Daylily Foliage... Yuck!

This year with all the rain the DLs really liked it, set many buds and bloomed really well. The big "BUT" in the story is after a while all that moisture has left the foliage looking really, really bad. I usually have some browning of the leaves and pull them off so things don't look so bad and the finished scape stems as well, but this year it is so bad if you remove all the ratty looking foliage there is pretty much nothing left. I have some new growth starting but is there anything else you do to reduce this yucky looking foliage?

I'm having the same problem here.

When they're finished blooming I cut the foliage back to about 6 inches. Then it's hidden by other stuff but can still feed the roots. Can't do this with ever-bloomers though but it helps if you have lots.

I agree w/3g, cut it back! It won't hurt it, only makes more fans for next year.

That's very helpful to know. Mine are looking pretty bad and I think I'll cut them back.

Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like a plan. I am so sick of nasty looking leaves. A lot more cutting back this year just to get rid of all the fungus attacked stems and leaves on a lot of plants. Oh well soon we will be complaining that it is cold and spring is not coming fast enough again.

Dumb ??? You don't cut back the ones that say they are rebloomers right?

Right.

Thanks

Thanks for the thread. I'll cut today

I cut mine back for the first time last year....of course it sends up new growth, but then that looks a lot fresher and nicer for the rest of the season. DL foliage in general leaves much to be desired, unfortunately.

I learn something new everyday.

Noreaster, you're right, the DL foliage does leave much to be desired, especially now that most of them are done blooming. I often cut mine back, too. I don't really know what else you could do. Doesn't seem to hurt them any. There are those DL growers who say it's not a good idea, then there are those that swear by it. Sometimes all I do is just take off the worst of the leaves and leave on the nicer looking ones. They do produce new foliage.

Karen

I just take the bad leaves.

Yup, and there's that.

Karen