in the 70s achieved dizzying success in working with terry daylilies. By crossing a seedling of her spider, Jan’s Twister, with a certain double seedling, three generations later, in 1999, Jane received a daylily that was both double and had an unusual flower shape. It was Fluttering Beauty, with a diameter of 22.5 cm, narrow curled petals of color Ivory and a light green neck. He was the first sign.

Here's what Miss Leslie LAMB MAUCK says, http://daylily.net/gardens/thelambsgarden/index.htm American daylily hybridizer, working on new multi-form varieties:

« I believe that it was Jane Joyner who came up with this idea of ​​terryUFO. She got a lot of seedlings by working with herFlutteringBeauty. I am convinced thatFlutteringBeauty remains a parent todayN 1 for terryUFO. Among those who immediately began working on producing such daylilies is Jamie Gossard (JamieGossard) and Dan Bashman (DanBachman). They both use my varieties for hybridizationGetOffMyTutu andCarolynMersiovsky. TimHerringtonAlsoworksVthisregion.

HerselfIputbeforeyourselftaskconnectionsmultilobedAndterryness(WhatCanobserveatsuchvarieties, HowFor exampleSchnickel Fritz, Fin and Feather, Little Damsel, Alternate Universe andForsyth Tepaled Double), AAlsoI'm working hardAndabovecreationterryUFO.»

Get Off My Tutu	Feminine Fingers	Fin and Feather	Firefly Frenzy

Here's what Miss Pat Cochenour from Virginia says, http://www.fairyscapedaylilies.com/Cochenour.htm (she has been hybridizing daylilies since the mid-80s, registering her first variety in 2001):

« I immediately became interested in breedingUFO when I saw itFireflyFrenzy, new terryUFO Jane Joyner. I already adored terry ones back then, soFireflyFrenzy made a strong impression. Started collecting terryUFOs by Jane Joyner, such asFireflyFrenzy,FashionLeader and LeaderFlutteringBeauty and cross them with terry typehose-in-hose (literally - “flower within a flower”). I gradually began to see seedlings with the shapeUFO and at the same time terry. And after some time I managed to get a flower that I liked. It was a seedling from the parentsDoublePrizexFireflyFrenzy and I called himSplitEnds and registered in the Takhrov group, since at that timeAHS has not yet allowed the same variety to be registered in different categories simultaneously.

My new achievement was a successful crossingFashionLeaderxSpottedFewer. From him I receivedTakeMeToYourLeader who is up to today remains mine best result among terryUFO, as well as several terry varieties, notUFO.

SuccessfulseedlingsIreceivedalso fromFashion Leader andTake Me To Your Leader.»

Multi-form daylilies are a very young direction, there are not many of them yet, and the hybridizers who work in this area can be counted on one hand.

There is one important detail, which is always specified in the descriptions when registering each terry variety(and now each multi-form) is the percentage of double flowers typical for a given variety. For example, the varieties Split Ends and Peggy’s Brainchild are 100% double, which means all their flowers are double. Airy Delight - 95%, and Fashion Leader produces only 85% double flowers, that is, approximately every ninth or tenth flower may turn out to be not double, but simply UFO.

The same applies to the multi-petal property - for example, the variety Queen Kathleen (Doorakian 2002) is spider and multi-petal, but its multi-petal is only 25%, which means only every fourth flower exhibits both characteristics at the same time. But a similar variety, Carolina Octopus (Baxter 2002), exhibits 65% multiple petals. So hybridizers have something to strive for.

Daylily collector Anna Rubinina

Terms worth knowing if you are interested in daylilies:

Fin and Feather

Terry daylilies - perianths have more than six petals. There are two types of doubleness in daylilies -

1) When the stamens degenerate into petaloids, petal-shaped formations (paeony type double)

2) When the flower consists of more than two circles of petals (hose-in-hose double)

Multipetalled daylilies - each circle of perianth lobes has more than three petals - most often four or five. At the same time, the number of stamens and carpels of the pistil is also correspondingly increased.

