06/06/2026
Daylilies get their name because every single bloom only lasts for one day. That doesn’t mean you’ll miss the show-stopping display if you blink though. Each plant has multiple flower stalks, or scapes, with 12 to 15 trumpet-shaped blooms each that open successively over a period of several weeks. As new buds continuously form and open, it gives the illusion that the flowers last for a long time. From May to September, depending on the variety, one daylily plant can produce as many as 200 to 400 flowers.1 Since the blooms are short-lived, daylily plants have a lot of spent blooms that can make them look messy.
Deadheading can not only neaten your garden, but also encourage a new round of blooms. Here’s how deadheading daylilies can extend your blooming season and how to do it right.
If spent daylily blooms don’t bother you, then you can probably skip deadheading them. But the process is done for more than looks. As the blooms fade, they quickly turn mushy and can stick to developing buds and keep them from opening. Removing fading flowers and their seed pods tricks the plant to redirect its energy from producing seeds to producing more scapes and flower buds, as well as putting energy into root development and storing energy for the next growing season. This means more and healthier blooms as these perennials return year after.
Deadheading daylilies can take some time if your garden is filled to the brim with them, but don’t feel like you have to go out to the garden every day to pinch off fading flowers. You may want to rip them out at the end of the season for all the trouble if you do. Plan on a few deadheading sessions, about every two weeks, throughout the blooming cycle. Here’s how to remove those spent blooms:
1. With your fingers, pinch the shriveling flower head at its base where the swollen part meets the stem, and gently twist to pop it off the stalk. Make sure to pinch off the swollen o***y below the petals because this is where the seed pod will form and grow.
2.You can use pruners to cut the flower heads and ovaries from the scapes to make deadheading a large quantity of blooms easier.
3.When all of the buds on an individual scape have finished blooming, cut the stalk down to the plant’s base using clean pruners.
Daylilies can live for decades with the right care, and the better care they receive, the better their blooms. They’ll thrive in rich, organic, acidic soil and at least six hours of sunlight each day. Any less could mean fewer blooms. During the blooming period, give daylilies an inch of water each week to encourage reblooming and keep the colors vibrant. Dividing daylilies every few years will keep them from becoming too crowded in your flower beds. You may even notice that the plants bloom more vigorously. Skip the fertilizer and add organic compost to the soil at the start of each season for added nutrients.
