Daylily
Hemerocallis spp.
📖 About this plant
One of the most reliable and carefree perennials, daylilies produce trumpet-shaped flowers that each last just one day (hence the name), but each plant produces many buds for weeks of continuous bloom. Available in thousands of cultivars with colors ranging from near-white through yellow, orange, pink, red, and purple, including bicolors and ruffled forms. Extremely adaptable and drought-tolerant.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6+ hrs)
Every 1-2 weeks
Any (30-60%)
10-32°C
Well-draining loam; tolerates clay and sandy soil; pH 6.0-7.0. Adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions
Light application of balanced fertilizer in early spring and again after flowering; excess fertilizer is not needed and may reduce flowering
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Asia (China, Japan, Korea)
- 📏 Max height
- 30-120 cm depending on variety
- 📐 Spread
- 45-90 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Orange, Yellow, Red
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Mildly toxic — leaves contain low levels of saponins which can cause mild gastrointestinal upset in pets if ingested in large amounts. Flowers are non-toxic and edible (used in Asian cuisine)
- 🌱 Propagation
- Divide clumps every 3-5 years in early spring or late summer; each division needs 2-3 fans of foliage; seed propagation produces variable offspring — named cultivars must be divided
🛡️ Health & Safety
Mildly toxic — leaves contain low levels of saponins which can cause mild gastrointestinal upset in pets if ingested in large amounts. Flowers are non-toxic and edible (used in Asian cuisine)
Common issues
- Daylily rust (Puccinia hemerocallidis) — orange pustules on foliage
- Aphids and thrips on buds
- Crown rot in poorly drained soil
- Spider mites in hot dry conditions
💡 Care tips
- Each flower lasts only one day but plants produce many blooms
- Virtually pest-free and drought-tolerant once established
- Divide every 3-5 years to maintain vigor
- Deadhead spent flowers to encourage reblooming