Spiders- a flower with narrow petals, the length to width ratio of which is 4:1 or more

Unusually shaped daylilies (UFO)- a class of daylily varieties based solely on the shape of the petals. To be classified in this class, it is enough for a variety to have at least three unusual petals - an inner or outer circle. The petals of each circle should not practically overlap at their base.

There are three types of flowers in this class: curled, cascading and spatulate.

I have never loved lilies, although as a novice gardener I tried to plant all the flowers I knew, including lilies, on my plot.

The first white lilies lived on my plot for 2 years, but there were many problems with them: either mice would gnaw on the bulbs, or a mole cricket would take over the flowerbed, or spider mites would appear.

At the same time, the orange wild lily, which grew on its own far from the flowerbed (it was left over from the previous owners of the estate), did not have any problems. It turned out that it was not a lily, but a daylily, popularly called the “red lily.”

Captivated by its unpretentiousness, I began to look for possible cultivated varieties of the flower. There were several tens of thousands of them, including hybrids, and all of them were fabulous beauty. Of course, daylilies are now growing on my site.

This is the Stella de Oro daylily, otherwise it is simply called yellow, the most unpretentious, blooms all summer and has a wonderful aroma.

The article will describe the most interesting and unusual varieties flowers and their characteristics are given.

Lilies and daylilies are different representatives one class. It is very important not to confuse these 2 plants. It is quite easy to distinguish them:

Daylilies are otherwise called “red daylilies”, since their flowers “live” only one day. They can open their buds early in the morning or in the evening, so they are divided into daytime and nighttime.

Flower shapes can be very diverse:

• Round;
• Curved;
• Lace;
• Terry;
• Flat;
• Triangular;
• Star-shaped;
• Tubular.

Daylilies can be simple, double and spider (spider-shaped flower).

The color of the petals also has many variations: from simple single-color to multi-colored with edging and stripes, with spots, dusting and tints.

Daylilies are classified according to the color of their petals into the following groups:

• White or close to it;
• Yellow;
• Orange;
• Pink;
• Red;
• Lilac;
• Purple, close to black.

The flower is unpretentious, tolerates sun and partial shade, dry periods and rain, tolerates poor soils and is practically not affected by pests, can grow in one place for a long time without replanting; experts do not even recommend fertilizing it. For these qualities he is called an “intelligent lazy person.”

Daylily has been known since ancient times; in China it was considered a flower for melancholy and sadness, and in many countries it was used in culinary dishes. In addition, decoctions based on daylily were used as a medicine for heart diseases. It is still used today for these purposes.

Variety of daylilies

The names of varieties will be given in English, as in catalogs, with translation into Russian.

White daylilies

There are not many pure white varieties; most have cream, pastel, yellowish, pinkish shades.

Alpine Ruffles

One of the best varieties, plant height is 70-75 cm, the flower is round, up to 15 cm in diameter, has a fringe at the ends of the petals, collected in folds. Each stem produces 45-50 flowers, so flowering continues throughout the summer. The stamens are raised high.

Cool It

One of the most unpretentious of the white varieties, but it is advisable to plant it in sunny places. The growth of the plant reaches 75-80 cm, the flower is no more than 13-15 cm, the edges are corrugated, collected in a wavy rib, the core is green-yellow. It blooms long and profusely and has a pleasant aroma.

Yellow daylilies

Variations yellow color These varieties are diverse: from lemon to dark sand and canary.

Mike Longo (Mike Longo)

The variety, known among amateurs, is famous for its original melon coloring of the petals, which varies in more than ten shades. The petal is edged with ruffles, collected in jagged seals, and decorated with longitudinal stripes - veins. During the season, up to 50 flowers bloom on one peduncle.

Golden Desire

A new variety, released in 2012. Peduncles are tall, up to 90 cm, straight. The flower is large, the color of an egg yolk, voluminous, its size is up to 22 cm.

The petals have longitudinal stripes, and the ends are gathered into a wavy arrangement. 40-45 buds can bloom on a stem. Very bright, eye-catching, fully lives up to its name.

Orange daylilies

The colors of these varieties create an optimistic mood in the garden, ranging from delicate salmon to bright orange.

