Daylilies Finished Blooming? Here's What to Do Now In The Fall

Daylilies, right? I mean, they’re just incredible! So little effort, and they just keep blooming like crazy. And those colors? Gorgeous! But, as fall rolls around, things start to take a bit of a turn. By early fall, most of the blooms are done for, and then the leaves start browning, and, well, there’s no stopping that. Once they start to go, they just keep dying back until the whole plant is dormant.

The downside is that as this happens, your flower beds can start looking a little sad. The once-beautiful daylilies turn into a mess of brown, scraggly leaves, and to top it off, they start pushing out seed pods that make them look even worse. Not exactly the picture-perfect garden we all love, right?

The silver lining? There isn’t much you need to do to keep daylilies happy through winter—they’re about as low-maintenance as they come. But giving them a bit of attention in the fall can make all the difference for next year’s blooms. This is the perfect time to trim back that dying foliage and even divide any overgrown clumps.

So, let me walk you through some easy steps on how to care for your daylilies as they fade in the fall, so they’ll be bursting with life and color again next season!

1. Cut All the Flowering Stems as Soon as the Blooms Are Spent

What To Do With Daylilies In The Fall – Cutting Back, Dividing, and Preparing for Winter 1

Daylilies can have a very long flowering season, depending on the variety and where you live. Some can last till the end of fall! Still, cut each flowering stem as soon as all its flowers are spent. They don’t need them anymore, and they are a waste of energy.

What’s more, if you didn’t deadhead all the dried blossoms, they may go to seed, and that is a lot of energy taken away from the leaves and roots of your daylilies.

At this stage, you can also remove dry or yellow leaves, mainly for aesthetic reasons, but also to prevent diseases and give them a bit of fresh air (ventilation); the leaves are so thick and dense!  And fall being a wet season…

2. Be Cruel to Be Kind: Cut Back Your Daylilies

I know, daylilies produce massive foliage too. But they won’t need it over the winter months, and they will grow their lustrous and rich green strap like leaves again next year. But if you leave them there, they can rot away.

What To Do With Daylilies In The Fall – Cutting Back, Dividing, and Preparing for Winter 2

On the other hand, daylilies still need to collect as much energy as they possibly can underground to have the strength to give you all those flowers next year, so, timing is of the essence! Cut back daylily leaves as soon as they yellow. You can wait till they are dry, but don’t leave them there too long.

When will this happen? It’s usually around the first day of frost, so it depends on where you live. But even in warm countries, the foliage will yellow and dry. So, just let your daylilies tell you when it’s the right time!

And how can you cut back your daylilies’ leaves? It’s simple:

  • Get sharp and sterile secateurs, pruning shears or a sickle (if you have lots of them, like a full border…)
  • Cut all the leaves down to about 4 inches (10 cm).
  • Remove the cut foliage.

It’s as simple as that! But then?

3. Dividing Overgrown Daylilies In The Fall

After you’ve trimmed back the foliage, dividing your daylilies is the next logical step, especially if you’re looking to grow more. Honestly, I’d recommend it if you want to propagate—they spread quickly anyway, so you won’t be left with empty spots in the garden for long. But sometimes, it’s not just a nice option—it’s a must! So, when should you do it?

What To Do With Daylilies In The Fall – Cutting Back, Dividing, and Preparing for Winter 3

If your plants are still on the smaller side and don’t seem overcrowded, you can probably just finish your fall cleanup with some compost and mulch. But, you really should divide your daylilies every 3 to 5 years. If you let them go too long without dividing, they’ll get too thick, and that’s when problems start. The roots get all tangled up, and the plant struggles to take in water and nutrients—both of which are key to healthy growth and big, beautiful blooms.

If your daylilies have slowed down on flowering or seem to be struggling, that’s a pretty good sign they’re overcrowded. Dividing them every few years keeps their roots in check and helps them bloom better. So how can you tell if it’s time?

Now that you’ve cut back the leaves, check out the base of the plant. If it looks packed in, with the roots really competing for space, it’s definitely time to divide. So, how do you go about doing it?

What To Do With Daylilies In The Fall – Cutting Back, Dividing, and Preparing for Winter 4
  • Water the daylilies the day before; this will make it easier to work the soil.
  • Using a garden fork (or a spade, but I prefer the fork), dig down at about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) from the edge of the clump.
  • Lift the clump, so that you can see the roots.
  • Using a spade, cut the clump, making sure each part has at least 2 to 3 full fans of leaves and a good portion of roots.
  • Remove the cut part of the clump.
  • Rest the other part back.
  • Fill the whole with soil.

Fall is the best time to dig up and divide your daylilies, especially since you’ve already cut them back—it makes it so much easier to get at the roots. Dividing them now gives the plants plenty of time to settle into the soil before winter sets in, and come spring, they’ll be ready for a burst of fresh growth. If you forget to do it in the fall, no worries—you can always divide them in early spring, after the last frost.

4. Transplant Your Daylilies In The Fall– You’ll Get More Next Year!

Surely you don’t want to throw away the cut clumps of your daylilies? If you have no more space in your garden, give them to a neighbor or friend, or maybe swap them for a smaller plant you can fit in a corner… But the very best thing to do is to fill your garden with more and more of their gorgeous blooms! And how? Transplant them. Moving daylilies in the fall is super simple, and here’s how you can do it.

What To Do With Daylilies In The Fall – Cutting Back, Dividing, and Preparing for Winter 5
  • Find a nice spot in your garden, in full Sun or part shade.
  • Dig a large hole, it should be big enough to accommodate all the roots, ideally, at least 6 inches wider and deeper (15 cm).
  • Fill the bottom with good quality and well drained soil. Daylilies adapt to all types of soil, but they must be well drained and fertile.
  • Place the clump in it.
  • Fill the sides with good quality, well drained soil.
  • Press down with your foot around the daylily clump.
  • Water abundantly, to settle the soil.

Done! And remember, you can do it in spring as well.

5. Improve Drainage

You shouldn’t fertilize your daylilies at this stage, because they are going dormant. But the soil may have compacted a bit and it may need some help with drainage. This is particularly important because the wet season is approaching, and you want to protect the roots of your Hemerocallis…

So, you can scatter a layer of coarse sand around (and on top) of the daylilies once you have cut them, and just allow the rains to push it into the soil.

However, if your soil is originally heavy clay (even if you have improved it already), use gypsum instead (or as well).

Easy-Peasy Fall Daylily Care

And that’s it! There are only 5 things you need to do in fall to keep your daylilies happy and get them to come back strong and bountiful next year!`

Amber Noyes

Written By

Amber Noyes

Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town, San Mateo. She holds a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco. With experience working on an organic farm, water conservation research, farmers’ markets, and plant nursery, she understands what makes plants thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health. When she’s not on the land, Amber loves informing people of new ideas/things related to gardening, especially organic gardening, houseplants, and growing plants in a small space.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.