Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Swirling Water')

Overview

Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ is a celebrated diploid Daylily cultivar known for its rich, intricate flower coloring. Gardeners prize this variety for its 6.5-inch blooms featuring dramatic purple splashing set against cream-white petals and a pale green throat. As a low-maintenance herbaceous perennial, this Daylily offers significant aesthetic impact without demanding constant attention throughout the growing season.

Growing successfully across USDA Zones 3 through 9, Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ achieves a modest height of 1.5 to 2 feet, making it exceptionally versatile for various landscape placements. Its reliable performance and adaptability to different soil types secure its place as a staple in perennial borders where beauty and resilience are paramount.

While individual flowers last only a single day, the plant produces flowers successively over a long period, ensuring sustained visual interest through early to mid-season. This long blooming effort, combined with its tolerance for heat and humidity, makes the Daylily a robust and rewarding choice for both novice and experienced gardeners.

Fast Facts

• Plant Family: Asphodelaceae
• Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
• Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-9
• Size at Maturity:
  • Height: 1.5-2 ft
  • Spread: 1-1.5 ft
• Bloom Time: June to July
• Bloom Description: Purple splashed with cream and green throat
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Water Needs: Medium
• Maintenance Level: Low

How to Grow

The best time to establish new Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ plants is in the spring, especially in regions experiencing harsh cold winters. They thrive in average, medium-moisture, well-drained soils, though they perform optimally in deep, fertile loams when situated in full sun to part shade conditions.

Daylilies require moderate watering; while tolerant of summer conditions, ensure deep watering during prolonged dry spells to keep the foliage looking its best. Maintenance is generally low, but for optimal appearance, it is crucial to deadhead spent flowers daily and promptly remove the entire spent flower scape once blooming concludes.

Division is recommended every three to four years in either fall or early spring to maintain vigor and flowering density; spring division is preferred in the coldest zones. Note that Daylilies sold commercially are hybrids, meaning they will not breed true from seed, so propagation should be done via division.

Landscape Uses

Daylilies like Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ are incredibly easy-to-grow herbaceous perennials, lending themselves perfectly to foundational garden roles. Their manageable size and upright foliage structure make them superb for defining borders along pathways or driveways where they provide consistent, tidy texture.

These plants excel when massed over large areas, creating drifts of complementary color and uniform texture that suppress weed growth effectively. Although ‘Swirling Water’ is not explicitly noted as a dwarf cultivar, Daylilies are generally excellent for edging and can be tucked into mixed perennial beds, providing vertical contrast to lower-growing annuals and groundcovers.

Standout Features

Flower Qualities

• Showy

Noteworthy Characteristics

Hemerocallis is a genus of about 15 species of herbaceous perennials commonly known as daylilies, native primarily to Asia and central Europe. Hybridizers have developed over 60,000 cultivars, including Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’, which typically features funnel-shaped flowers borne on naked scapes from spring to late summer. The genus name derives from the Greek words hemera (day) and kallos (beauty), recognizing that each individual bloom lasts only one day.

Tolerances

• Rabbit
• Erosion
• Air Pollution

Potential Problems

Daylilies are remarkably adaptable and generally easy to grow, exhibiting resistance to most common pests. Occasionally, infestations of mites, aphids, or thrips may occur, requiring standard treatments. A more significant concern in some humid regions is Daylily rust, which gardeners should monitor for and manage promptly to prevent spread across foliage. Rabbits, fortunately, tend to leave established Daylily clumps alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hardiness zones is Daylily suitable for?

Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ is highly adaptable, suitable for planting across USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9.

How large does Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ grow?

This Daylily typically reaches a mature height between 1.5 and 2 feet tall, with a spread ranging from 1 to 1.5 feet wide, forming a manageable clump.

When does Daylily bloom?

This variety blooms during the primary period of June to July, showcasing its distinctive purple splashed with cream and green throat flowers.

What sun exposure does Daylily need?

For the best display of blooms, the Daylily requires full sun exposure, though it will tolerate partial shade conditions.

Conclusion

The Daylily Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ provides exceptional value through its vibrant, unusual flower coloration and remarkably low maintenance needs across a vast range of climates. Its reliable June to July flowering ensures your garden receives a consistent splash of deep color. Ensure your planting site matches the required hardiness zone and sun exposure before adding this beautiful Daylily to your landscape plan.

Companion Planting

When planning beds around Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’, select companions that appreciate similar soil moisture and do not compete visually with the striking flower patterns. Hostas offer excellent textural contrast beneath the Daylily scapes and share a preference for partial shade if the Daylily is placed on the edge of a wooded area. Alternatively, integrating plants like ornamental grasses or Salvias provides upright spires that complement the Daylily’s arching, linear foliage when planted in full sun borders.

Design Ideas

Utilizing Hemerocallis ‘Swirling Water’ in layered planting schemes adds depth to perennial borders. Place shorter, mounding plants like blue or silver foliage Heuchera in front to anchor the planting, letting the Daylily clump rise in the middle ground. For a dramatic massing effect, plant groups of five or more ‘Swirling Water’ together; this repetition enhances the visual impact of the purple and cream splashes when they are in full bloom during early to mid-summer.