The daylily, a rainbow of possibilities

Cet article en français.

My various daylilies offer many different petals, grouped here with other flowers and herbs (the blue star-shaped borrage flower, the ciseled leaf of dill, the smallish five-petals, pink and magenta flower of mallow (Malva Sylvestris) and its leaves (right, bottom corner of bowl), parsley at the back of the bowl and peaking in the left, bottom corner of the bowl, the big, round leaf of nasturtiums and its flowers, buried under the rest), all of this for a delicious salad.

Hélène:

We already produced an article on the edibility of daylilies leaves, mentioning quickly how the flowers were also edible, but we never got the chance to talk about it adequately. How unfortunate! Since the flower is so ephemeral (it is called a DAYlily for a good reason after all) I feel less guilty using them with abandon. 

I make entrées out of them, stuffing flowers (minus their pistils) with pepper Boursin cheese and closing their petals over with strands of garlic chive. I do have to eat them in small quantities; if the leaves can give you belly cramps, the flowers - however weaker than the leaves - can still cause pain. Moderation tastes better, what can I say. It's also worthwhile noting that dark-hued flowers tend to have a slight metallic taste.  Paler flowers are thus preferable for consumption.

 I don't use them just for their taste, however! Daylilies come in such an impressive array of colors, forms and sizes that they can also be used for a simple fancy: dressing up your hairdo! It doesn't last an entire day, unfortunately, but they do make me smile!

...To the most extravagant hairdo.

From small and simple...

Has I said, so much choice is available when it comes to daylilies, surely some of them will enchant you too! And it's one of the easiest plants you can grow in Quebec, so much so, the species 'Fulva' even grows wild. Here's a small selection I managed to cram in my small, suburban homestead:

Elongated or round petals, contour either straight or frilly, from a deep red to a peachy-beige (going through dark violets and without forgetting the true yellows) even thought the flower fades so fast, daylilies do please!