How to Grow Daylily (Hemerocallis)

Daylilies bloom like they have something to prove: trumpet after trumpet through the warm months, with rebloomers like 'Stella' carrying on for five months straight. Hummingbirds and butterflies patrol the patch all day. Each flower lasts one perfect day — and there is always another behind it.

Here is the perennial for people who kill perennials — it thrives in zones 3-9, holds slopes against erosion, and multiplies until you're giving divisions away. One warning it insists on: keep it away from cats entirely. Everywhere else, plant it and stop worrying.

Where to buy daylily — 3 nurseries compared

Full Sun to Part Shade
Low water
Fast growth
Salt-tolerant
Attracts butterflies
Attracts hummingbirds

Daylily — a print from the Plant Library collection

From the print shop

Growing daylily? Hang it.

Our Plant Library collection carries daylily — Hemerocallis, print Nº 152, “Daylily.”

526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed

Shop Plant Library botanical prints →

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Will it fruit where you are?

Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what daylily actually needs.

Hardy inZones 3-9

Daylily · Common problems

Common daylily problems

Pests, diseases and weather to keep an eye on.

Pests

2 problems on file

Daylily Gall Midge (rare)
Deer (love them)

Diseases

3 problems on file

Daylily · Growing & propagation

Growing daylily

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

What it needsThe details

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Water: Low
Nearly unkillable
Soil: Any · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer: None needed
Compost if you're feeling generous.
Pruning: Spring or Fall
Deadhead scapes when done; divide clumps every 4-5 years when bloom thins.
Spacing: 18-24 inches

How to plant & propagate daylily

Propagate: Division or seed

Daylily · Calculators & field guides

A little help in the garden.

Calculators for the figures. Field guides for the hands-on work.

Daylily · Yearly calendar

The daylily year, month by month

What daylily asks for, month by month.

Jan

No calendar activity is listed for this month.

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bloom

Prune

BloomMay to September

PruneMarch to May, then September to November

What each band means

Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.

These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.

Daylily · Ecology & uses

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Hemerocallis

Daylily in the garden system

Herbaceous layer perennial
Living mulch

Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Moisture: Upland / dry
Salt: Salt-tolerant
Fine near roads and coasts
Deer: Browsed
Protect young plants

What daylily is grown for

⚠ Toxic if eatenHIGHLY toxic to cats

Use: Landscape
Use: Edible blooms
Use: Erosion control

Harvesting & storing daylily

Flowers + buds are EDIBLE (fried daylily buds!)

Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.

Daylily · Varieties & cultivars

Choosing a daylily variety

Match the plant to your climate, season and available space.

'Stella de Oro', 'Happy Returns', ditch orange

Sources & plant identity

Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.

The plant, at a glance.

Botanical name: Hemerocallis
Plant family: Asphodelaceae
Growth habit: Perennial
USDA plant symbol: HEMER
Invasive risk: Low

Every garden is different.

Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.

Rooted in research.

University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.

Explore Daylily’s sources4 reference links
for Daylily

Research from these sources

Green Bay Botanical Garden

NC State Extension

University of Florida

University of Minnesota

Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.

Questions

Daylily questions, answered straight.

Is daylily safe for kids and pets?

No — treat it as toxic if eaten. HIGHLY toxic to cats Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.

When do you harvest daylily?

Flowers + buds are EDIBLE (fried daylily buds!).

How do you propagate daylily?

Division or seed.

Elsewhere

Where daylily sits in the library.

Grows in the same world