Stella de Oro Daylily
Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro'
flowerStella de Oro is the best-selling daylily in the world and the plant that launched the reblooming daylily craze. It forms a compact, grassy clump about a foot tall and wide that throws a long succession of cheerful golden-yellow trumpet flowers from early summer well into fall - a single established plant can open hundreds of blooms a season. Each flower lasts only one day (hence the name daylily, Hemerocallis, meaning beauty for a day), but fresh buds open every morning. Tough, drought tolerant, cold hardy, and nearly indestructible, it is the go-to perennial for low-maintenance color and mass plantings.
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Sun
full sun
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Water
Every 6 days
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Bloom
~60 days
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Difficulty
easy
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Lifecycle
perennial
Comes back every year
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Spacing
18-24 in. apart
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Planting Depth
Set the crown about 1 in. below the soil surface
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Soil pH
6.0-6.5
Growing Details
Soil Type
Average to fertile, well-draining
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3 – 10
When to Fertilize
Light feeding in spring as growth begins
Fertilizer
Balanced fertilizer or compost
🌱 Growing Guide
Grow Stella de Oro in full sun, at least six hours, for the heaviest rebloom, though it tolerates light shade, in average to fertile, well-drained soil. It is hardy in zones 3 to 10 and adapts to a wide range of soils. Water about an inch a week for best flowering, though established plants are quite drought tolerant. Deadhead spent blooms for neatness and snap off the bare flower scapes once a stalk finishes to encourage the next flush. Divide the clumps every three to four years in spring or fall to keep them vigorous and to make more plants - division is also the only way to keep this named variety true, since seedlings will not match.
🌼 Have a different variety?Cultivars of the same species usually share the same basic care — they differ mainly in flower color, height, and bloom form, not in how you grow them. So this guide still applies even if your exact variety isn't the one shown.
Planting Calendar
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Direct sow
Apr 15
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Projected first bloom
Jun 14
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
✅ Plant alongside
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
- Bearded Iris — Blooms just before the daylily and shares the same full sun and well-drained soil, extending the show in the same bed
- Coreopsis — A long-blooming yellow partner that flowers alongside it all summer and feeds pollinators
- Catmint — A soft blue mound that contrasts the golden trumpets and draws bees
🛡️ Pest & disease prevention
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Orange pustules on leaf undersides - choose resistant plants, give airflow, water at the base, and remove infected foliage; cut the clump back if it gets bad
Cluster on flower scapes and buds - rinse off with water and encourage ladybugs
Show up in hot dry spells with fine stippling - rinse foliage and keep plants from drought-stress
🌸 Blooms & cutting
Daylilies are not classic cut flowers since each bloom lasts only a day, but a stalk of fat buds cut for the table will open a fresh flower each morning for several days. The real maintenance is simply grooming: pull the spent, slimy flowers off daily for neatness, and cut each flower scape to the base once it has finished. The flower buds and petals are also edible to people (long used in Asian cooking) - though note they are toxic to cats.
🥗 Nutrition & benefits
An ornamental perennial whose flowers are edible to people (the buds and petals are used in Asian cooking) but toxic to cats. Bees and other pollinators visit the open blooms through the long summer season.
⚠️ Toxicity & safety
Daylilies are toxic to CATS - eating any part can cause kidney failure, the same serious danger posed by true lilies - so keep them away from cats. They are not toxic to dogs or to people; in fact the flower buds and petals are edible for humans and are used in some Asian cuisines.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.