When to Cut Back Daylilies to Maximize Their Flower Power

Key Takeaways

Cutting back daylilies in the spring is better, as it gives them time to store energy in the fall.
Spent foliage over the winter also protects the roots against cold.
If you must cut back daylilies before winter, wait until the foliage has died back naturally.

Some gardeners cut back daylilies in the fall, while others prune them in the spring. This might make you wonder whether there is a best time to prune daylilies. Although these easy-care plants are relatively flexible about pruning, cutting daylilies back at the wrong time potentially makes your plants bloom less next season and causes other problems, too.

In this guide, we’ll explain the best time to prune daylilies to maximize flowering and share pruning tips that will take your daylilies to the next level.

Should You Cut Back Daylilies in Spring or Fall?

Unlike many other perennials that are picky about pruning times, daylilies can be pruned either in spring or fall, although spring pruning has major advantages over fall pruning.

It's generally best to leave daylilies as they are through winter, and then trim your plants back in early spring, just before they start to produce new leafy growth. This gives the plants more time to photosynthesize in the fall and store energy for summer flowers, and leaving spent leaves in place through winter provides extra root insulation from chilly winter temperatures. It also creates nesting spots for overwintering pollinators.

On the other hand, daylilies that have suffered from pests or diseases during the growing season should be pruned to prevent or stop the pest and disease cycle, as many pests and diseases overwinter in contaminated foliage or plant debris.

If you want your garden to look tidier in winter and prefer to cut back daylilies in the fall, don't rush it, or else your plants won’t have sufficient time to photosynthesize and store energy for future flowers. Wait to remove spent foliage until your plants naturally die back in cold weather.

Regardless of when you cut back your daylilies, the pruning techniques are the same. Just gather old daylily leaves and stems in one hand and use garden scissors or hand pruners to trim the leaves a few inches above the soil line. If the leaves are already dried out or killed by frost, you may be able to remove them with a gentle tug—no pruners required.

Gather up the spent leaves and toss them in your compost pile. Brown leaves serve as a carbon source, and leaves that are still green count as a nitrogen-rich composting ingredient. Foliage affected by pests and diseases, on the other hand, should be safely disposed of in the trash.

If you have a lot of daylilies to prune and want to speed things along, you can bundle up the old leaves with a natural twine when they’re still attached to the plant’s roots, and then cut the entire bundle free with one go and throw it in your compost pile.

To Deadhead or Not to Deadhead?

Removing old daylily stems and leaves in spring or fall will make your plants look tidier. But you can also encourage daylilies to flower more abundantly by deadheading their spent flowers and flower stalks or “scapes” during the summer growing season.

Just as their name suggests, most daylily flowers last for a single day before wilting. Some gardeners choose to pinch those old flowers away every day to enhance the look of their plants, while others decide to wait until the entire flower scape stops blooming to cut the scape stem down to the soil line.

The important thing is to remove old flower stalks before they go to seed. That's because seeds take a lot of energy to produce. Daylilies won’t flower as well in summer if they spend too much energy on seed production.

Tips for Better Daylily Flowers

Deadheading your plants throughout the summer and cutting back daylily leaves in spring helps daylilies flower more. Here are other key care tips to increase blooming and keep your daylilies in tip-top shape:

Provide enough light. Daylilies flower best in full sun locations, though they also grow in partial shade, as long as they receive at least 6 to 8 hours of light daily.
Water smart. Like many other perennials, daylilies should be watered regularly immediately after planting and then provided with about 1 inch of water per week. Established plants may not require any supplemental water aside from rainfall; however, you may need to water your plants by hand during dry spells.
Fertilize in spring. Applying compost around the base of daylilies in spring, before your plants leaf out, enhances blooming. Alternatively, use a slow-release, balanced granular fertilizer, well-aged manure, or worm castings.
Add mulch. Mulch keeps daylilies from drying out, and it also prevents weeds that compete with daylilies for light and soil space. It’s easiest to apply mulch right after you cut daylilies back, as you won’t need to work around long daylily leaves while mulching.
Watch for pests. Daylilies are sometimes plagued by pests like thrips, slugs, aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites. Infested plants are usually too stressed to bloom well. Companion planting daylilies with scented herbs can deter certain pests, while slugs can be controlled with beer-filled slug pubs. If their numbers are small, rinsing your daylilies with a strong blast of water from your garden hose is often sufficient to get rid of them.