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Plant calla lilies in a location that gets bright, morning light. Keep them well-watered and weeded. Callas grow best in a moist soil that includes some organic matter. Plant the bulbs 3 to 4 inches deep and 1 to 2 feet apart. They can be planted 5 to 10 inches apart when grown in pots. Fertilize monthly with a good all-purpose fertilizer. KEEP SOIL MOIST, BUT NOT SOGGY OR BULBS WILL ROT. Plant callas when temperatures rest higher than 55 degrees F and there is no danger of frost or of temperatures dropping below 55 degrees in the first 12 weeks after planting. In colder climates, lift the bulbs before the first frost, clean off excess soil, let dry out of the direct sun for a few days, then store in a dry location that remains between 50 and 60 degrees F. Re-plant in spring after the soil has warmed and all danger of frost has passed.

Your new plants will grow and bloom for many years with no special care whatever. However, if you are a daylily fanatic and want to see the best growth and bloom possible, pay additional attention to their cultural needs. Daylilies have traditionally been known to have dormant, semi-evergreen or evergreen foliage. Daylilies can adapt to most sites provided they have at least six hours of direct sunlight a day to perform satisfactorily. If using them in a partially shaded environment they require a minimum of two hours of direct sunlight to perform well. Extending bloom season tip. When they are given a little shade they seem to bloom about two or three weeks latter than the ones in full sun this is a trick to have a longer bloom period. Now plant some in part shade and some in full sun, you have now increased your bloom period by three weeks. They are not very fussy about soil, but a well-drained loam is best. Mix some peat moss or compost into heavy or compacted soil at planting time. Setting out new plants you do not have to give them as much water the first month as they are sending out new feeder roots but they do need to be watered. After the first month Daylilies prefer regular watering. An inch a week applied in two watering is perfect. Daylilies should be planted no closer than two to two and half feet apart except for miniatures which can be planted as close as twelve to eighteen inches. Newly purchased daylily plants should be planted as soon as is reasonable. Soak them a few hours (or overnight) in a bucket of water. After the soil is prepared, the soil should be mounded slightly about an inch. This is for rainwater drainage away from the crown. A hole large enough to accommodate the root mass should then be dug into the center of the mound. The crown of the plant (where the leaves and roots meet) should be planted no more than one inch below the soil surface. Cover the roots with soil and water the plant completely. Daylily clumps should be dug out of the ground and divided every three to five years. Over grown clumps may not bloom and grow as well. Fall is the best time to divide in the south. Spring is the best time to dig and divide in the north since survival will be better. However replanting in the north in Fall is ok anytime up to 6 weeks before the first frost is acceptable. Clumps can be divided by washing all the soil from the roots and pulling two, three and four fan divisions off the clump. After washing, let the divisions dry in the shade for several hours or overnight. This lets the cut surfaces heal and prevents fungal and bacterial infections. Replant the divisions as described above and always add two scoop shovels of compost for each replanted division. Remember to keep all divisions labeled with the correct cultivar name. Over wintering. most cultivars are as "hardy as a rock" and do not need winter mulch. However, even the "hardy as a rock" cultivars will grow and bloom better when given over wintering care. The first step in over wintering is to make sure all summer mulch is pulled away from the plant crowns at least an inch. This is advisable for all perennials. Do not remove the old dead daylily foliage in late fall unless you see 1/4" black fungal spots. The old daylily foliage helps hold the winter mulch or snow in the north for winter. Winter mulch should remain in place from the time the ground begins to freeze all through winter until the middle of April in the north in the south you may remove about mid to late February. Then the mulch and old daylily foliage can be removed. Plant Lovers Beware, once you are exposed to the incredible world of modern daylilies, you will become obsessed with them.