Double Dream

Exquisite look of a terry plant with delicate petals light carrot color. The petals are arranged in 3 rows, pointed at the tips and slightly curved down, the flower is large, up to 15-18 cm. Grows well in the sun, not afraid low temperatures, drought-resistant. One of the best for landscape design.

BurningDaylight

A large flower, up to 65 cm high, with 6 bright pointed petals similar to flames, which are arranged in 2 rows, with light corrugation along the edges. It blooms late, 2-3 flowers can bloom simultaneously on one peduncle, and has a strong aroma.

Pink daylilies

There are many varieties of pink daylilies a large number of, this is due to the fact that when crossed, the rich pink color dominates over the light yellow and purple colors.

CreativeEdge

Peduncles stretch up to 59-60 cm. The leaves are bright green and narrow. The flower is large, up to 17 cm in diameter, simple, with petals of an unusual lavender color.

The edges of the petals are rounded, with a golden frill. The core of the flower is yellowish in color, around which there is a burgundy rim.

Lacy Doily (Lacy Doily)

The flower is distinguished by the fact that it has the smell of linden honey and is very decorative in appearance. Height can be from 55 cm to 90 cm.

The flower is double, bright crimson in color with corrugated edges. The color of the petals is heterogeneous, there are strokes of pinkish, cherry color. It grows well; an adult plant can “throw out” about 500 flowers during the summer.

Red daylilies

Cherry Lace

The leaves form a tall bush, the width of which is up to 60 cm. The flower stalks rise above it to a height of up to one meter. On them, up to 14-18 luxurious crimson flowers with a diameter of 15-16 cm bloom in inflorescences.

They have wavy edges, slight corrugation and a white stripe in the center of the petal. The aroma is weak.

Вurgundy Love (Burgundy Love)

The flower is dark burgundy in color, reaches only 12-13 cm in diameter, the height of the peduncles is 50 cm. A rare shade of color, it is associated with the color of Burgundy wine, which is why the variety received its name.

The advantage of this species is its high resistance to diseases and pests; it requires constant sunlight.

Lilac daylilies

The color of lilac and purple daylilies is not always advantageous, but there are interesting varieties.

Hemerocallis Bestseller

One of the most beautiful daylilies of this color. The bush reaches a height of 70 cm, the flower corollas are 15 cm. The flower itself is of an unusual juicy light purple color, consists of 6 petals arranged in 2 rows. There is a twisted frill along the edges of the petals light color. Can become a garden decoration.

Daylilies purple - black

Black Stockings

Original in form and color scheme variety, different lush flowering all summer. Reaches a height of 65 cm, the flower is compact, with petals curving down, edged with a wavy frill. It is advisable to plant it as single plants to create an unusual spot in the landscape.

Voodoo Dancer

A rare variety of daylily, it also grows very slowly. The appearance of the flower is very unusual, the color of the petals is dark purple, almost black, the core is yellowish. The petals are velvety, terry, with a wavy edge. It blooms profusely, but has no aroma.

Daylilies are a separate group, having 2-3 colors on their petals. The most popular variety is Frans Hals, named after the famous Dutch portrait painter.

It grows up to one meter and has a wide lush clump. The three lower petals are a solid yellow color, the three upper ones are red with a yellow stripe in the middle. It blooms very lushly and brightly. Hardy, blooms all summer.

Today they are favorites again. They are distinguished by narrow, long, spider-like petals. They have a number of advantages: they open even in rainy weather, the buds do not rot, they have bright colors and a light shape.

Velvet Ribbons

It is distinguished by its high growth, up to 115 cm, the spread of the petals is up to 30 cm, 35 - 45 flowers bloom on each peduncle. The inflorescence consists of flowers, on the petals of which the purple color smoothly turns into sand.

The petals are curved inward. This gives the impression of ribbons fluttering in the wind. Blooms profusely.

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My Family Garden - Help

Dear friends!

It’s very easy to get lost in such a large assortment of all kinds of products, and of course you want so many things! But it happens that it is not possible to order everything at once.

So that you don’t lose the products you like and don’t waste time searching for them, we have created a convenient section for you where you can save the items you like.

Now you can create your own “Family Garden”.

