Hemerocallis Cape Breton - Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Cape Breton' is a very beautiful, fragrant, bi-coloured variety with a rather pastel palette. Its large round flowers display magnificent thick and frilled petals in a pinkish purple shade with a pale centre and golden border, surrounding a beautiful green throat. Its foliage is semi-evergreen. This tetraploid cultivar, slightly perpetual, blooms for a long time in summer, in the middle of the daylily season. Its foliage persists more or less during winter. A very beautiful perennial, to be positioned prominently among grasses or white flowers for example. 

The genus Hemerocallis belongs to the Liliaceae family. They are perennial and hardy plants with deciduous foliage, sometimes semi-evergreen. The variety 'Cape Breton', obtained in 2008 by Petit, is the result of cross-breeding between the cultivars Collective Spirit and Alexa Kathryn. It is a tetraploid variety, which has a double set of chromosomes, giving it increased vigour as well as oversized flowers compared to classical diploid varieties. It forms a dense clump that will reach approximately 75 cm (30in) in height, with a relative spread of 50-60 cm (20-24in), daylilies tend to spread a little when they like the soil. The flowers, which are particularly large, measure about 17 cm (7in) in diameter. They are composed of 3 large thick, wide, rounded and very undulated petals, and 3 slightly narrower and smaller petals. The large petals are pinkish purple, with a very undulated golden yellow border. The smaller petals are of the same colour. The throat is yellow and green. Each flower blooms in the morning, lasting no longer than a day, but the flowering spreads between June and August. The floral stems present numerous flower buds that open successively. The foliage is linear, bright 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 more floriferous in moist soil.  

Very easy to grow, these plants thrive in both shade and sun. 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' because of its vibrant colours, its ability to tolerate any type of environment, but also due to its lack of modesty.  It has a beautiful exuberance that goes well with other perennials. Plant them in generous clumps at the back of your borders. Summer bulbs (lilies, agapanthus, ixias, etc.) can be planted alongside daylilies. 'Cape Breton' is a high-class variety, to be showcased alongside decorative foliage or grasses for example. It pairs well with perennial flax, erigerons and chamomiles for example. The flowers are edible: they brighten up salads and decorate desserts.