Daylilies (Hemerocallis) receive their name from how each flower lasts just a single moment. The plants make up for this by having a succession of several beautiful blooms, producing flowers for a span that could span several weeks. Among the hundreds of different varieties of daylilies, several are considered evergreen, with foliage that lasts through the winter, even in cold areas where the green foliage over-winters as a frozen green mound that returns to life in spring.
Prince of Venice
Daylily flowers seem to have six petals, but three of them are actually colored sepals, modified leaves that enclose the three authentic petals. At times the petals and sepals are the same color throughout, while in other instances they’re a blend of two or more colours. The evergreen variety “Prince of Venice” has paired flowers, with the most important portion of the flower a mauve pink. The central part of the flower, known as its throat, is a lemon-lime color, becoming more green deeper in the throat. The advantages of the petals also tend to ruffle, adding more detail to the flower. “Prince of Venice” is a low-maintenance plant that is about 2 feet tall, blooms in June and July, and is suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9.
Canadian Border Patrol
The evergreen daylily range “Canadian Border Patrol” has beautiful bi-color flowers that are unusually large, with a diameter of 5 to 6 inches. The principal portions of the petals and sepals are white, with a deep purple border encompassing the upper throat, an area known as the “eyezone.” The petals have also a deep purple edge, making a striking contrast to the white regions, and the internal throat of the flower is light green. “Canadian Border Patrol”, such as most daylilies, tolerates summer heat and humidity well but needs deep watering during dry spells. It does best in USDA zones 3 through 9.
Mini Pearl
Some evergreen daylily varieties are semi-dwarf or even dwarf-sized plants. Among these, known as “Mini Pearl,” generally grows 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall, with an equal spread. A long-blooming cultivar, “Mini Pearl” blooms from May to July, producing especially fragrant, uniformly melon pink flowers that tend to be modest, about 3 inches across. Its flower-bearing stems, known as scapes, are about 16 inches tall, carrying the flowers above the plant’s clump of thin, curving leaves. Along with its extended bloom season, “Mini Pearl” tends to be a repeat bloomer, making a second, somewhat smaller harvest of flowers late in the season. Like most evergreens, it does best in USDA zones 3 through 9.
Midnight Magic
The evergreen variety “Midnight Magic” produces especially dramatic, 5- to 6-inch broad blooms in a reddish-black color, with deep yellow central throats. Its petals have a soft, velvety look and slightly ruffled borders, and the unopened buds are quite dark in color, making striking accents from the plant’s green foliage. “Midnight Magic” is also quite tall, reaching a height of about 2 1/2 feet. As for most daylilies, the number does best in full sun, but will tolerate shade for a few hours each day. It’s also best suited to USDA zones 3 through 9.
