Hemerocallis Fooled Me - Daylily

The Daylily or Hemerocallis 'Fooled Me' is a popular variety, repeatedly awarded for its floribundity and the vibrant colour of its flowers that live up to 16 hours before fading. Its large flowers display wide and round petals of intense golden yellow enhanced by a wide, deep red halo and an edging of the same tone. With generous summer flowering, this cultivar does not go unnoticed in the garden. Its foliage is absent in winter. The flowers reappear during a beautiful period between July and August.  

The genus Hemerocallis belongs to the family Liliaceae or Hemerocallidaceae according to classifications. They are perennial and hardy plants with deciduous foliage, sometimes semi-evergreen. The variety 'Fooled Me', obtained in 1990 by Reilly-Hern, has won numerous international awards: the Stout Silver Metal in 2005, the Waterman Award Winner in 2003, and the Award of Merit in 2001. It is a tetraploid variety with a double set of chromosomes, giving it increased vigour and oversized flowers compared to classic diploid varieties. It forms a fairly dense clump that reaches about 60 cm (24in) in height, with a relative spread of 50 cm (20in); daylilies tend to spread a little when they like the soil. The flowers measure about 14.5 cm (6in) in diameter. They comprise three large, wide, rounded petals with finely undulating edges and three slightly smaller sepals. The large petals are golden yellow with a large halo and a delicate dark red border, while the sepals have a macule of a lighter brick red and no coloured edging. The throat is golden yellow around a small chartreuse green heart. Each flower blooms in the morning, lasting little more than a day, but flowering spans a long summer period, with a mature plant capable of producing up to 500 flowers in a season. The foliage is linear, bright green, and deciduous in winter: it emerges from the ground in spring and dries up in autumn. Daylilies are plants with short rhizomes and fleshy roots that tolerate dry soils but are more opulent and floriferous in moist soil.  

Very easy to grow, these plants thrive in shade and sun. Some are invasive; do not hesitate to divide the clumps every four or five years, preferably in autumn after flowering. Daylilies are often called "the perfect perennial plant" because of their vibrant colours, ability to tolerate any environment, and lack of modesty; they are beautifully exuberant and blend well with other perennials. Plant them in generous clumps at the back of your borders. All summer bulb flowers (lilies, agapanthus, Ixias...) can be planted alongside daylilies. 'Fooled Me' is a generous variety with a strong personality, to be highlighted next to blue, white, orange, red, or yellow blooms. It pairs well with perennial flax, grasses, and chamomiles. The flowers are edible: they brighten up salads and decorate desserts.