Daylily – Rooting Proliferations

Q: My mother and I have several daylilies that are doing something we think is strange. On the shoot where the lily bloomed, there is now what looks like a new plant growing on the dead stem, about half way up. Should we just break them off and plant them?

A: You have a phenomenon that daylily lovers call “proliferations”. The small plants you see at the joints of the bloom stems can easily be rooted. Cut the dead stem a few inches below the little plant. Make a shallow trench in a sunny spot and place the stem and plant in it. Barely cover the stem and base of the plant with soil. The proliferation will form its own roots in a few weeks and will bloom in a couple of years.