Question
I wanted to follow up on the previous question about daylillies and moving them.  I am thinking of moving them to a sunnier place since the last couple of years they haven't bloomed nearly as well as earlier.  There is a shade tree nearby that has grown and I'm wondering if that might be preventing them from reblooming the way they did the first few years.  I was interested to see the earlier answer that seems to say that the age of the lillies may account for the decline in blooming.  My local nursery also says summer is the best time to transplant them which seems to contradict what I've read.  He also recommended some potassium.  Any views on the bloom decline and the best time to move them?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Rod,
Thanx for your question.  Actually, I have moved my lilies whenever I felt like it as long as I had at least 30-45 days before the first frost and well after the last frost.  Daylilies are pretty tough customers.  So, your nursery is correct in that you could safely move them in the summertime.  One of the reasons I recommend moving in the spring or late summer/early autumn is to try and work around the blooming time.  I think potassium is a good idea as this promotes blooming.  Bloom decline can almost always be traced to overcrowding of plants and the need to separate and thin the plants every three years just like one would do with irises and other rizomatous and bulbaceous plants.  The roots/rhizomes/bulbs get so thick they compete for nutrients so that the energy is concentrated into producing leaves rather than the immense amount of energy that is required to cause the plant to bloom and possibly produce seeds.  Unless the plants were exposed to too much shade, the tree shouldn't have much to do with the blooming, but, I agree that moving to a sunnier location is good.  Here is a helpful link from the American Hemerocallis Socity (Daylilies).   http://www.daylilies.org/  I hope this helps.
tom