Habit (mature) · George Chernilevsky / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Limited coverage
Orange daylily
Hemerocallis fulva
A tough, vigorous clump-forming perennial — the classic orange "tawny daylily" or "ditch lily" seen naturalized along roadsides and old homesteads. Each rusty-orange, trumpet-shaped flower opens for a single day, but tall branched scapes (to 3-6 feet) open fresh blooms in succession through early-to-midsummer above arching, strap-like foliage. Native to eastern Asia, not North America; the commonly grown form is a sterile triploid that sets no seed but spreads aggressively by thick rhizomes, forming dense colonies. Famously bulletproof and adaptable, but plant it knowing it will run.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: moderate (58/100)
Filler
Border
Pollinator
Light
Full sun / Part shade
Water
Moderate water
Mature size
36-72" tall · 24" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-8b
brutally cold to frosty winters
Native in Illinois
No
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The commonly grown form of Hemerocallis fulva is a sterile triploid that sets little or no viable seed; its showy flowers still offer nectar to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, but the plant reproduces and spreads almost entirely by rhizomes rather than seed.
Cold hardiness
Future
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7a
Plotwright
Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Future
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
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Where this plant fits
Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
›
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Blue Mountains forests
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
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Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Colorado Rockies forests
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Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland
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Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva). Retrieved 2026, June 13, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/hemerocallis-fulva
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
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Habit
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Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.