Long Flowering Dwarf Daylily

Long Flowering Dwarf Daylily 'Stella Tangerine' (Hemerocallis 'Stella Tangerine') is a compact clumping perennial about 40cm tall and wide that flowers through most of the warm season. Each orange bloom lasts a day, but buds open in steady succession, so a massed planting is rarely out of flower. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant and, unusually, happy with wet feet.

Why you'll love it

• Months of colour, not weeks. One flower a day per stem sounds modest until you plant a drift and the whole bed stays in bloom.
• Wet ground or dry ground. Drought tolerant once established and wet feet tolerant, so a dry verge and a soggy corner both work.
• Hardy almost anywhere. Frost hardy and heat tolerant, suiting subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens.
• Very little work. Strappy foliage stays neat, and the clump asks for nothing beyond a tidy up and division every few years.

Where it works best

Mass planting and groundcover. Plant 40cm apart, roughly six plants per square metre. At that spacing the foliage closes into a continuous band and the flower stems read as one drift.

Borders and edging. The arching strappy leaves make a tidy front edge all year, and the low height never blocks what sits behind.

Pots and containers. A 300mm pot suits a single clump on a patio. Note that daylilies are highly toxic to cats, so keep pots out of reach if a cat grazes your garden.

Growing Stella Tangerine daylily in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; part shade works but produces noticeably fewer buds. Being frost hardy it copes with cold southern winters, and it is equally at home through subtropical summers.

Soil. Almost any soil improved with compost. It is one of the few perennials that will sit in ground staying damp after rain, and it grows just as well in ordinary drier soil.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer. After that it copes with dry spells, though flowering is heavier if you keep the water up over the peak season. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Snap spent flower stems off at the base. Cut back tired foliage in late winter, and divide congested clumps every three to four years to restore flowering.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in one size, 140mm pots in packs of ten. Ten plants cover about one and a half square metres at 40cm spacing, which is the right quantity for a border run or a small mass planting.

Plants arrive as established clumps of strappy foliage, sometimes trimmed for transit, and travel well because the growth point sits at ground level. Expect flowers in the first warm season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Plants suited to mass planting
• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Browse low maintenance plants
• Compare the wider flowering plant range

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

About six, planted 40cm apart. A pack of ten covers roughly one and a half square metres, so measure the bed before ordering rather than guessing.

Is it safe around pets?

No, not around cats. Daylilies are highly toxic to cats and eating even a small amount can cause kidney failure, so this is not a plant for a garden a cat grazes in. Keep it well away or choose something else.

Each flower only lasts a day. Is that a problem?

Not in practice. Every stem carries a run of buds that open in succession, so a clump stays in flower for weeks and a mass planting holds colour for months.

Will it grow in a spot that stays damp?

Yes. It is one of the better perennials for ground that holds water after rain, unusual in a plant that is also drought tolerant. Stagnant waterlogged soil is still too much.