Hemerocallis Black Stockings - Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Black Stockings' is a magnificent variety of daylily, one of those that offers the darkest and largest flowers in the 'black' category. Its broad, thick, and iridescent petals are very undulated at the edges, and display a deep burgundy red colour washed with black reflections. The flower is enhanced by a barely greenish-yellow throat. It is a mid to late season, perpetual variety with semi-evergreen foliage. Its flowers are short-lived, but they renew themselves for 3 weeks in June and August-September depending on the climate.

The genus Hemerocallis belongs to the Liliaceae or Hemerocallidaceae family according to classifications. They are perennial and hardy plants with deciduous foliage, sometimes semi-evergreen. 'Black Stockings' was obtained in 2006 by Heemskerk. It is a tetraploid variety, which has a double set of chromosomes, giving it increased vigour and oversized flowers compared to classical diploid varieties. It forms quite a dense clump that will reach about 61 cm (24in) in height, with a relative spread of 50 cm (20in), daylilies tend to spread a bit when they like the soil. The flowers measure up to 15 cm (6in) in diameter. They are composed of 3 large, thick, slightly wavy, rounded petals with undulated edges, and 3 slightly smaller sepals. The petals and sepals are the same colour, a very dark red bordering on black. The throat is yellow, slightly greener at blooming. Each flower blooms in the morning, lasts for no more than a day, but each flower stem carries numerous flower buds. It is not uncommon for 2 or 3 flowers to bloom at the same time. The foliage is linear, green, and more or less evergreen in winter. Daylilies are plants with short rhizomes and fleshy roots that tolerate dry soils, but are more opulent and floriferous in damp and rich soil.

Very easy to grow, daylilies thrive in both partial shade and full sun. Some of them can be a bit invasive, so do not hesitate to divide the clumps every four or five years, preferably in autumn, after flowering. Daylilies charm with their vibrant colours and their ability to tolerate any type of environment. Their beautiful exuberance often leads to planting them in generous clumps, in the background of flower beds. All summer bulb flowers (lilies, agapanthus, ixias, etc.) can be planted alongside daylilies. 'Black Stockings' is a sumptuous variety that deserves to be highlighted next to pink, white, or even orange blooms. It pairs well with medium-sized grasses, lady's mantle, and chamomiles, for example. The flowers are edible: they brighten up salads and decorate desserts.