Hostas will grow best in rich organic soil. The recommended soil is well drained, has a slightly acidic pH, and is enriched both with nutrients and organic matter. When making a new hosta bed, cultivate to a depth of 12 to16 inches. Apply 6 inches of organic matter and till it into the new bed. Soak bare root plants in tepid water for about 30 minutes prior to planting. Form a small cone in the bottom of the hole, spread the roots over it and add the amended soil. Water the plants well following planting. A balanced granular fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 5-10-5 can be applied early in the spring, followed by an application six weeks later, followed by a midsummer application. Timing of these applications would typically be early April, mid- to late May, and mid-July. Water is important for optimal growth. A minimum of an inch of water each week is recommended, and can come from rain, irrigation, or hand watering. In general, the greatest growth occurs when water exceeds the minimum recommended rate. Watering hostas on a regular basis early in the day is highly recommended. Division should be done when no shoots are growing from the center of the mature clump and this bare area detracts from the appearance of the plant. Division of the clump will improve the plant's appearance. Lift the entire hosta clump and wash the soil from the roots, if possible, to make it easier to see where to cut to divide the clump. Cut with a sharp knife to make the divisions. Spring is the easiest time to divide plants because new shoots are only a few inches high and the leaves have not expanded. Keep newly divided plants well watered for the first two weeks, especially if there is a period of drought.

The best time to plant bearded iris is July through September. This allows enough time for the flowers to become established before winter. In a well-cultivated bed, dig a shallow hole large enough for the rhizome clump. Create a mound of soil in the center of the hole. Make sure the mound is high enough to allow the top of the rhizome to poke out slightly above the soil level. Spread the roots around the mound, fill it with soil and water. For a colorful group planting, plant at least three rhizomes (about 8-10” apart) or plant undivided clumps. Be sure to point each fan of leaves away from the center of the group. Before flowering, water plants often enough to keep the soil moist but not soaked. Apply mulch to fall-planted irises to reduce winter heaving.

Most of the following terms are illustrated in the Daylily Dictionary - just follow the links. Modern daylilies display a complex variety of color patterns that were unknown in the original wild types. The patterns include: SELF - The simplest pattern in which the flower segments (i.e., petals and sepals) are all the same color (e.g., pink and rose). The stamens and throat may be different. BLEND - The flower segments (i.e., petals and sepals) are a blend of two or more colors. The stamens and throat may be different. POLYCHROME - The flower segments have an intermingling of three or more colors (e.g., yellow, melon, pink, and lavender). The stamens and throat may be different. BITONE - The petals and sepals differ in shade or intensity of the same basic color. The petals are the darker shade (e.g., rose pink), while the sepals are lighter (e.g., pale pink). A Reverse Bitone has sepals which are darker than the petals. BICOLOR The petals and sepals are of different colors (e.g., red and yellow or purple and gold). The petals are the darker of the two colors. A Reverse Bicolor has sepals which are darker than the petals. EYED OR BANDED - The flower has a zone of different color or a darker shade of the same color located between the throat and the tips of the flower segments. It is an Eye if the zone occurs on both the petals and the sepals. It is a Band if the zone occurs only on the petals. It is a Halo if the zone is faint or only lightly visible. It is a Watermark if the zone is a lighter shade that the rest of the flower segments. EDGED OR PICOTEED - On some daylilies, the edges of the flower segments are either lighter or darker than the segment color. The width of the edge can range from a very narrow "wire-edge" to as much as 1/4 to 1/2 inches. TIPPED - The segment tips, or more frequently just the petal tips, are a different or contrasting color from the body of the segment (sometimes for as much as one third of the length). DOTTED, DUSTED - The surface color of the flower appears to be unevenly distributed over the background color of the bloom rather than being smoothly applied. It is Dusted if the color appears to be finely misted onto the surface. It is Dotted if the colors are clumped into larger pools. Other terms used to describe uneven coloration include: Flecked, Flaked, Speckled, and Stippled. MIDRIB - This is the center vein running lengthwise through each flower segment. In some cultivars, the midrib is different in color from the rest of the segment. The midrib can be flush with the surface, raised above it, or recessed. DIAMOND DUSTING - Tiny crystals in the flower's cells reflect light, especially in the sun, to give the flower a sparkling or glistening appearance as if sprinkled with gold, silver, or tiny diamonds.

