Daylily

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowering is best with at least six hours of direct sun.

Water

Water regularly during establishment. Established plants tolerate dry spells, but flower better with moisture during spring growth and bud formation.

Soil

Adaptable to clay, loam or sandy soil, provided it is not persistently waterlogged; prefers moderately fertile, moisture-retentive soil.

Height

2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m), including flower stems

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) initially; colonies can spread much farther

Flowers

Early to midsummer, usually June-July in the Northern Hemisphere and December-January in Australia; tawny-orange flowers with darker markings and a yellow throat.

Foliage

Long, arching, strap-shaped green leaves form dense fans; foliage may become untidy after flowering and dies back in cold weather.

Growth

Fast once established, spreading by underground stems.

Care needed

Medium

• Water newly planted divisions deeply whenever the root zone begins to dry during their first growing season.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which encourages leaves rather than flowers.
• Mulch with 2 in (5 cm) of organic material, keeping it clear of the crowns.
• Check the edges of the clump each spring and remove unwanted shoots with their attached underground stems.
• Divide crowded clumps in early spring or early autumn, usually every three to five years.

Pruning. Cut spent flower stems down to the base after flowering. Remove dead leaves in late autumn or early spring; pull or cut individual yellowing leaves rather than routinely shearing healthy foliage.

Early spring

Remove dead foliage and check for shoots spreading beyond the intended planting area.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps, water them in thoroughly, and apply compost and mulch.

Late spring

Water during dry spells as flower buds develop; remove swollen, distorted buds if gall midge is present.

Summer

Remove spent flowers if desired and cut finished flower stems back to the base.

Early autumn

Divide or reduce established colonies while the soil is still warm and moist.

Late autumn

Clear dead foliage, especially where rust or other leaf diseases have occurred.

• Plant in a contained, sunny border with robust perennials for a strong band of orange summer colour.
• Repeat clumps beside broad paths or fences, allowing enough room for the arching leaves.
• Use with ornamental grasses and late-flowering perennials to carry interest beyond its relatively short flowering season.
• Mass on an enclosed garden slope where spreading growth can be managed; avoid sites adjoining natural vegetation.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Traditional, Farmhouse, Modern rustic, Hot border and New perennial (prairie).

Plant it with: Switchgrass, Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Garden phlox, Blazing star and Sneezeweed.

Wildlife: Flowers can attract butterflies and other nectar-feeding insects. Dense colonies can displace native plants, so it is not a suitable substitute for native vegetation in habitat plantings.

• Unwanted spread: dig out encroaching shoots with their underground stems and fleshy roots; repeat as regrowth appears, and do not dump divisions in the countryside.
• Daylily gall midge: swollen, distorted buds fail to open, particularly in the UK and parts of Europe; pick off affected buds before they open and dispose of them in household waste.
• Daylily rust: orange powdery pustules develop on leaves, especially in warm, humid regions; remove affected foliage, improve airflow and avoid moving infected plants to other gardens.
• Slugs and snails: young leaves are chewed in spring; remove hiding places, hand-pick pests or use labelled iron phosphate bait as directed.

Highly toxic to cats: all parts, including pollen, and water from a vase containing daylilies can cause potentially fatal kidney failure. Suspected exposure requires immediate veterinary treatment. It is not known to be toxic to dogs or horses. People traditionally eat some prepared daylily parts, but raw material or large amounts can cause gastrointestinal upset, and confusion with poisonous lookalikes is dangerous; do not treat garden plants as food without expert identification and preparation guidance.

Where it spreads. Spreads aggressively by underground stems and is invasive across much of the eastern and central United States, including parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest. It also escapes cultivation and can be locally invasive in southern Ontario, Canada. In UK and Australian gardens it can form persistent, expanding colonies;

• True lilies (Lilium spp.)

  True lilies carry leaves along an upright stem and grow from scaly bulbs. Daylilies have fans of leaves arising at ground level and mostly leafless flower stems.

• Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)

  It has stiff, upright, sword-shaped leaves and yellow iris flowers with three drooping outer segments. Daylily leaves arch outward, and its orange flowers are funnel-shaped.

• Montbretia (Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora)

  Montbretia has smaller orange flowers arranged along slender, branched spikes and grows from chains of corms. Daylily flowers are much larger, and its roots are fleshy rather than corm-forming.

Hemerocallis comes from Greek words meaning 'day' and 'beauty', referring to each flower's brief life, while fulva means tawny.

Propagation. Divide established clumps in early spring or early autumn, retaining healthy roots and at least one fan of leaves per division. The common orange form is usually sterile, so division is the usual method; do not share plants where local guidance discourages planting it.

Accepted botanical name

Hemerocallis fulva

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Korea, Nansei-shoto and Taiwan.

Measured

Soil pH 4.8 to 8. Average height 113 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.