Ditch Lily, Tiger Lily, or What?

These came with my house and for a couple years I promptly whacked them down every year when they popped up in the alley. I finally decided to move them to a flower bed and see what they actually were.

So, are they Ditch/Tiger Lilies or something else? Anybody know its cultivar?

Sigh, I whacked everything in sight those first couple years. Took me a awhile to figure out the naked ladies were not some strange form of mondo grass! You got to admit naked ladies foliage kinda looks like mondo grass.

Dawn

Hi Dawn, Those are Kwanso. They are the double Ditch Lily. They will take over where ever you put them so shouldn't be too close to others. BEV

Thanks dragonfly. I'll keep an eye on them. Why did the previous owner plant only stuff that likes to take over... Sigh.

Dawn, the cultivar is mother nature. I use them as a ground cover. I love them because they came with my house also. I'll send some pictures of how I used them.

I wish they came with MY house.

I am going to move them to a hill that I hate to mow. They can dominate all they want.

how do they do on hillsides? are they deep rooters?? something for erosion???

No problem with erosion. Just don't like push a mower on that hill.

Don't know how they will. Just one more of my experiments. I move stuff way too much. Sigh. But I'm slowly getting them in their perfect spots.

we have a lawn service....but if the Ditch Lilys would grow on the back hill I'd hope we wouldn't have to mow anymore...there's no sprinklers back there so they'd only have rain water....

The ditch lilies here grow on a hill.There are spruce trees that define the property line on the down slope, I am whacking them back to keep a perennial garden from being invaded.

they wouldn't harm the Palm trees would they??? only place they could go would be down to the cow field...won't harm them either would they??

They are almost wild which meant they grow where they please. I doubt they will hurt anything.
Mine resemble a Hemerocallis rather than a lillium

sounds like the kinda plant I need then!!

Me, too! I've got a hill to try them on.

The plants are totally safe. There are even recipes to cook them. They are a great filler for areas that you want to go a little wild but, look controlled. They do look like day lilies and grow stems about 36" high once established. I love them and used them as a point in my yard as my yard goes into the woods. They are one of my husbands favorite plants due to that they were in our yard when we moved in 19 years ago.

Ditch lilies are daylilies ~ it's just that they are the wild cousins to our more colorful (and preferred) cultivars.

OK, here is the corner of the hill that I'm going to start the Ditch Lilies in.

I sprayed it a second time last night to kill the bermuda. Will start digging the sod out in another week.

Dawn

If you arent in a hurry and dont want to dig sod.I recomend putting down wet newspapers and mulch for a year.Then dig in the spring,no need to remove sod, just go down thru the mulch for a hole where you want the Ditch L's
Unless your man doesnt mind the work.

How tough are they? I mean, the little sloping area that I have in mind for them has an erosion problem, and even crownvetch has not done well on it. I need something TOUGH that is bound and determined to grow. (I will water them and feed them the first couple of years to help them get started.)

I had forgotten a chunk of ditchlilies in my garage(not heated), in a black plastic bag, for 18 months. Planted and it grew ~ is that tough enough? :)

ge1836 - LOL - "Unless your man doesnt mind the work." All the work that gets done in my yard is all powered by estrogen. I removed the sod for a semi-circular rock garden and the only thing HARDER and more BACKBREAKING was putting the rocks in there. But I did it.

I think your idea is a good one. I just have to move these Ditch Lilies this fall so I can (once again) move plants around. The Ditch Lilies have to move so the Irises can snuggle with the dayliles.

Good heavens! That's not tough - that's miraculous!

Estrogen is what I use here unless there is a craft needed that I cant do.I am talking about wireing and welding.
I have been using Roundup on an encroaching bunch of ditchlilies.
They keep marching on into my perennials.

This message was edited Sep 2, 2010 4:02 AM

For the last week I've been using Round Up on some very aggressive Houttuynia Cordata 'Chameleon' in the high hopes of eradicating it. The one pot I bought many years ago has now expanded to at least 50' wide and 3' deep.

I noticed in the last few days that my vision was blurry, my hands were shaking to a frightening extent and I felt dizzy too much of the time so I investigated Round Up and this is part of what I found: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1R2GPEA_en&q=Round+Up+ingredients&btnG=Search

Please, if you use this product, wear safety glasses and a mask!

Do not use it if you are of child bearing age!

From now on I'll use vinegar to kill weeds.

Good heavens. So scary. I had been tempted to use Round-Up on this awful Japanese stiltgrass weed that we have, but when I contacted the Scott's people they candidly told me that hand-pulling was better for this particular pest.

ge1836 - what does the ditch lilies look like that you are refusing to let become refugees onto your land?

Thought you might like to see how I used the day lilies in an area that my husband didn't want to mow. They were here when we moved into the house. Every couple of years I have to weed the area-which it needs now.

dlefferts: That must be absolutely gorgeous when they are in bloom!

Thanks, yes it is.