Hemerocallis Bela Lugosi - Daylily

Hemerocallis Bela Lugosi is an award-winning variety, one of the best in the category of daylilies with violet flowers. Its flowers are quite wide, fringed, in a saturated purple-red colour with a matte finish that does not fade in the sun. The throat is well contrasted, bright yellow with a small bright green centre. The plant is very hardy, vigorous, prolific, with good flowering in mid-season. The daylily is a trouble-free flower, whose success is guaranteed in ordinary soil. So, bring it into your garden!

The genus Hemerocallis belongs to the Liliaceae family. These are perennial and hardy plants, rarely diseased, with deciduous or semi-evergreen foliage. 'Bela Lugosi', introduced in 1995, forms a dense clump that will reach 80 cm (32in) in height, with a spread of 60 cm (24in). The flowers measure about 15 cm (6in) in diameter. They are fleshy and theatrically shaped, composed of 3 petals and 3 wide, thick, with fringed sepals. They continuously renew themselves on sturdy stems with up to 4 branches, adorned with numerous buds, between June and July. The linear foliage is semi-evergreen. The flowers are single, thick in substance and measure from 10 to 14 cm (4 to 6in) in diameter. Daylilies are plants with short rhizomes and fleshy roots.

Very easy to grow, these perennials thrive both in shade and in the sun. Some of them are a bit invasive, so do not hesitate to divide the clumps every four or five years, after flowering in autumn. The daylily is often called the perfect perennial plant, due to its vibrant colours, its ability to tolerate any type of environment, but also due to lack of modesty. It has a beautiful exuberance that goes well with other perennials. Plant them in the background of your flower beds. Consider summer-flowering bulbs and the waving habit of grasses to lighten your plant palette. On a balcony or patio, large pots of at least 30 cm (12in) in depth should be provided and dwarf varieties should be chosen. The flowers are edible: they brighten up salads and decorate desserts.  Evergreen cultivars are reputed to be less hardy but 'Bela Lugosi' proves this adage wrong, as it perfectly withstands freezing temperatures.