Mine die back completely to the ground, as in you can’t even really see there were — or are — any daylilies there during the Winter months. Just avoid cutting back … It is unnecessarily tedious to cut the plants back while the foliage is still alive. When To Cut Back Daylilies: Tips For Daylily Trimming In Gardens. I would like to be ready to start cutting back foliage by mid November once I get all the new fall arrivals (daylilies) planted (maybe this week!) The reason we cut back when transplanting bare-root is to reduce transpiration water loss which can be life-threatening. Use pruning shears to cut back the stems and leaves to around 4 inches above the ground. Pruning your roses is beneficial to your rose plants. So cutting back the leaves more likely reduces root growth, it doesn't send energy to the roots. They are low-maintenance, hardy, and are also easy to split and divide into multiple new plants. RE: Do you have to prune or cut back daylilies? Take care not to scatter any seeds if you don't want more daylilies to grow, as daylilies can reproduce by both seeds and tubers. Cut the foliage back in late fall or early spring after it has completely died back. Along about mid-August, after the heat of summer abates, many daylilies get a second flush of growth. You'll need to divide them at the right time and pick a good spot for the new transplants to grow. and another bed of daylilies moved around. Most of us can get away with hand pulling everthing after the frost kills the foliage. If you cut them back prematurely, next year's growth and flowers might be diminished. You can remove dead or damaged foliage at any time during the summer, but only cut back plants entirely in fall after they begin to go dormant. They typically start blooming in mid-May, so it may be too early for starter scapes. Again, take care to place the foliage in a trash bag if you … Good point, Liz! And unless you are in an area where they remain somewhat evergreen, fall pruning will save you a messy cleanup in the spring. The easiest way to deal with daylily foliage is to let it all die back completely to a grey slime (very late fall) and then remove the whole mess. They are very green and full right now. Queenbeez, I saw on the news this morning that the temp in Minneapolis at 4:30am was at 69°f. Then you can cut it back, leaving 5 or 6 inches to mark its place. Plant other flowering and mounding plants around lilies to hide their ungainly foliage. A good time for a more concerted effort is during late summer when you get a second flush of blooms. Daylilies respond well to shearing. This year they actually look smaller than last year when they bloomed their little hearts out. Take care not to scatter any seeds if you don't want more daylilies to grow, as daylilies can reproduce by both seeds and tubers. When dormant daylilies turn brown in autumn, pull off dead foliage and cut the remaining leaves to within a few inches of the ground, using pruning shears. The Best Time to Cut Back Daylilies Foliage. Alternatively, leave foliage in place until spring when you can just pull it away from the plant crown. Once all the buds on the stem have flowered remove the … Daylilies seldom get serious insect or disease problems in home gardens, although you might encounter three problems. Any help or advice you can offer will be appreciated. I did trim back the droopy leaves today to get them off the ground. If you can't get to cutting back all the dying foliage in fall, at least make a point to remove any diseased parts of the plant. You can do this in late fall or early spring, depending on when you want to put in the effort. Use pruning shears to cut back the stems and leaves to around 4 inches above the ground. Cut back foliage in late summer or early fall on cultivars whose foliage turns brown. The minimum daylily trimming you should do is an annual tidy up of spent leaves and stems. Installing a barrier well ahead of planting season and harvesting any seedpods that may develop on your hybrid daylilies can save lots of headaches down the line. And we have you covered with today’s article! When to Cut Back Daylilies. If you mean individual stems throughout the season then yes, you can trim back daylilies after they flower. If you feel the urge to trim up newly growing day lilies in the hopes of controlling their size or to keep them from covering other plants, watch your clippers. It beats buying those paper bags.I try to leave the evergreens alone until spring. This is a good time to cut withered foliage back to 3 to 4 inches tall and water daylilies well. I put three daylilies in my front yard this year. The best time to cut back daylilies is in mid-summer or early fall after the foliage has turned brown. It is best not to cut the foliage of the daylilies just after they bloom however, you can cut the long flowering stalk called scapes after the flowering stops in the clump.