My Corner Online

Flower Index Index by Family Set 1 Set 2 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6

Hemerocallis Fulva | Ditch Lily, Orange Daylily

First bloom dates:

2017 June 6

2019 June 2

2024 May 18

Hemerocallis Fulva | Ditch Lily, Orange Daylily

Asphodelaceae (Asphodel Family) Pronounced As-PHO-del-aye-see-eye

Hemerocallidaceae subfamily (Pronounced Hem-er-roh-KAL-eh-day-see-eye)

Pronounced Hem-eh-roh-KAL-iss FUL-vuh

The name "Hemerocallis" is from the Greek words "hemera" for day and "kallos" for "beauty" in that each beautiful flower only lasts one day.

The name "Fulva" is Latin for the tawny-amber color.

I have separated out ditch lilies as they seem to be a stand-alone voluminous flower. They are the original daylilies! To me, other species of daylilies (Hemerocallis hybrida) (28) are special and hybridized.

Hemerocallis flava (Lemon Lily) (aka H. lilioasphodelus) is the other original species (note the "fla" instead of the "ful" spelling of flava). Both are known as old-fashioned orange and yellow daylilies.

My Ditch Lilies have been in my yard since I moved in in 1986 and have bloomed faithfully every year.

There are 10 to 20 flowers on each flower stalk and each one blooms for one day in succession.

The flowers are trumpet shaped.

There are no spots on the daylily, so these are NOT tiger lilies as some would say. Tiger Lilies are actual "true" lilies that are Asiatic Lilies (57).

These Ditch Lilies really put on a show!

The leaves must be left to die back so the nutrients go back into the tubers, but I like the way they look. After blooming I cut back the flower stalks and leave the mounds of grass. After the grass has died back, usually in September, we begin to mow over them and they disappear. It is rather easy to maintain. If you leave the flower stalks long enough, they will turn brown and they actually easily pull right out of the ground and do not even need cutting.

The flowers like full sun, but I have planted them in all types of shade as well and they seem to thrive anywhere.

Ditch Lilies are tuberous roots and that is how they spread.

The plants do not make for great cut flowers, although I have used them as such. First, they are so large, and second, they only bloom for one day, so if you gift it to someone, they may feel disappointed not realizing another bud on the same stalk will be opening soon.

Ditch lilies can be seen growing along the roadside.

Ditch lilies are in invasive non-native plant, but I have found that they stay contained to one area of my yard because of the concrete wall which stops them from spreading further. Even so, I have them at the ditch near the mailbox and they tend to stay in one area. They do spread easily and I can dig up and share some with others or move some to a new spot and they spread quickly until, that is, they find their space of comfort and sort of stay within that range.

I am not sure what division the Ditch Lily falls under.

Lily Divisions (classifications)

1. Asiatic Hybrids – Popular; least expensive; wide variety; easy to grow; colorful; unscented

2. Martagon Hybrids – Shade tolerate; expensive; Turscap Lily

3. Candidum | Euro-Caucasian Hybrid – Heirlooms; Madonna Lily

4. American Hybrids – Downward-facing petals; naturalize easily; Lilium lancifolium or Lilium tigrinum

5. Longiflorum Hybrids – Easter Lily

6. Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids – Bugle-shaped flowers; Tall; needs staking

7. Oriental Hybrids – Similar to Asiatic; needs acidic soil; sweet fragrance; famous Stargazer lily; L. auratum and L. speciosum

8. Interdivisional Hybrids – catch-all group; crossings of other divisions;

9. Species – wild; not hybridized

2024