Daylily blooms have a wide array of different forms or shapes. Currently, the AHS officially recognizes the following forms for exhibition purposes: single, double, spider, unusual form, and polymerous flowers: SINGLE - Daylily flowers that have three petals, three sepals, six stamens and one pistil. DOUBLE - Double daylilies come in several different forms. 'Hose-in-Hose' doubles have extra whorls (layers) of petals so that there appears to be a flower within a flower. 'Peony type' doubles have petaloid (petal-like) tissue on the stamens inside the normal petal whorl. SPIDER - A flower whose petals have a length-to-width ratio of at least 4 to 1 (i.e., 4:1). Length is measured with the segment fully extended. Width measurement is taken as the flower grows naturally. UNUSUAL FORM - A class of daylilies based exclusively on the shapes of the petals or sepals. These shapes include Crispate (pinched, twisted, or quilled), Cascade, and Spatulate. One or more of these shapes must be displayed on at least 3 petals or 3 sepals. POLYMEROUS - Polymerous is an adjective used to designate a daylily with more than the normal number of segments in each floral whorl, i.e., more than the normal three sepals (usually four or five) in the outer whorl and more than three petals (usually the same number as sepals) in the inner whorl. MULTIFORM - This term is used where the daylily in question has been registered correctly as exhibiting 2 or more of the forms spider, unusual form, polymerous, or double. Examples of a multiform daylily would be one that is both a spider and an unusual form, or a polymerous double. Form characteristics that are collected on the current registration form, but that are not currently used for exhibition classification. SCULPTED - A term used to describe three-dimensional structural features involving or emanating from the throat, midrib or elsewhere on the petal surfaces. Sculpted forms belong to one of three different groups: Pleated, Cristate (formerly Crested) and Relief. Other descriptive terms of daylily form or shape characteristics are: CIRCULAR - When viewed from the front of a bloom, the flower appears round. Segments tend to be short, wide and stubby, and generally overlap, giving a full appearance. See also: Recurved FLAT When viewed from the side of a bloom, flowers are perfectly flat except for the concave throat. INFORMAL - When viewed from front of bloom, flower segments have no definable shape. Segment placement may be irregular, widely spaced or floppy. RECURVED - When viewed from the side of a bloom, flower segments flare, but the ends of some segments roll back or tuck under. When the sepals are all recurved, and the petals are not, the result is a triangular form, when both sepals and petals recurve, the result is often the round form. STAR - When viewed from front of bloom, flower segments tend to be long and pointed. There is space between the segments, and the shape looks like a three-pointed or six pointed star. TRIANGULAR - When viewed from the front of the bloom, the flower segments form a triangle. The sepals generally recurve. TRUMPET - When viewed from side of bloom, flower form resembles a true lily. Segments rise from throat in an upward pattern with little flare.

Daylilies bloom from early spring until frost, depending on the coldness of the climate. To indicate when a particular cultivar blooms during the season, daylily growers use the following terms and abbreviations (or symbols): EXTRA EARLY (EE) - These daylilies are the first to bloom, and vary from March or April in the extreme South, to May or June in the North. EARLY (E) - These daylilies bloom three to five weeks prior to the mass of bloom at midseason. EARLY MIDSEASON (EM) - These daylilies bloom one to three weeks before the height of bloom of most cultivars. MIDSEASON (M) - These daylilies bloom at the peak of the daylily bloom in your own garden. This ranges from May in the South to July in the North. LATE MIDSEASON (LM) - These daylilies bloom one to three weeks after the height or peak of bloom in your garden. LATE (L) - These daylilies bloom when most others have finished blooming, usually four to six weeks after the peak of the season. VERY LATE (VL) - These daylilies are the last to bloom, often late in the summer in the South, fall in the North. REBLOOMER (Re) - These daylilies bloom more than one time during a single season. Some of these bloom early (e.g., May or June) and then repeat in the fall. Others have a succession of bloom periods, one shortly after another for several months.