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Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Rob John / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Sandy Wolkenberg / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Violet T. / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Violet T. / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Daylily
Hemerocallis
Daylily blooms from June through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Daylily
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Is Daylily toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs by University of Florida IFAS Extension. Another source we check lists it as non-toxic; where sources disagree, the warning is shown.
- Listed as toxic to cats by NC State Extension, University of Florida IFAS Extension, Pet Poison Helpline and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Daylily
Plant Daylily in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Daylily get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee Daylily in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Daylily
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Daylily about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Daylily to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Daylily's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 18 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionHemerocallis, genus entryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionIllinois Extension, Flowers: Daylilyheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Minnesota Extensionheight, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenHemerocallis fulvaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- RHSgrowing guide: How to grow hemerocallisheight, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension HGIC 1177: Daylilyheight, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionHemerocallis hybridahardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionHemerocallis sp.height, hardiness zones and sun
- University of Minnesota ExtensionDayliliesheight, sun and trait tags
- American MeadowsHow to Grow Dayliliesspread and sun
- daylilies.orgAmerican Daylily Society, Frequently Asked Questionssun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenbloom months and color
- Plant Delights NurseryGetting Started With Daylilies, A Beginner's Guidesun and trait tags
- whiteflowerfarm.comWhite Flower Farmheight and water
- extension.missouri.eduUniversity of Missouri Extension G6650: Flowering Perennials - Charact...height
- Mississippi State University ExtensionSouthern Gardening: Beautiful array of daylilies display their variety...height
- University of Georgia ExtensionHemerocallis species and hybridsheight
- University of Illinois ExtensionIllinois Extension, Hort in the Home Landscape: Using Cut Flowers to B...trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 20 varieties across 6 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from June through September: Apricot Sparkles opens first (June) and is also the last to finish (September).
- Alabama Jubilee
- Apricot Sparkles
- Barbara Mitchell
- Bela Lugosi
- Buttered Popcorn
- Catherine Woodbery
- Chicago Apache
- Custard Candy
- Double Pardon Me
- El Desperado
- Frans Hals
- Going Bananas
- Happy Returns
- Hyperion
- Joan Senior
- Pardon Me
- Purple de Oro
- Ruby Stella
- Stella de Oro
- Strawberry Candy
Compare every variety in the Daylilies group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Jubilee | Orange | Jul–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1.5 ft |
| Apricot Sparkles | Orange | Jun–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 16 in × 18 in |
| Barbara Mitchell | Pink | Jul–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 20 in × 24 in |
| Bela Lugosi | Purple | Jul–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Buttered Popcorn | Yellow | Jul–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1.5 ft |
| Catherine Woodbery | Pink | Jun–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Chicago Apache | Red | Jul–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Custard Candy | Yellow | Jun–Jul | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 24 in × 20 in |
| Daylilythis page | Orange | Jun–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Double Pardon Me | Red | Jul | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 20 in × 20 in |
| El Desperado | Yellow | Jul–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Frans Hals | Orange | Jul–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 2 ft × 2 ft |
| Going Bananas | Yellow | Jun–Jul | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 20 in × 20 in |
| Happy Returns | Yellow | Jun–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 18 in × 20 in |
| Hyperion | Yellow | Jun–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 3 ft |
| Joan Senior | White | Jun–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 24 in |
| Pardon Me | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 18 in × 20 in |
| Purple de Oro | Purple | Jun–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 16 in × 18 in |
| Ruby Stella | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 16 in × 18 in |
| Stella de Oro | Yellow | Jun–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 12 in × 16 in |
| Strawberry Candy | Pink | Jun–Aug | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 24 in × 20 in |
Good to know about Daylily
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Highly toxic to cats: any part, even the pollen, can cause fatal acute kidney failure, the same effect true lilies have. per ASPCA and NC State
Worth knowing
Each flower opens and dies in one day, which the name Hemerocallis ('day beauty') records. But a scape carries many buds, so a clump blooms 30 to 40 days. per NC State and Clemson
How much sun it needs
Some sources call part shade fine; bloom-focused ones want 6 to 8 hours of sun. Plant in full sun for flowers; dark cultivars need afternoon shade for color. per Missouri and Clemson
Thrives on neglect
One of the toughest perennials grown: salt tolerant, drought tolerant once established, and forgiving of dry or wet spells. NC State reports no serious pests or diseases. per NC State and Missouri
Daylily rust
Daylily rust shows as orange pustules on leaf undersides. Lead with sanitation: buy clean stock, inspect undersides, avoid overhead watering, clear dead foliage. Fungicides only supplement. per Clemson and Penn State
Stella de Oro does both
'Stella de Oro' is both a top reblooming daylily and one of the few cultivars with moderate rust resistance, so one choice buys longer bloom and less rust. per Clemson and Plant Disease
Draws pollinators, but deer browse
Flowers feed butterflies and hummingbirds, and daylilies suit butterfly and children's gardens. Note that NC State flags them as frequently damaged by deer. per NC State
What pairs well with Daylily
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Blue Princess Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Red Robin Photinia
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Fireworks Goldenrod
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Electric Lights Red Azalea
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Smooth Blue Aster
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Little Bluestem
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.