Daylily hybridizers have come a long way from the species in the past hundred years, but they have yet to create a modern lily with the attributes with Night-Blooming Lily. Native to China, this daylily has been used as an edible and highly attractive plant in the garden for more than 4,000 years. The lily was used as a barter tool by the early Egyptians and later by the Romans. Today, this is a highly sought-after perennial in the fragrant garden and it has the rare attribute of blooming from just before sunset to sunrise. The leaves are semi-evergreen in the central Texas region that seldom reach more than 20 inches until the scapes begin to emerge in the summer. Scapes can reach 3 to 5 feet tall and produce highly fragrant blooms that are a solid lemony yellow. Plant this lily near a sitting area to take advantage of the intense fragrance. The blooms are bee, hummingbird, and night-moth magnets!

Daylily Crab Salad: Rinse and drain 1 to 1 1/2 cup of fresh bean sprouts. Combine sprouts with 2 peeled, seeded and diced cucumbers, 1/2 finely diced crab (or crab substitute), 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp sugar substitute, and 2 tbsp soy sauce. Harvest, rinse and drain 10 to 12 fresh night-blooming daylilies at twilight. Spoon 2 tbsp or more of crab mixture into each daylily cavity and scatter a few sesame seeds on top. Other Daylilies may be used as well, but will not have the lemony flavor evident in the species daylily.