Red Daylily

Red Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Stella Rouge') is a dwarf repeat flowering daylily that holds at about 40cm high and 40cm across and produces deep red trumpets over a very long season. Each flower lasts a day, but the plant keeps replacing them, so the display reads as continuous rather than a single burst. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant and salt tolerant is an unusually broad set for a plant this compact.

Why you'll love it

• Months of colour, not weeks. Repeat flowering brings fresh red blooms in waves through the warm season instead of one short display.
• Compact and predictable. A tidy 40cm clump that stays where you put it, which is why landscapers use it in numbers along paths and driveways.
• It tolerates almost everything. Frost, drought, heat and salt, so it works from a cold southern garden to an exposed coastal verge.
• Fast to establish. Clumps bulk up quickly, so a mass planting closes over in a single season, and bees work the flowers all summer.

Where it works best

Mass planting and borders. Plant 40cm apart for a continuous massed border, about six plants per square metre. At that density the strappy foliage merges into an unbroken band and weeds have nowhere to start.

Groundcover and edging. A single row at the same spacing edges a path or driveway neatly, and the foliage stays low enough that it does not flop across paving.

Pots and rockeries. A pot 300mm or wider holds one clump well on a balcony, and the drought tolerance means a missed watering is not fatal.

Growing Red Daylily in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the most flowers, though it accepts part shade with a reduced display. It grows across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and in cool districts the foliage may die back over winter and reshoot in spring.

Soil. Almost any soil that drains, from sand to improved clay. Work compost through the bed before planting to hold moisture, and mulch 50mm deep, kept off the crown.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then reduce. It survives dry spells on its fleshy roots, but consistent moisture keeps the flower count high, and a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and midsummer does the rest.

Maintenance. Snap off spent flower stems at the base to encourage the next wave. Every three or four years, lift and divide the clumps in autumn or late winter to restore vigour, which also gives you free plants.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown for volume planting and sold in 140mm pots in packs of ten. Each plant arrives as an established fan of strappy foliage, usually 20cm to 30cm tall, the size that closes a bed over quickly without the cost of advanced stock. A pack covers roughly 1.6 square metres at the recommended spacing.

Foliage is sometimes trimmed for transit and a few outer leaves can yellow on the way, which is not a fault. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order $300 before delivery. Expect new growth within three to four weeks and first flowers the same season, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Pair it with Sunny Yellow Dwarf Daylily
• Browse plants selected for mass planting
• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Compare the wider flowering plant range

Common questions

Are daylilies safe around cats?

No. Daylilies are seriously toxic to cats, and even small amounts of any part of the plant can cause acute kidney failure. Do not plant this one where cats roam. Dogs are far less affected, though eating it can still upset them.

How many do I need per square metre?

Six at the recommended 40cm spacing. For a border, one pack of ten runs about four metres as a single row.

Why do the flowers only last a day?

That is simply how the genus works, and the botanical name says as much. The plant compensates with a long succession of buds on each stem, so the clump carries fresh flowers for months.