Thinning Out A Daylily Bed | dayliles

Thinning out perennial flower beds is a big part of keeping a healthy garden. As perennials get larger they eventually start crowding out the area they are growing in and then need to be broken up and replanted so that the plants can be vigorous and healthy.

As you can see this daylily bed is very crowded and needs to be thinned out and replanted. If you do not thin out your beds they will become so crowded that the plants start to decline and then become week and eventually they will die.

It is very important to give your garden plants a healthy environment to encourage good growth and for them to look their best. This daylily bed is 4 years old and it is time to split them and replant. They process is rather simple and straight forward. The important thing is that it will make for a much healthier bed of daylilies next year. Here are the steps to follow!

First start by digging up the clumps of daylilies and setting them to the side.

Here is a clump of the daylilies waiting to be split apart and replanted.

Once you have dug up the bed take your shovel and split the clump in half by slicing through the middle of the clump

Trim the leaves back to about 6 inches before replanting so the roots do not need to sustain all the extra leaves and can start to rejuvinate.

After the bed is prepared the dayliles can be replanted

Now that the plants are ready you can loosen the soil and add some compost to the flower bed then replant the daylilies. Be sure and keep the bed moist and the plants will quickly re-root and be ready for a great display next year.

It is important to do this in late summer or early early fall so the plants have a chance to reestablish themselves before winter. The extra dayliles can be used to start a new bed, given away, or potted up and saved for next spring.