Make sure they are getting plenty of sun.

Do you have sandy soil or clay? Daylilies need soil preparation to grow and bloom here in Texas. If you have sandy soil, they are starving...and need a 50% compost/soil mixture. If you have clay, you need a raised bed with compost added. Either way, daylilies need lots of nutrients.

If you have put a lot of work into your garden, then I recommend organic fertilizer. If not, just try miracle grow. Plus, they need to be watered twice a week.

Some get plenty of sun but some get semi-shade. I have sandy loam and today I bought some mushroom compost so I'll try to ammend my soil.

Thanks so much for the help.

How many fans are in each clump? Crowding refers not so much to how close the daylilies are planted to each other, but rather to large clumps, crowded fans, that would benefit from being divided.

Sue in East TN

Actually, that raises a question I was wondering about? I'd thought crowded meant too close together, but how many fans in a clump is too many? I imagine it probably depends on the plant but is there a general rule of thumb for newbies like myself who don't have a clue??

Thanks....

I have read on this forum that 15 fans is time to split. I hope the "experts" will chime in and tell us. I'm sure there is no hard and fast rule - cultivars will behave differently. I do know that if there are more than a few fans, and a plant that bloomed quits blooming, you can expect it to start blooming again when it is divided. Some of my daylilies bloom well with more than 15 fans but I expect one of these years I will see a definite decrease in blossoms if I don't divide them now.

Angie, in your case I would think it will be 6-10 years before you need to divide them. Unless you find a way to make them grow like they were in Florida. In that case, divide them every year 8-).

6-10 yrs!?!? Wow.....I was thinking I'd have to do it this Fall, LOL. They've grown quickly, they were around 4 fans when I planted them in '05 and my guess is now they're around 10 fans or so per clump.

I would do it when you have a need to...such as them being too close together, or you want to change the layout. I have clumps of large tets that have been putting on a show and reblooming every year and they are 30 plus fans per clump. It is time to divide them this fall. When a big clump is noticeably clustered up and puts on a lesser performance, then it is time. You are the judge.

hi about every 6 to 8 years in my area or when the clump gets to large a friend of mine splits hers about every 2 years.

Thanks so much for all your help. My dayliles are all blooming like crazy now. Maybe all the rain we got helped.

I divided a lot of them and gave them out at our local plant swap so everyone can enjoy some.

Also no one mentioned that if they are too deep they won't bloom well. Sometimes they will take root and sink especially if the crown was planted below the surface to begin with. The crown (where the leaves join the roots)needs to be right at the top of the ground, not below. Of course rain and warm weather helps too LOL

Dot