I inherited quite a few ditch lilies when I moved to my present home. These are not the cultivated ones that you find in garden centers and online. Some people love them, and some people detest them. I am in the latter camp. I actually managed to get rid of them, and I have had friends who had hundreds, which I was also able to remove with success.
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The photo shows the ditch lilies in the two yards adjacent to my property. The really illustrative thing is that the owner of the ditch lilies is the house to the right. Without intervention, you can see how they have spread without regard to lot lines.
Why is the name “ditch lilies” applied? They were once used to brighten up ditches and old farmhouses. They were once planted to add color to areas with no involvement in care or maintenance. They are common orange daylilies, not the quite beautiful cultivated ones you find in garden centers. They are incredibly invasive. One thing to bear in mind is that they have so much vigor that they can travel several feet and spread from the tiniest bit of tuber, and the runners can survive even if the parent is removed.
I have read many articles about removal, but I have found that using a garden fork, and not a shovel, to dig them up and discard them is very effective. You may find many little tubers. You must get them all (it’s not as bad as it sounds). Don’t bother with a weed killer. It often simply burns the tops.
Then wait a week or two and get the scragglers. A little persistence will result in a permanent solution. My friends no longer get ditch lily growth in their yard, and neither do I!
This is not as hard as you might imagine. One friend had about 300, and I got them all out! Some people advise mowing them to the ground first, but I did not take this step because, even reduced in size, they have to be removed.
If you enjoy the ditch lilies in your yard, that is great, but please take steps to control them if they start eyeing the neighbor’s yard.
• Donna Mack is a University of Illinois Extension Kane County master gardener. Email the extension office at uiemg-kane@illinois.edu for more information.