- 1). Watch for your day lilies to die back in late summer and early fall. Clip the long flower stalks at their bottoms with pruning shears as they dry, turn brown and produce seed pods. If seeds are allowed to develop, the clump will produce fewer flowers the following year.
- 2). Leave the long, green leaf blades of day lilies, even as they yellow and fade in August and September. As long as the leaves receive light, they will produce food that nourishes the roots for next year's crop of flowers. Let them wither and drop to nourish the soil as they will.
- 3). Divide and replant day lily clumps after they stop blooming. Dig a sharp spade into the center of the clump, pry out half of the clump, and plant it elsewhere in your garden or give it away to friends. Transplanting involves no more than digging a small hole, setting the roots in it and tamping the soil down.
- 4). Cover clumps of day lilies in late fall. Crumble autumn leaves with your fingers to make fine, light mulch. Day lilies don't need a lot of winter cover, just a little bit of insulation, so cover them with no more than 1 or 2 inches of this mixture. Brush it away in the spring, when day lilies will be one of the first plants to sprout in your garden.
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