Re: Orange Ditch Lily
Bobbie here in Mass.
Hope I can help.
I have the old orange species..actually 4 kinds, fulva, that blooms early,
and three double forms - kwanso, which is gobbled up looking, flore pleno,
which is a neat layered looking one and kwanso variegata.
All spread by runners, with straight early fulva being the fastest around
here.
I have eradicated 'huge' patches of straight fulva, and kwanso, with no
problems, in a few areas on job sites, buy hiring a landscaping crew to
grub - with me standing over them, saying, 'every last root, or you
@*#&#@$!' ;-)
Different people do it differently. I will try my darndest not to use any
plant killers unless I really have to. And I work with this crew regularly.
No big deal to do this after some other horrid situations we have done!
Let me describe the worst two jobs.
One had been an abandoned garden for more than 40 years. The roots were on
top of one another and years of neglected foliage become the next layer of
soil at some point. Some root layers were seen over 1 ft deep! All were
grubbed out in an afternoon by one experienced man. Cost was $25 per hour,
so it might have been $100 at the most. And this patch was about 25x15. I
actually saved huge clumps of roots stuffed on trays and put them out for
the curb for anyone to take. I then combed the area (which is mostly sandy
soil) with an iron rake before bringing in compost and planting a new
perennial bed. The only remains that I find are where layered granite
blocks do not allow grubbing, and I just keep it under control by pulling
there. It has been this spring, 3 years. A gold star remains on that man's
forehead!
I will caution that although roots parts left there can be no a problem, it
is the skinny runner that must be taken out. The root itself has lumpy
parts...like nodules.
The second big job was in three sections, and again probably there since the
20's. Actually larger than the first in one part, and smaller sections
elsewhere. I still am not sure if it were the same plant or not. I think
that one that I saved a tray of, is a later rhyzomous hybrid. I watched the
roots (which were all that I got to ever see) and some were skinnier than
the others. All so far seems to be ok, even with more compost and other
plant material planted. I do see a little coming up here and there...weak
plants that I will go after as it warms up here to work. What we did with
the trays upon trays of roots, was to relay them in an upper unused section
that needed something to keep weeds away...and they were free! I just put
the roots on the ground and covered them with wheelbarrows of compost.
Nothing fancy. And of course they 'took'!!! I have pics if anyone wants to
see that process.
Here, at my home, I have not been as lucky. There are so many other plants
around. I dig out some, but parts must remain and a year or two later, I
find them again.
The difference? A COMPLETE cleanout of an area, as opposed to partial
cleaning in an established garden.
This last cleanout here (Aug) was done by a non professional, told how to
grub, and I left to work elsewhere. Two hours. It looked good until I
started raking, and found all kinds of remains. I then paid the grubber no.
1 to come clean the rest as I needed to plant things pronto. He did it in a
half hour and no signs yet this spring of left overs!!!!
I find in several spots, some fulva left from 'my' not so good cleaning. It
is easy to tell them from all my other daylily plants. They are not in
clumps, but a single fan here, a single fan 6 inches away, and a foot away.
And they are light green. Hybrids are usually in tight clumps.
Hope this helps and encourages others who are after cleaning up Hemerocallis
species. BTW, I grow over 1000 cultivars, on purpose. <BG>
Now if you have problems with the orange tiger lily, from a bulb... you will
find that they are easy after this!!!!
Bobbie
Bobbie Brooks, MA zone 6.5
Gardens In An Old Fashioned Way
http://daylily.net/gardens/bobbiebrooks.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bobbi Diehl" <diehlr@INDIANA.EDU>
To: <shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2001 6:22 PM
Subject: Re: [SG] Orange Ditch Lily
> Bob is right, the thing is sterile, but Oh Boy, it will still take over a
> yard if you let it get the slightest toehold. I have a patch I've been
> trying to eradicate for 25 years. I've given up and we're moving! To a new
> plot of land without a single orange ditch lily!
>
> Of course, the hemerocallis is not a true lily.
>
> Bobbi Diehl
> Bloomington, IN
> zone 5/6
>
>
> On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, bob wrote:
>
> > J.E. Shields wrote:
> >
> > > I don't allow the old-fashioned roadside or ditch lily, Hemerocallis
fulva
> > > 'Europa', anywhere near my place, for fear it might overwhelm the
10,000
> > > other daylily plants we grow.
> >
> > Hi Jim
> > I thought the old fashioned orange daylily is a triploid and
won't
> > cross with anything anyway.
> >
>
