FISHERSVILLE—Daylilies will thrive in a variety of light, soil and water conditions. And their blooms peak when the mercury does.

"The hotter it is, the better they do," said horticulturist Mark Viette. "They’re bright, they’re showy and the colors just jump out at you."

Viette is the host of a gardening segment on Down Home Virginia, a monthly television program produced by Virginia Farm Bureau. His family has been breeding daylilies for years.

"Some of the genetic traits that we’re working on really started with my grandfather," he said. They include an ability to bloom later into the season, pronounced fragrance, blooms that face out instead of up, color that becomes more intense as they day goes on, lusher foliage, and self-deadheading flowers.

Daylily blooms last only a day, but the plants are prolific, Viette said. "So if you have a rainstorm or a hailstorm (that damages blooms), there is a new flower that opens up every day."