‘Jamaican Jammin’ is one of the most reliable daylilies I grow. The 28-inch plant explodes with buds every spring. In fact this summer my ‘Jamaican Jammin’ gave me rosy-purple blooms just about every day for over 7 weeks.
Another reason I love this daylily is that it sends up at least one proliferation every year. A proliferation is “baby daylily” that sprouts from a leaf bract on a daylily scape. You can see one toward the bottom of the browning scape (pictured below). These tiny plants are genetically identical to and thus will bloom true to their parent plant.
Some proliferations sprout roots right on the scape. Others need a little help. You can cut the scape 2 to 3 inches below the little plant and stick it in a vase of water to encourage it to root. Just be sure the water level doesn’t drop below the scape and that you change the water every few days.
Once roots appear you can either pot up the plant or stick it directly in your garden. The first time I tried it, I was too scared to plant something so vulnerable outside. Instead I put it in a pot in a sunny window with the intention of planting it outside in spring when it had a better root system. Wrong plan. The poor thing turned yellow and sickly, and I eventually had to toss it out.
On the second try, I planted the baby daylily directly into my garden. Not surprisingly, nature did a much better job of taking care of it and it thrived. In fact, it just started blooming this week, two years after I put it in my garden.
I always make sure I check my daylily scapes before I cut them down to the ground because you never know when you’ll find a freebie!