SKU: 00840369421364 5 Bareroot Big Time Happy Daylilies (2+ fan)

Key Features

• Growth Habit: Hardy, herbaceous, clump-forming perennial with arching, strap-like green foliage. Plants gradually expand through short underground crowns and roots, forming substantial clumps without the aggressive spreading habit of some groundcovers.
• Bloom Color: Large, open lemon-yellow to bright clear-yellow flowers, typically with a subtle greenish-yellow throat. Flowers are held above the foliage on sturdy, mostly leafless stalks called scapes.
• Bloom Season: Typically begins flowering in early to midsummer and is valued for its ability to rebloom later in the season, particularly when plants receive adequate sunlight, moisture, and nutrients.
• Fragrance: Flowers generally have little to no noticeable fragrance.
• Fruit Flavor: Daylilies do not produce a conventional edible fruit. After successful pollination, flowers may develop dry seed capsules containing dark seeds. These are not generally used as food.
• Culinary Uses: Daylily species have a history of culinary use in parts of Asia, where appropriately identified flower buds and flowers are sometimes eaten. However, ornamental cultivars such as Big Time Happy are best treated as landscape plants rather than food crops, particularly if their growing or pesticide history is unknown. Daylilies should never be confused with true lilies (Lilium spp.).
• Medicinal Uses: Various Hemerocallis species have histories of traditional medicinal use, but Big Time Happy is an ornamental cultivar and is not recommended for homemade medicinal preparations or self-treatment.
• Possible Toxicity to Pets or Humans: Daylilies are highly toxic to cats. Ingestion of even small amounts of the leaves or flowers can potentially cause severe kidney injury in cats and requires prompt veterinary attention. Daylilies are not generally considered comparably toxic to dogs, although ingestion may cause gastrointestinal upset. People should avoid consuming ornamental plants unless their identity and suitability for food are certain.
• Wildlife & Pest Resistance: Flowers can attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. Daylilies are relatively resistant to many serious pests and diseases, but deer and rabbits may readily browse the foliage, buds, and flowers. Potential problems include aphids, thrips, spider mites, slugs, daylily rust, and crown rot, especially under unfavorable growing conditions.
• Planting Zone: Generally hardy in USDA Zones 3–9, making it suitable for a broad range of climates.
• Sun Preferences: Full sun to partial shade. For the heaviest flowering and strongest rebloom, provide at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Light afternoon shade can be beneficial in exceptionally hot climates.
• Soil Preferences: Adaptable to many garden soils but performs best in fertile, moderately moist, well-drained soil. Avoid locations where water remains around the crown for extended periods.
• Drought Tolerance: Moderate to high once established. Mature daylilies can tolerate periods of dry weather, but regular moisture during bud development and flowering encourages larger plants, heavier blooming, and better rebloom.
• Mature Size: Typically develops a foliage mound approximately 18–24 inches tall and 18–24 inches wide, with flowering scapes rising approximately 24–30 inches tall under favorable conditions.

When and How to Prune

• Remove individual spent flowers as desired throughout the blooming season to keep plants looking tidy.
• Once an entire flower stalk has finished blooming and no additional buds remain, cut the spent scape back near the base of the plant.
• Deadheading can improve appearance and prevents the plant from spending unnecessary energy developing seed when seed production is not desired.
• Do not remove healthy green foliage immediately after flowering. The leaves continue photosynthesizing and storing energy in the crown and roots for future growth and flowering.
• Remove yellow, damaged, or diseased leaves throughout the season as needed.
• In colder climates, allow foliage to yellow and die naturally after the first hard frosts, then cut dead leaves back to approximately 2–3 inches above the ground.
• In warmer climates where foliage remains partially green, remove only damaged or unattractive leaves during winter.
• Established clumps can be divided every 3–5 years if flowering decreases or plants become overcrowded. Early spring or late summer after flowering are good times for division.

Planting Instructions (Bareroot into the Ground)

1. Plant bareroot Big Time Happy Daylilies in early spring after the soil can be worked or in early fall, allowing several weeks for roots to establish before the ground freezes.
2. If the roots appear dry upon arrival, soak them in room-temperature water for approximately 1–2 hours before planting. Avoid prolonged soaking.
3. Choose a location receiving full sun to partial shade. At least 6 hours of sunlight generally produces the best flowering.
4. Prepare the soil by loosening it approximately 10–12 inches deep. Incorporating compost can improve drainage, moisture retention, and fertility.
5. Dig a hole wide enough to accommodate the roots without bending or crowding them.
6. Create a small mound or cone of soil in the center of the planting hole.
7. Position the daylily crown on top of the mound and spread the roots naturally downward and outward around it.
8. Adjust the planting depth so the crown—the point where the roots meet the foliage—is approximately 1 inch below the finished soil surface. Avoid deep planting, which can reduce flowering and encourage crown problems.
9. Backfill carefully around the roots, gently firming the soil as you work to eliminate large air pockets.
10. Water thoroughly immediately after planting to settle soil around the roots.
11. Space plants approximately 18–24 inches apart to provide room for mature clumps to develop.
12. Apply approximately 1–2 inches of organic mulch around the planting area to conserve moisture and suppress weeds, keeping heavy mulch away from the crown.
13. Keep the soil consistently moist—but never waterlogged—during the first growing season while the root system becomes established.
14. New bareroot plants may initially produce relatively modest top growth. As the root system becomes established, plants will develop fuller clumps and increasingly abundant flowers.

Overwintering Steps

• Big Time Happy Daylily is very cold hardy and normally requires minimal winter protection within USDA Zones 3–9.
• After frost causes the foliage to yellow or brown, allow it to die back naturally before removing it.
• Cut dead foliage to approximately 2–3 inches above soil level in late fall or early spring.
• Remove old leaves and flower stalks from the planting area to reduce places where pests and disease organisms can overwinter.
• In colder regions, particularly during the first winter after planting, apply approximately 2–3 inches of loose organic mulch after the ground becomes cold.
• Straw, shredded leaves, pine needles, or similar materials can help moderate soil temperatures and reduce repeated freezing and thawing.
• Keep excessively heavy or wet mulch from accumulating directly over the crown.
• Established plants generally require little supplemental winter protection once their root systems are well developed.
• In spring, gradually remove excess winter mulch as new shoots emerge and resume regular watering if rainfall is insufficient.

With its large lemon-yellow flowers, repeat-blooming performance, exceptional cold hardiness, and easy-care nature, Big Time Happy Daylily is an excellent perennial for creating dependable summer color. Planted individually as a cheerful accent or massed along borders, walkways, and slopes, this vigorous daylily provides a long season of bright flowers while returning reliably year after year.