On the page of our new section you have the opportunity to create convenient lists for you where your plans for future plantings will be stored.
Sort products into lists by price, culture, planting time, or any property convenient for you.

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Create a list, save the selected items there and, when the time comes, click the “all items to cart” button. The total amount of the future order will be shown in the lower right corner.

To get started, use the already created “Favorites” list and save all the items you like to it. If you want to create a list with your own name, just click the “Add new list” button. Give it any name that will help you navigate, for example, “Seeds for 2016”, “My Club”, “Summer Flowerbed”, etc. And when the time comes, in a few clicks order all the necessary goods, for example, for your winter garden.

Browsing now detailed description product, you can click the “Add to My Family Garden” button, and the product you like will be saved in the folder of your choice.

Easy, fast, convenient! Happy shopping!

How to use the My Family Garden section

To add a product to My Family Garden, you must go to the product page.

In the appeared additional window You must select the list to which you would like to add the current product. You can choose New list by giving it a name. After selecting the list, you must click on the “Ok” link.

My Family Garden
On the section page you can view all the products you have added, as well as the lists you have created.

From here you can add items to your cart individually:

And also the whole list:

You can also remove a product from the selected list:

Or clear the entire list of products:

To completely delete the list, use the following link:

Create lists on various topics. Examples of names can be very different: “My future summer flowerbed”, “For the dacha”, “Apple orchard” and many others. Do you know exactly what fruit and berry seedlings you will order? So call the list “Delicious”, adding your favorite varieties there. And when the time comes, order the entire list in just a few steps.

We have done everything to make My Family Garden as convenient and easy to use as possible!

Lushly blooming daylilies are a spectacular decoration of the garden. In modern gardening there are a great many varieties of daylilies. The varietal variety of flowers is so great that it pleasantly amazes the gardener’s imagination and forces him to purchase more and more new plants. At correct selection Daylilies are able to bloom in the Moscow region from early July to mid-September.

Daylilies evergreen, semi-evergreen, dormant

Daylilies with a mark evergreen (EV) not worth purchasing. The implication is that in warm climates their leaves do not die back, resulting in them not being adapted to harsh winters.

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Varieties of evergreen daylilies: photos

Photo: evergreen daylily Alice Stokes

Photo: evergreen daylily Calico Jack

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Varieties of semi-evergreen daylilies: photos

They also behave like evergreens. semi-evergreen daylilies (SEV) . They are also unstable in the conditions of the Moscow region.

Photo: semi-evergreen daylily Peigis Peñata

Photo: semi-evergreen daylily Tuscawilla Tigress

Photo: semi-green daylily Elizabeth Salter
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Varieties of sleeping daylilies: photos

The best option would be to purchase varieties of daylilies marked sleeping (DOR) . Such daylilies winter well and annually delight the gardener with an abundance of flower stalks, despite the difficult climate and unpredictable winters.

Photo: sleeping daylily Macbeth

Photo: sleeping daylily Pardon mi

Photo: sleeping daylily Frans Hols

Photo: sleeping daylily Enchanted Forest

Spider daylily varieties

Among daylilies, a special place is occupied by the group spiders . Their petals have an elongated shape, the tips of the petals are curved outward. U spiders the largest flowers, located mainly on a long peduncle, which justifies their name.

Daylily variety Ruby Spider

Ruby Spider is not a completely typical representative of this group. The variety has a relatively short stature, a compact bush shape, and almost straight petals. The flower itself is distinguished by its bright color and large size, its diameter reaches 18 cm. The variety overwinters in the conditions of the Moscow region without shelter, the bush grows well.

Daylily variety Free Willin

Variety Free Willin , perhaps the most famous of the spider group. It has high peduncles up to 80 cm, large flowers of contrasting colors, a combination of yellow and burgundy, and a green throat. In the conditions of the Moscow region, not the most resistant variety. In harsh winters it can freeze, so you need to cover it with a bucket of soil for the winter.

Varieties of dark spider daylilies

Among the dark-colored spiders, the following varieties are spectacular:

• Katchin Raze,
• Prairie Blue Eyes,
• Cherry Swizler.

