The Stella de Oro daylily is a beautiful and reliable daylily that will reward you with blooms all season long. It produces bright, cheerful yellow flowers and their fragrance attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Its re-blooming characteristic makes it a popular perennial at Whitehouse Landscaping and we find it to be a real workhorse in lots of landscaping situations. They are easy to grow and make an impressive showing.
A Little History
The scientific name of this perennial plant is Hemerocallis. The Stella de Oro is the registered name of this daylily. It is also known as Stella d’Oro . For the record, there are thousands of different registered cultivars of daylilies and they vary in plant sizes, flower sizes, flower colors, and flower shapes. In fact, every year hybridizers introduce hundreds of cultivars which give gardeners lots of options to choose from.
In 1975, Walter Jablonski introduced the first re-blooming variety which he named ‘Stella de Oro’. Up until then, all daylilies had specific peak blooming times and bloomed for a short period of time during the summer. For the rest of the growing season, you would see the spiky green leaves.
Before their arrival in Europe in the 1500s, edible wild daylilies were used in cooking and medicine in Asia.
Characteristics of Stella de Oro Daylily
This daylily is a compact, low maintenance plant and reaches a height of about 12 inches. The flowers are fragrant, trumpet-shaped and yellow. Its flowers last just a day, but it will re-bloom. It multiplies underground which forms clumps. Its adaptability to a wide range of planting zones and conditions make it one of the most popular of daylilies. It has vigorous growth and has an extra long bloom period.
Tips for Growing Stella de Oro Daylilies
This daylily prefers full-sun but can tolerate light shade. Heavy shade will stunt flower production. It likes well-drained soil and performs really well in soil with plenty of compost. But these plants are adaptable and can also perform in a wide range of soils. Once established, it becomes drought and heat tolerant but appreciates some watering in dry spells to keep the foliage attractive. Overall, these plants will tolerate varied conditions. If the plants gets crowded over the years, you can divide by splitting them apart in fall or early spring.
Clumps of Stella de Oro Daylilies. Photo credit: Missouri Botanical Garden
Stella de Oro Daylily Care
If you want to keep your Stella de Oro blooming continuously, deadheading is suggested every few days. This will truly give you constant blooms and make them look neater. It’s not absolutely necessary, but you will be rewarded with more blooms if you do. Removing the flowers before they begin to form seeds encourages the plants to bloom again, because the plant’s energy is diverted from seed production back into bud growth.
How to Deadhead
Remove by pinching or cutting the entire flower and the ovary directly beneath it from the small stem it is growing on, or remove the flower and its stem from the main stem of the plant. It’s not necessary to do this every day, but plan to do it every few days.
Uses in Landscaping
Daylilies solve many problems. The foliage is attractive, forming a dense clump that can serve as a groundcover. Because of their dense foliage, they can stabilize soil to prevent erosion on a slope. They make great foundation plants because of their colorful blooms and foliage. They are wonderful massed together in a planting bed or even a container. They are considered deer resistant and rabbit proof. They can tolerate some shade and dry conditions.
Conclusion
After reading all its attributes, you can see why Stella De Oro Daylilies are one of Whitehouse Landscaping favorites to plant in a variety of landscaping conditions. We like their adaptability and are perfect for gardens, borders and edging. They look great when planted in large masses or just a few clumps.
Need help with your landscaping?
Whether you are starting from scratch with a new home, wanting to improve your curb appeal, or looking to enhance the beauty and functionality of your outdoor space, Whitehouse Landscaping can help with your needs.
We offer a wide range of landscaping services, pretty much anything your landscape requires. From landscape design, landscape maintenance, fertilization, patios, fire pits and all landscape enhancements, we can transform your property. We have completed projects all over Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties and would be happy to help you.