From the roadside ditches to the most manicured garden you will spot one of the highlights of the summer garden. Of course I am talking about daylilies.

The roadside ditches might suggest that they are native, but they are not, by most definitions. They came with the first settlers, liked what they saw and wondered off to populate the country.

My recollection, from childhood, is that grandmother had only the roadside variety in a large swath in her garden between a locust and walnut tree. Yes, they are on that short list of plants that aren't bothered by walnut trees.

Daylilies remain popular because, like hosta, there are thousands of named varieties. Hint: when you read your magazines and see lists of the writer's favorite daylilies, expect a long search, perhaps, if you must have a specific variety. My goal is not to mention a single variety in this article.

They come in a rainbow of colors, with small or large flowers, an array of flower shapes and plant size from boot high to head high. For the last year or two I have been searching unsuccessfully for the head high ones. There also is a small group that defies their name and bloom in the evening.

When looking at daylily signs or tags you will see words like re-bloomer or extended season and dormant and evergreen. This far north they all go dormant so that part of the sign doesn't matter. There are several varieties that are good re-bloomers. That means they bloom for several weeks, rest for several weeks and then repeat the process all summer. Many others claim to re-bloom, and do, with religious deadheading and the right mix of fertility and moisture.

I have made many varieties re-bloom during unusual ventures into high maintenance gardening. It is a lot easier to pick early, mid-season and late varieties and mix them in a planting. I haven't given up in my search for good re-bloomers but...

Another excellent choice is cultivars that have extended bloom. The idea here is that they continue to produce flower stems for a month or six weeks. There are many good ones in this category.

Daylilies prosper in full sun but will tolerate quite a bit of shade. The shade will reduce their vigor and flowering and cause the plant to sprawl somewhat. Go ahead and push a few into shade. You will soon learn their limits and yours.

Clumps of daylilies will age and need dividing every five to seven years. Do it in late August or early fall after the blooms end. Dig up the whole clump and cut into sections of two to four stems. Cut the tops in half and replant. If you ever kill one please share your secret with me.

Chief insect problems are thrips and red spider mites. Neither is often a problem in the garden. With mites you will see some webbing and a yellowing of leaves. Thrips, on the other hand, will damage the buds, thus distorting the flower.

Recently there is a new fungus in the form of rust raising a bit of concern. Look for browning of the leaves and a blood colored ooze when you pull an infected leaf through your fingers. Three thoughts on rust. First, practice good sanitation by removing old foliage before the season starts. Second, try not to buy plants from the south where the problem is much worse. Our winters help. Third, rusts need an alternate host. In this case it is patrina, a nice plant but hardly necessary for daylily lovers.

Recently I drove by a well-manicured patch of new varieties that led to a road bank patch of the old red and orange ones. That was clever but unlikely planned.