Photo: Prairie Blue Eyes daylily

Varieties of white spider daylilies

Particularly impressive are the white spiders with the thinnest petals curved outward:

• Heavenly Angel Eyes,
• Heavenly Flight of Angels.

In my garden, spiders of dark colors demonstrate the greatest winter hardiness, while light ones are susceptible to freezing and getting wet.

Varieties of dwarf daylilies

Dwarf daylilies will become worthy decoration miniature garden, will look impressive in a small garden or in a natural garden. Thanks to the abundant flower stalks, the plants look very elegant.

Group dwarf daylilies has the following characteristics:

• restrained growth
• compact bush,
• flowers are small, up to 6-7 cm in diameter,
• the presence of abundant flower stalks, on each of which up to 5 flowers bloom simultaneously,
• As a rule, they have narrow, straight leaves, similar to pointed grass.

One of the most spectacular, but unfortunately not winter-hardy daylilies in the Moscow region is the Lacey Dolly variety. Other varieties of dwarf daylilies are distinguished by good winter hardiness.

Photo: dwarf daylily Gamma Quadrant

Varieties of terry daylilies

When choosing varieties of daylilies for your garden, you need to remember that double daylilies and daylilies with geometric patterns are the most capricious. After harsh winters, they may not bloom or will bloom with simple flowers, or even freeze completely. group double daylilies It’s good to plant where there is free access to plants; you want to admire their flowers endlessly.

Terry daylilies will be the pride of any collection :

• dark cherry Knight Ambers ,
• orange - red Paprika Flame ,
• contrasting Rosuita ,
• luxurious Explodid Pumpkin .

Varieties of double daylily Susan Pritchad Petit

Among the group of terry daylilies, there is also the most fragrant - this variety Susan Pritchard Petit . It has very tall peduncles - up to 1.5 m.

Terry daylily variety Kwanso

One of the most common double daylilies is the variety Kwangso. It has a reddish color, grows well and overwinters, the peduncles are tall - up to 1.5 m. Yes Kwangso and with variegated foliage, which looks very interesting. However, in my garden, within 5 years, the leaves with white stripes have completely turned into regular green ones.

Photo: terry daylily Longfields Maxim

Photo: double daylily Happy Hooligan

Top 8 varieties - the best daylilies in my garden

1. Of the spiders, the undisputed leader is the bright variety Ruby Spider .

2. From contrasting daylilies - variety Moussaka .

3. The largest flower stalks of the variety El Desperado , their diameter reaches 18 cm.

Photo: daylily El Desperado

4. Variety with the most delicate pink tone flower stalks Pink Damascus takes 2nd place in the size of flowers, their diameter is 15-16 cm. The variety is distinguished by an abundance of buds, ideal for creating a romantic garden corner.

Photo: Daylily Pink Damask

5. Ancient variety Citrina with lemon flowers is good when planting near a pond. It blooms in the evening, filling the garden with the scent of citron, it has the strongest scent.

Photo: Citrina daylily (Hemerocallis citrina)

6. Contrasting variety with tall peduncles Wild Horses creates a festive mood and decorates any flower bed.

Photo: Daylily Wild Horses

7. I have a particular weakness for daylilies with a wide, ruffled, contrasting border. The leader among such varieties John Peet , does not grow much, but overwinters well.

Photo: Daylily John Peat

8. Of course, it is impossible to ignore the famous variety with dark flowers and a light green throat - Bella Lugosi . No matter how many daylilies there are in my garden, guests invariably ask for a shoot from it.

Photo: Daylily Bella Lugosi

In the vast world of daylilies there is a special group of varieties. They are called spiders, or arachnid daylilies (from “spider”, translated from English as “spider”). They received such an unusual name simply because their flowers are distinguished by long, narrow, often widely spread petals, like spider legs.

About varieties

There are many varieties of daylilies, and spiders are no exception. Therefore, I will only tell you about those that have been growing successfully in my garden for a long time.

