Hemerocallis Bakabana - Daylily

Hemerocallis Bakabana is a perennial with continuous flowering from late June to late August. Its enormous flowers can reach up to 20 cm (8in) in diameter, which makes this daylily hard to miss, both in borders and in bouquets. The petals, a very bright yellow, with undulating edges, are gathered in a trumpet-shaped flower highlighting the brownish-brown anthers. Undemanding and robust, it thrives in a sunny location, ordinary soil, and moist soil. The deciduous foliage gradually disappears once the flowering period is over. Once established, the clump expands over the years.

The genus Hemerocallis belongs to the family Liliaceae or to the family Xanthorrhoeaceae according to more recent classification, like other quite exotic plants: Aloe, Eremurus, Kniphofia, and Phormium. Hemerocallis comes from the Greek word hemera which means day and kalos for: good or beautiful, in summary "Beauty of a day". They are commonly called 'Daylilies' or 'Perpetual Lilies' because their flowers resemble those of lilies and they last no more than a day. They are perennial and hardy plants with deciduous foliage, sometimes semi-evergreen.

The 'Bakabana' variety grows rapidly and forms a fairly dense clump that will reach 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28in) in height when in bloom, with a relative spread of 60 cm (24in). Daylilies tend to spread a bit when they like the soil. Carried by stems 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28in) long, the flowers measure approximately 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in diameter. Each flower is composed of three bright yellow, velvety petals and three sepals with a similar colour and undulated edges. In the centre, six stamens stand out, each topped with a two-lobed brown anther. Each flower lasts no more than a day, but the flowering is continuously renewed over between late June and late August. The stems are robust and allow for beautiful bouquets. Deciduous, the lovely bright green, linear foliage is abundant during the growing season from April to October, then turns yellow in autumn before disappearing for the winter.

Hemerocallis 'Bakabana' is an excellent perennial plant, which is robust and has generous flowering. It is an ideal choice in the background of a perennial bed or at the front of a shrub bed, or to give some height to a rockery, but not in overly dry soil. Very easy to grow, daylilies thrive in shade and in full sun. Thanks to their root system with short rhizomes and fleshy roots, they easily establish themselves in dry soils, but damper soils will make them more opulent and floriferous. Some of them can be a bit invasive, so don't hesitate to divide the clumps every four or five years, preferably in autumn, after flowering. The daylily is often called 'the perfect perennial plant', due to its vibrant colours, its ability to tolerate any type of environment, but also because of its lack of modesty.  It is beautifully exuberant and blends well with other perennials. Plant them in generous clumps at the back of your beds. Summer flowering bulbs can be planted alongside daylilies.

With its large yellow flowers, 'Bakabana' is perfect for bringing a lot of dynamism and cheerfulness to the garden. It pairs well with flowers in soft or pastel shades, orange, pink, blue, or violet. For a very colourful composition, it can be associated with crocosmias, gladiolus, lilies, dahlias, etc. In moist soil, it finds its place near a pond, with Iris pseudacorus, Asian primroses, astilbes, etc. For a lighter touch, in a soft and harmonious bed, it pleasantly accompanies gauras, flax, bellflowers, baby's breath, or white-flowered yarrows, but also grasses, such as pennisetum or calamagrostis. The flowers are edible, they brighten up salads and decorate desserts.