Small and Miniature Daylilies by Grace Stamile

Small and miniature daylilies grown in small backyard gardens make interesting companion plants. The flowers of small daylilies must be three to four and one-half inches in diameter. The blooms of miniature daylilies are less than three inches wide. These diminutive flowers will be found on dwarf, medium and tall scapes.

Beyond Stella de Oro Daylilies

One of the most popular reblooming miniature daylilies is Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro.’ Smaller sized daylilies work well in small backyards. Gardeners can place potted daylilies among spring blooming perennials to extend the flowering season or hide declining foliage of spring blooming bulbs.

The size makes small and miniature daylilies perfect plants for children or planted in an herb garden, as all parts of a daylily are edible. In a family or vegetable garden, pesticide or chemical use should be avoided.

Daylily enthusiasts collect cultivars whether it is tetraploids, award winners or developed by a particular hybridizer. For example, some gardeners focus on the dance of spider daylilies that provide motion in a garden. But many daylily hybridizers are drawn to bold colors seen in small and miniature daylilies.

Daylilies by Grace Stamile

American Hemerocallis Society member, Grace Stamile is a small and miniature daylily hybridizer with an award winning reputation for developing plants with high bud count, proportionally balanced short scapes and knock out colors. A sample of Hemerocallis diploid singles, Broadway series tetraploids and popcorn doubles are listed below:

• ‘Magician’s Apprentice‘ is a miniature daylily with 2®” blooms on 18″ tall scapes. This double flower has purple with white edging, blooming mid to late season.

• ‘Little Damsel‘ is a miniature daylily. The 2½” blooms set on 15″ tall scapes. The coral colored double flower has a slight pencil eye, blooming early to mid season.

• ‘Child Within‘ has 2®” diameter flowers on a 17″ tall scape. The mid season bloomer is a dormant plant. The double flowers are cream with a bold burgundy eye.

• ‘Blink Of An Eye‘ miniature is slightly fragrant and an early season bloomer. The 15″ tall scape has 2½” flowers, cream with a patterned lavender gray purple eye.

• ‘Dixie Blues‘ is a small daylily with a 15″ tall scape. The early season bloomer has a 3″ diameter flower patterned with rose, purple with a lavender edge and a beet purple eye.

• ‘Broadway Phantom‘ flower is 2 7/8″ diameter with velvety purple color and a black eye. This tetraploid plant has a 17″ tall scape, flowering early to mid season.

• ‘Broadway Starfish‘ is a small tetraploid daylily. The creamy white 3½” flower has a red margin, blooming early to mid season. The scape is 16″ tall.

Over Wintering Miniature Daylilies in Containers

All daylilies are hardy from zones 3 – 10. Small and miniature daylilies need the same plant care as all daylilies. Gardeners should give particular attention to perennials planted in containers. Saving plants over winter, during the wide extremes of soil temperatures and freeze/thaw heaving, require additional techniques.

Look for small or miniature varieties grown in the same region as the garden, diploid, dormant, or cultivars with a high bud count. To protect daylilies, plant in containers more than two feet wide and deep. During winter months, create a microclimate around the pot shielding it from cold wind and winter sun. Use bales of straw, evergreen boughs and wood chips to insulate the container garden.