Pardon Me daylily

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; at least 6 hours of sun gives the best flowering. Light afternoon shade helps preserve the red flower colour in hot climates.

Water

Water regularly during establishment. Established clumps tolerate short dry spells, but flower better with deep watering during dry weather, especially while buds develop.

Soil

Adaptable to clay, loam or sandy soil if it drains well; performs best in moderately fertile soil enriched with compost. Avoid ground that stays waterlogged.

Height

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m), including flower stems

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Mid- to late summer, with possible repeat flowering into early autumn; cranberry-red flowers with yellow-green throats. Each flower lasts one day, but stems carry successive buds.

Foliage

Narrow, arching green leaves form a low mound. Dormant in winter, with foliage dying back in autumn.

Growth

Moderate; forms a substantial clump over several growing seasons.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.1 ft (0.32 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.1 ft (0.35 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.2 ft (0.38 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the soil surface, and water thoroughly.
• Water deeply during prolonged dry spells rather than giving frequent light sprinklings.
• Apply compost or a modest dose of balanced fertiliser in spring; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Mulch around the clump to conserve moisture, keeping mulch away from the crown.
• Divide crowded clumps every 3-5 years, or when flowering declines.

Pruning. Remove spent flowers if you want a tidier display, and cut each flower stem to the base once all its buds have finished. Remove dead leaves in late autumn or early spring; leave healthy green foliage to feed the crown.

Early spring

Remove dead foliage and check that the crown is not buried under mulch.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps, then water well and apply compost or a light feed.

Late spring

Check developing buds for distortion from daylily gall midge where this pest occurs.

Summer

Water during dry spells, remove spent blooms and cut down finished flower stems.

Early autumn

Divide congested clumps in mild climates, allowing several weeks for rooting before frost.

Late autumn

Remove dead foliage and diseased debris once the plant becomes dormant.

• Repeat small groups along a sunny path for a low ribbon of summer red.
• Place at the front of mixed borders, with taller ornamental grasses behind the arching leaves.
• Combine with purple coneflowers and salvias for contrasting flower shapes and colours.
• Use in a large, well-drained container where its compact flower stems remain in proportion.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Traditional, New perennial (prairie), Low-maintenance, Hot border and Small-space.

Plant it with: Purple coneflower, Perennial salvia, Catmint, Tickseed, Switchgrass and Stonecrop.

Wildlife: Flowers can attract bees and butterflies, although it is not a specialist wildlife plant. Deer may eat buds and flowers.

• Daylily rust: orange powdery pustules develop on leaves, especially in warm, humid regions. Remove infected foliage, improve spacing and avoid moving affected divisions to other gardens.
• Daylily gall midge: unusually swollen buds fail to open, particularly in affected parts of Europe and North America. Pick off and destroy distorted buds before larvae reach the soil; do not compost them.
• Slugs and snails: young leaves may be ragged or holed. Remove hiding places, hand-pick pests or use a labelled iron-phosphate bait.
• Poor flowering: shade, overcrowding or excessive nitrogen can produce leaves with few flowers. Increase sunlight, divide congested clumps and reduce feeding.

Extremely toxic to cats: all parts, including flowers, leaves, roots and pollen, can cause fatal kidney failure if swallowed. Treat any suspected ingestion as an immediate veterinary emergency. Not known to be toxic to dogs or horses. Human poisoning is not well documented for this cultivar; raw plant material may cause stomach upset, and it should not be treated as food.

• Stella de Oro daylily (Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro')

  Has a similarly compact habit but golden-yellow flowers rather than cranberry-red flowers.

• Orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)

  Usually much taller, with orange flowers and a more vigorously spreading habit.

• True lilies (Lilium spp.)

  Grow from bulbs and carry leaves along upright stems; daylilies have basal leaf fans and leafless flower stalks.

Hemerocallis comes from Greek words meaning 'day' and 'beauty', referring to each flower lasting only one day.

Propagation. Divide established clumps in early spring or early autumn, keeping several leaf fans and healthy roots on each division. Division preserves the cultivar; seedlings will not reliably resemble 'Pardon Me'.

Accepted botanical name

Hemerocallis

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