Should You Deadhead Daylilies? Expert Tips for Healthier Blooms

Updated for 2025: Deadheading Daylilies

Originally posted in 2023. As we get closer to daylily season, I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit one of my favorite gardening topics! I originally shared this post a few years ago, but with the excitement of fresh blooms just around the corner — and as I find myself anxiously awaiting the first colorful signs in my own garden — it felt right to give it a little update. Whether you’re new to daylilies or just need a refresher, let’s dive back into the age-old question: Should you deadhead your daylilies?

The Question – Does Deadheading Daylilies Stimulate New Blooms?

I thought this would be a fairly simple question to answer. Spoiler alert — it’s not! I’m no expert gardener (in fact, I’m lucky if I can keep some plants alive), but I always believed that deadheading lilies helped encourage more blooms.

Naturally, I figured a little research would clear things up and help me write a straightforward post. Well… it turned out to be a lot less simple than I expected!

Deadheading Spent Blooms

There’s really no question — deadheading spent daylily blooms makes a noticeable difference. Not only does it keep your plants looking neat and tidy, but removing spent blooms (and later, the stems once all the buds have finished blooming) helps the plant redirect its energy into staying healthy and strong.

For lack of a better description — it just makes everything better!

Watch this quick video showing the process:

You’ll notice that spent daylily blooms tend to become soft, mushy, and sometimes collapse over new buds — which can actually block them from opening properly. So there’s really no doubt about it: deadhead those lilies! 🌸

It’s a Job… But Worth It!

Deadheading isn’t difficult, but it is a lot of work, especially if you have a yard full of daylilies.
You simply pinch off the spent blooms carefully without disturbing the surrounding buds. (And yes, it involves a fair bit of bending over — consider it your garden workout for the day!)

My husband eventually fussed at me for tossing the spent blooms onto the ground — so I started collecting them in a bag instead.
To my surprise, I was hauling in 2–3 pounds of spent blooms every single day! It’s definitely backbreaking work, but when you see how beautiful and healthy your daylilies look, it’s absolutely worth it. 😊

Research: Does Deadheading Daylilies Encourage More Blooms?

I set out to do a little research (okay, a lot of internet searching!) to find out if deadheading actually encourages new blooms in daylilies. For many types of flowers, deadheading is a proven way to stimulate new growth — but with daylilies, it’s not quite so straightforward.

Some articles claimed that deadheading daylilies does help produce more blooms. Others insisted that the number of buds is already set, and that deadheading only improves the plant’s appearance, not its blooming potential.

One interesting tip I came across suggested that once all the flowers on a stem have finished blooming, you should remove the entire stem down at the base of the plant. According to that advice, cutting it back might encourage the plant to send up a new stem with fresh buds. That made sense to me — and I’m keeping a close eye on a few of my own plants to see if this trick really works. Stay tuned!

What the Experts Say About Deadheading Daylilies

Since I couldn’t find a clear answer online, I decided to go straight to the experts — The American Daylily Society. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if they’d respond, but I just wanted to know: does deadheading stimulate more blooms? It seemed like a simple enough question.
(As it turns out… it’s not that simple!)

To my delight, someone from The American Daylily Society replied very promptly — and here’s what they said:

Not exactly the answer I was expecting! But it makes sense that it’s not a totally black-and-white issue. I was grateful to learn about the importance of removing seed pods — it actually explained something I’d been wondering about in my own garden.

For example, most of the daylilies in my yard are Stella d’Oro, with that classic bright lemon-yellow color. But one of my replacement plants, which started out yellow, mysteriously turned into that not-so-lovely shade of orange. Now I know why!

I also followed up with my contact at The American Daylily Society, and they kindly forwarded my question to their Scientific Studies Chairman. If I hear back, I’ll be sure to update this post!

June 11, 2022 Update: Scientific Committee Review

Good news — I heard back from the Chair of the Scientific Studies Committee at The American Daylily Society! It turns out, my question wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It’s now officially been referred to the full committee for review. So for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what they determine.

What I thought would be a quick yes-or-no answer has proven to be anything but simple!

I truly appreciate the time and effort everyone at the Society has put into finding an answer. It’s been heartwarming to see such genuine support from their community. ❤️

Until then, I’ll just keep on deadheading those spent blooms and enjoying every bright, cheerful flower.
(Although now I also need to start removing any stems that have gone to seed pods…looks like there’s even more work to do!)

June 15, 2022 Update: Final Word from the Experts

So there you have it! While deadheading spent blooms definitely keeps your daylilies looking neat and tidy, it doesn’t actually create more flowers.
In fact, removing blooms or scapes too early might even prevent your plants from reclaiming important nutrients.

That was such an eye-opener for me — and just goes to show how much we can keep learning, even about something as simple as pinching off a flower!

Final Note

Oh — and one more fun fact! I finally learned where the name “daylily” comes from: it’s because each bloom only lasts for a single day.
(Guess I should have figured that one out sooner! 😂)

November 3, 2022 Update: Post-Bloom Care

After all my daylilies had finished blooming and the leaves started turning brown, we decided to cut them down completely. At first, I worried that we might have destroyed them forever. But to my relief, after just a few weeks, they bounced back with fresh, beautiful foliage!

Although only a rare bloom popped up here and there, the foliage continued to look full and healthy well into the season. It was such a nice surprise to see them looking good even after their main bloom time had passed.

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