Daylilies, whose official name is Hemerocallis, are easy to grow, require minimal maintenance and produce blooms of such unusual colours that they have been described as "the poor man's orchid". Acolyte gardeners, daunted by the care other plants require, can add daylilies to their gardens with confidence that they are not fussy. Daylilies are not prone to pests or diseases. They spread in manageable clumps, not walking into unwanted places in the garden. They are not heavy feeders, tolerate a healthy range of soils and do not require regular watering once established. While not shade loving plants, daylilies exposed to a modicum of sunlight will perform with a dependable vigor.

     Daylilies with their myriad of colours, heights, size of blossoms and blooming seasons, coupled with their tenacity to grow and perform in different garden settings have been described in America as "the perfect perennial". Since they have shown the same successful attributes while field grown here in Britain, daylilies have earned, to my mind, the opportunity to enhance the favorite gardens on this side of the Atlantic Ocean as well.