A CHINESE VEGETABLE POTPOURRI - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 103

Plant daylilies so that the fleshy roots are set just below soil level.
How to Harvest
Pick the buds when they're plump but before they open — that's all. The fleshy roots
and young leaves of daylilies are also eaten in Asia. But with so many other things to
try, I've never gotten around to them. If you're adventurous, you can try out a recipe if
you come upon one that appeals to you.
Varieties
The common daylily ( Hemerocallis fulva ) and the tiger lily ( Lilium lancifolium,
formerly L. tigrinum ) are the lilies most commonly found growing wild in the coun-
tryside. Some people confuse the two, but tiger lilies are true lilies with several spotted
orange flowers dangling from each 4- to 6-foot-tall stalk. These two species are the
most traditional lilies for the kitchen. There are many Chinese and Japanese varieties of
daylily. If you choose early, midsummer, and late varieties, you can have lilies in bloom
from spring to late summer.