Daylilies: The Easy-Care Beauty of Lilies, Without the Fuss
Lilies have inspired gardeners for centuries with their elegant blooms and rich symbolism — purity, passion, devotion. But if you want that same graceful, lily-like beauty with a fraction of the effort, the secret is daylilies. They deliver color all summer and are about as tough and forgiving as a flowering perennial gets.
Lilies vs. Daylilies: What’s the Difference?
True lilies (genus Lilium) grow from bulbs and bloom once a season. Daylilies (genus Hemerocallis) are not true lilies at all — they grow from tough clumps of roots, and while each flower lasts a single day, they produce a steady parade of new blooms for weeks or months. For most gardeners, that long, dependable show makes daylilies the easier, more rewarding choice.
Why Gardeners Love Daylilies
- Long bloom season — especially reblooming types that flower from early summer to frost.
- Nearly foolproof — drought-, heat-, and salt-tolerant once established.
- Adaptable — happy in full sun to part shade and a wide range of soils.
- Pollinator-friendly — their blooms draw butterflies and hummingbirds.
One caution: daylilies are toxic to cats, so keep them out of reach of curious felines.
Two Easy Daylilies to Start With
The cheerful yellow Happy Returns Daylily is a compact rebloomer that flowers from early summer right through to frost — perfect for borders and edging. For bold color, the rich red Ming Toy Daylily brings dramatic, reblooming blooms to beds and containers.
Plant them in a sunny spot, water to establish, then sit back — daylilies practically grow themselves. For more growing tips, the University of Florida IFAS Gardening Solutions is a helpful resource.
Bring Home Easy Color
Find these daylilies and more in our Flowering Plants and Groundcovers & Border Plants collections — hand-grown, shipped free, and backed by our 30-Day Happy Gardener Guarantee.
