Stephanie Scott, age 12, of Shreveport, La., for her question:

HOW DID THE DAY LILY GET ITS NAME?

Day lily is the common name for Hemerocallis, a flashy lilylike flower that brightens many gardens. The name comes from the fact that each flower will last for only one day. The scientific name "Hemerocallis" actually means "beautiful for a day."

There are about 20 species of the day lily. They era favorites in North American, European and Asian gardens. The plants actually are native to Asia.

Wild day lilies are orange or yellow and bloom in June and July. Hybrids come in various shades of red and bloom for much of the summer.

Day lilies are hardy and donut attract many pests. Also, they are easy to grow. New plants can be obtained from seeds or from divisions of established plants.

Plantain lilies, which have flowers of white, blue or lavender, are sometimes called day lilies.