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Has anyone ever seen this with daylilies?

Between my mother and I, we have hundreds of daylily varieties.  My mother worked for a woman locally who had the equivalent of a "national collection" of daylilies, and in all her years working those gardens and her own has never seen anything like this.  I'm not sure if it's a pest, a disease, or the effects of so much rain this year coupled with the torrential downpours we've experienced.  In my bed of probably 35 varieties, this is the only plant so far that's showing this damage, so I'm leaning more toward pest or disease. I haven't seen the issue in my mother's gardens (we're on the same property). 


New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
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  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @CrankyYankee Have the flowers actually dropped off? Gall Midge is a problem here in the UK.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I wonder if it's a form a fasciation caused due to stress?

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    @GardenerSuze that's the odd part - they're in bud, haven't flowered yet, but the buds aren't dying as they're still attached to the main stems by just a small section.
    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    It looks like the flower stems have been snapped off.  have you got foxes? The cubs play havoc in my borders.
  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    @fidgetbones we have a fox, but he doesn't go into the garden.  It's fenced and the daylilies are in a raised bed (the one in front), where they've been for three years.

    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
  • harmonyharmony Posts: 403
    Can I ask how easy are the day lily to grow. I fancy getting some but what I've read about planting seems quite complicated (making a cone in the planting hole). I don't want to buy some and then kill them off lol. 
  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    @harmony here in the US they grow very easily.  I've tossed tubers out of the garden and had them land on the ground, the next year a happy daylily is growing.  I've never known them to be complicated in the least, but our soil and growing conditions are a little different.  :)
    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    They are easy to grow in most soils. Some flower better than others and those that flower earlier in the season are more likely to be affected by Gall Midge. It could be to do with the life cycle? The RHS are keen for gardeners to report it here in the UK. I have seen it on H Stella de Oro, if you have it I think it would be obvious to see.

    My favourite is H Sammy Russell. They do die back September time especially in a dry summer. Can look scruffy in a late flowering border ok to cut back but then you have gaps until flowering the following year.  Lots to see on the main Hemerocallis thread.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    One point, only ever buy them in flower. a. So you know you are getting what the label says and b. You can check that the plant is free from Hemerocallis gall mite.
    We used to grow dozens of them and I cannot say that I remember seeing anything like the original image on any of ours.
  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    I reached out to the American Daylily Society and asked, not expecting them to reply but they did - it's called scape blasting. 


    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
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