Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Just a Bit')
Hemerocallis 'Just a Bit' is a low-maintenance Daylily offering 3" lavender blooms with purple eyes on short scapes, perfect for borders.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ is a highly desirable, miniature-flowered Daylily cultivar valued for its compact stature and striking bloom color. This unique variety provides vibrant lavender flowers, each accented with a distinct purple eye zone and a delicate green throat, offering exceptional visual interest in smaller garden spaces. It maintains the robust, adaptable nature characteristic of the Daylily genus, thriving across a wide range of conditions. Gardeners appreciate Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ for its low maintenance requirements, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced growers looking to add season-long color with minimal fuss.
As a diploid miniature, this Daylily typically reaches only about 12 inches tall, ideal for foreground planting where taller cultivars might overwhelm the view. Its grass-like, arching foliage provides a neat green base throughout the growing season before the procession of flowers appears from early to midsummer. The reliability and adaptable toughness of the Daylily ensure that Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ remains a staple in contemporary landscape designs.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Asphodelaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-9
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 0.75-1 ft
- Spread: 0.75-1 ft
- Bloom Time: June to July
- Bloom Description: Lavender with purple eye zones and green throat
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Planting Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ should ideally occur in the spring or fall when temperatures are moderate, ensuring roots establish before extreme heat or cold sets in. These Daylilies perform best in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils, though they can adapt to various soil types; however, they greatly prefer deep, fertile loams for optimal performance. Ensure the crown—the growing point at the base of the leaves—is planted precisely at soil level, not too deep or too shallow.
Care throughout the season is remarkably simple. Water moderately, providing deep water during dry spells to keep the attractive foliage looking its best, especially in summer heat and humidity. Deadheading spent flowers daily keeps the plant tidy and encourages continuous blooming until the season concludes. Remove spent flower scapes once blooming is finished.
For winter-dormant varieties like this Daylily, natural cold dormancy is required for the best show of blooms, so avoid planting in the warmest reaches of Zone 9 unless selecting an evergreen type. Divide your clumps every 3 to 4 years, typically in spring in colder climates, to maintain vigor and bloom quality.
Landscape Uses
Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ excels where space is limited or a low border is needed. Its compact nature makes it an excellent edging plant along pathways or defining the front of a mixed perennial border where its 1-foot height will not obscure taller neighbors. Dwarf cultivars like this are particularly effective in rock gardens, adding pops of saturated color among stones and gravelly textures.
Consider planting this Daylily en masse across large areas for a sweeping field of lavender color during the summer months, providing excellent ground cover once established. They pair beautifully with fine-textured foliage plants or larger, late-season bloomers which will take over once the Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ has finished its main flush. Its tolerance for some shade also allows integration into light woodland garden settings under high-branching trees.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
The genus Hemerocallis, commonly known as Daylily, comprises numerous herbaceous perennials native to Asia and Europe, though modern cultivars are almost exclusively hybrids developed for enhanced color and form. Each delicate flower lasts only a single day, though plants deliver prolonged color due to the succession of blooms opening across multiple scapes from spring into late summer. Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ is specifically a diploid miniature, presenting lavender flowers up to 3 inches across atop scapes rising to just 12 inches high above the basal green foliage.
Tolerances
- Rabbit
- Erosion
- Air Pollution
Potential Problems
Daylilies are renowned for being extremely adaptable and generally pest-free, contributing to their low maintenance profile. Occasionally, you might see minor infestations of mites, aphids, or thrips, which usually do not require aggressive chemical intervention. Daylily rust can become a concern depending on your local climate; prevention involves ensuring good air circulation by spacing plants properly and avoiding overhead watering late in the day. Rabbits generally avoid chewing on the foliage of the Daylily.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Daylily suitable for?
Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ is reliably hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 9.
How large does Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ grow?
This miniature Daylily matures to a height between 0.75 and 1 foot tall, with a corresponding spread of 0.75 to 1 foot wide.
When does Daylily bloom?
This cultivar typically produces its lavender flowers from June through July, often blooming in midseason.
What sun exposure does Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ need?
For the best display of blooms, this Daylily requires full sun, though it tolerates partial shade.
Conclusion
Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ offers exceptional value due to its manageable size, low maintenance needs, and the beautiful clarity of its lavender and purple-eyed summer flowers. This reliable Daylily enhances borders and small gardens alike, providing dependable performance year after year. Before planting, confirm that your garden location falls within USDA Zones 3-9 and prepare a well-drained spot to ensure your Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ thrives.
Companion Planting
Selecting appropriate companions enhances the appeal of this Daylily throughout the season. Since Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ has a compact form and finishes blooming by mid-summer, follow it up with later-season interest. Plants that enjoy similar sun and moisture conditions work best; consider pairing them with Shasta Daisies or Coneflowers (Echinacea) that will bloom as the Daylily fades. Low-growing groundcovers like creeping thyme can soften the edges of the clump, while ornamental grasses provide textural contrast to the strappy foliage.
Design Ideas
For cottage or mixed perennial gardens, utilize the small stature of Hemerocallis ‘Just a Bit’ for front-of-the-border layering. Its short flower scapes prevent them from looking messy when taller plants begin to dominate mid-to-late summer. In modern landscapes, group odd numbers of these Daylilies together in drifts against a backdrop of dark green mulch or fine-textured dark green shrubs for maximum color impact. Their tolerance for air pollution also makes them suitable candidates for planting near driveways or light edge plantings that require durable choices.
