The daylily is a fascinating perennial plant that takes its name from its edible flowers which typically last just one day, opening in early morning and withering that evening. Each day the flower is replaced by a new bloom from one of the numerous buds on each stalk and one of abundant stocks in each clump of plants.
Daylilies are low maintenance, easy to grow, long-lived and will bloom reliably for years with very little attention. The plants grow quickly in sun or shade, and are rarely bothered by insect pests or disease. Daylilies are not picky about soil and will grow in places that are too wet or too dry for other perennials. That said, daylilies perform best in fertile well-drained soil.
Daylilies come in a rainbow of colors and bloom from midsummer to early fall with new blossoms opening each day. They are well-suited to many different uses in the garden and landscape including perennial borders and along fences and pathways. They pair nicely with ornamental grasses and small shrubs in group plantings and their lush foliage makes for a good backdrop for other flowers when not in bloom.
Here are some great varieties to check out next time you visit us:
South Seas
Hemerocallis ‘South Seas’
South Seas is a vigorous midseason, reblooming daylily that flowers in July and produces a second flush of blooms later in the season. Its single, 4-inch or larger coral-to-apricot flowers have rounded, ruffled petals and a sweet fragrance. The blooms open in the late afternoon and remain open through the night into the following morning. This tetraploid cultivar features dormant (deciduous) foliage.
- Height: 24”-36”
- Width: 24”-36”
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: Orange & Pink/ Midseason, Rebloomer
- Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Desert Flame
Hemerocallis ‘Desert Flame’
Desert Flame will set your gardens ablaze with the large 5 ½”, flaming red-orange blossoms. This daylily produces beautifully ruffled flowers with a lime green throat and orange stamens. Desert Flame is a rebloomer that blooms first in midseason and then again later in fall. This is a taller daylily with very strong well-budded and branched flower stalks and foliage that looks sharp all season long.
- Height: 36”
- Width: 18”-24”
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: Orange/ Summer
- Zones: 4
Stella Supreme
Hemerocallis ‘Stella Supreme’
Stella Supreme is similar to the ever-popular ‘Stella de Oro’ but features a softer yellow color with smaller flowers. The triangular blooms have a strong citrus fragrance and are held above grassy, mounding foliage. This early-season rebloomer begins flowering in early summer and continues reblooming until frost.
- Height: 12” – 15”
- Width: 12” – 28”
- Water: Low – Average
- Bloom: Yellow/ Mid-Summer
- Zones: 3-9
Originally published on July 3rd, 2018. Updated on July 1st, 2026.