‘Velvet Ribbons’. Photo: Andrey Ganov

Here, for example, is the gorgeous ‘Velvet Ribbons’. From looking at him flowering bush It's absolutely breathtaking. And color, and size, and shape! When describing this variety, you no longer want the boring words “flower diameter”. I want something poetic, well, at least “the scattering of petals.” By the way, in this variety it is about 30 cm - about the size of a good plate. And the height of the peduncle, by Lileynikovsky standards, is Guards - 110 cm. And with such completely unearthly beauty, it blooms very well and grows well.

And here is the absolutely stunning ‘Heavenly Angel Ice’. It has everything: elegance, grace, and some kind of mystery. Each daylily flower lasts only one day, but every day more and more new flowers open, which, like human fingerprints, are never repeated. No, no, if this variety is supposed to be a soft cream color with a green throat, then so be it, but the size of the whimsically curved curls, the turn of the flower, its shape are unique.

By the way, every year the American Daylily Society awards awards in the category “ best variety"- Stout medal. Three years ago, ‘Heavenly Angel Ice’ received this award.

'Heavenly Angel Ice'. Photo: Andrey Ganov

Another one of my favorites with flowers of bright red, really loud color is ‘Red Suspenders’. They are not just red, but burning, fiery! And the bends of the petals, like the previous variety, are slightly different every day.

The ‘Free Wheelin’ variety is very attractive and also often found in garden centers - two-tone, creamy yellow with a crimson spot in the center in the shape of a star. This variety blooms stably and abundantly in St. Petersburg, completely ignoring the fact that it was “born” in the south of Florida.

Another southerner with which there are no problems in our region is the variety ‘Bali Watercolor’ with 25-centimeter flowers, lavender-cherry with a green throat. Other advantages of this variety include, undoubtedly, the fact that the flowers have a delicate but distinct aroma.

‘Red suspenders’. Photo: AiF/Elena Kozhina

There are quite a lot of cultivars with pure yellow flowers among spiders, and their differences from each other are in the nuances. ‘Heavenly Free Spirit’ has simple, unpretentious flowers. And ‘Spider Miracle’ is twisted and twisted, whimsically, as if deliberately curved. The giants are especially striking. In yellow it is ‘Gold Elephant’, that is, translated, “Golden Elephant”. Its petals are decorated with a thin frill, and their span exceeds 25 cm.

About cultivation

To begin with, I would like to dispel the myth that came from out of nowhere that spider daylilies are big sissies, grow poorly here, and their flowering is generally from the realm of science fiction. Nothing like this! In ours, not at all ideal conditions they live, bloom and are healthy, and sometimes even better than daylilies of the usual form.

Many gardeners know that some modern varieties daylilies, which are so-called evergreens, do not always overwinter well. In winter, when frosty days give way to thaws, they may not begin to grow in time and then freeze. So, the overwhelming majority of spiders belong to our almost problem-free deciduous daylilies, which do not respond to such “provocations”. This means they winter easily and without loss.

'Black Arrowhead'. Photo: Andrey Ganov

Other requirements (sunny location, moderate fertile soil, infrequent but abundant watering and several fertilizing with complex fertilizers per season) for “spiders” are absolutely the same as for other varieties.

You can admire spider daylilies for a very long time. If you don’t already have a similar masterpiece in your garden, try to buy it. And if there is, then I’m sure there will be more soon. Because there are never too many daylilies in general and spiders in particular!

'Heavenly Free Spirit'. Photo: Andrey Ganov

Spider or UFO?

A few words about terminology. Daylilies with spider-shaped flowers are divided into two groups (in my opinion, somewhat artificially created). If the ratio of the length of the petals to their width is 5:1 or more, then this is a real spider, or a spider. If the ratio is different, but the petals are still narrow and also bizarre (curved, curled, wrapped in a spiral, etc.), then they are classified as daylilies of “unusual form”, or UFO (Unusual Form). The last group is also very diverse and is divided into “Crispate” - with the tips of the petals curled into curls, “Spatulate” - with petals narrow at the center of the flower and widening towards the ends, and “Cascades” - with falling petals like the jets of a waterfall. There is no need to say that this division is very approximate. Judge for yourself: is it possible to clearly say, without an iota of doubt, that this flower is curly, and this one is cascading? But this is precisely the classification accepted in the community of daylily lovers around the world.