Happy Ever Appster Romantic Returns Daylily

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

25 Inches

Mature Spread

1.5-2 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 9

Named after Dr. Darrel Apps, the hybridist who created this beautiful series of Daylilies, Happy Ever Appster Romantic Returns is one of the first large flowered, continuous reblooming clear dark pink daylilies to hit the market. Bright pink ruffled petals surround a pop of yellow in the center with a white ring and center vein, creating an outstanding display in your early to mid summer garden. Daylilies are the harbinger of summer, when you see them in bloom you know summer is here. Sporting 5 inch wide blooms on stronger stalks, Romantic Returns can survive the toughest gardening environments and still look great.

Native to Asia, daylilies have naturalized in the United States with abandon. Nicknamed ditch lilies for a reason, you will find H. fulva, the quintessential light orange daylily, in roadside ditches in most regions of the country. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9, Daylilies will grow in every region of the United States except for the very hottest zones, needing the cooler winters to regenerate themselves for the next season. Growing best in full sun, daylilies will tolerate some light shade, especially in the hot summer regions of the country. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds will enjoy visiting your daylilies, but rabbits tend to not bother them.

Happy Ever Appster Romantic Returns Daylily Care

Daylilies are particularly easy to take care of. They will thrive in about any soil, with a varying range of pH levels and do well in urban settings, salt sprayed sea coasts, planting near black walnut trees, and in slightly wet soils. For optimal conditions, plant in well draining humus rich soil, and water when dry. These are not drought tolerant, so be sure to water regularly during particularly long dry periods. Full sun is best, but some light shade is tolerated. Fertilization is not needed, but if you feel your soil is particularly poor, work in some well composted organic material. Mulch to control weeds and eliminate competition for nutrition. Plant with the crown of the roots about 1 inch below the soil, and dig your hole about two times as deep and wide as you will need to accommodate the roots spreading out.

Deadheading can be done to clean your plant of spent flower heads, but will typically not encourage additional blooming. This is a long lasting flower and it already readily re-blooms on new stems. While older varieties’ flowers last a day, these lovely pink daylilies will last longer. A mature established plant can give your hundreds of blooms in a season. Divide mature clumps every 3 to 4 years to keep them from getting over crowded, making sure there are at least three eyes on each division. Cut stems down to about 6 inches in late winter before new growth appears.

Happy Ever Appster Romantic Returns Daylily Spacing

Space your plants about 18 to 24 inches apart. These plants start out with a small footprint but fan out larger on top due to the heavy blooming action. Give them room to grow. They will mature at about 25 inches tall and spread out to 24 inches wide. Wide drifts of color make a wonderful landscape display, as do using them as a focal point in a smaller garden bed. They also make a wonderful landscape border and serve as a stately mid ground planting in a taller perennial garden environment.