Your first daylilies
Daylilies are some of the easiest perennials you can grow. They handle heat, cold and dry spells, and come back bigger every year. Here's all you need to know.
- SunPick a spot with at least six hours of sun. Darker reds and purples like a little afternoon shade.
- PlantSet the crown (where roots meet leaves) one inch below the soil, roots spread out, about 18 inches apart.
- WaterWater well the first few weeks. After that they mostly look after themselves.
What do the catalog terms mean?
- Dormant, Evergreen, Semi-Evergreen
- How the leaves behave in winter. Dormant types are the safest choice for cold winters.
- Diploid, Tetraploid
- The number of chromosome sets. Tetraploids tend to have heavier, larger flowers. Either is great for a garden.
- Early, Midseason, Late
- When it blooms in summer. Mixing seasons gives you flowers for longer.
- Rebloom
- Sends up more flower stems later in the season.
- Scape
- The flower stem. Its height tells you how tall the plant stands in bloom.
Good first picks
Browse everything →The grower hasn't picked starter varieties yet. Anything marked Dormant is a safe bet.