Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A
Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A? You betcha. Both plants can handle the cold with no trouble at all, and their respective flowering is like no other in the world of ornamental gardens. And, on top of all that, they’re simple to grow and care for. For these reasons, we grow them in the current RGG garden in the Midwest’s Zone 5B/6A, and we’ll be growing them in the new RGG garden in British Columbia’s Zone 4A, too.
By John G. Stamos
Redundancy alert! Since this article is Part 6 of an 8-part series on plants that can be grown in our forthcoming Hardiness Zone 4A garden, and since I’m lazy, I’ve chosen to include the next four paragraphs – exactly as they appear here – as an introduction to all 8 parts of the series. So, if you’ve read the series’ first part (“Climbing Vines in Hardiness Zone 4A”) from its very beginning, you may remember what these next four paragraphs include. So, feel free to blow them off and get right into the article that follows them. Trust me. You won’t hurt my feelings.
J.G.S.
Regular RGG readers and subscribers may know that I’m planning for a move to British Columbia, Canada, where my wife Ann, my pup Holly, and I will make our home. The move itself, and all of its implications, present a number of challenges on a number of different fronts. One of those challenges will be attempting to replicate – or at least approximate – the garden I designed, developed, and currently tend here in Michiana Shores, Indiana, in USDA Hardiness Zone 5B/6A. For the past six years, that garden has dutifully served as a contextual backdrop and unifying theme for this publication. In terms of its make-up, it’s a densely planted amalgam of ornamental perennial trees, bushes, and plants. Some of these trees, bushes, and plants are cultivated, and some are native and wild. Some are deciduous, some are herbaceous, and some are evergreen. All grow beautifully and happily in Zone 5B/6A. Since Ann, Holly, and I love that garden and all the things that grow there, we’d love to try to grow as many of those same things in British Columbia as we possibly can. But the part of British Columbia where we’ll be living is located in USDA Hardiness Zone 4A (where temperatures can plummet to -30° Fahrenheit and lower), so, since a number of the Michiana Shores garden’s denizens are not hardy in zones lower than 5, we’ll need to be selective.
Fortunately, we won’t need to be too selective. And that’s where this feature, which is essentially a pictorial spread peppered with a dash of helpful info, comes in. This article, along with seven others, serves as an 8-part, full-color manual outlining some favorites from our current 5B/6A Michiana Shores garden that will thrive just as beautifully in British Columbia’s more frigid Zone 4A.
In this series of features, you’ll learn which of one particular Midwest Zone 5B/6A garden’s vines and climbers, foliage-intensive perennials, bodacious bushes and trees, early bloomers, power flowerers, lilies and daylilies, spreading and naturalizing groundcovers, and wildflowers and native perennials can make the successful leap to the higher latitudes and lower temperatures of British Columbia’s chilly Zone 4A. For a closer visual inspection of the plants discussed in this article, please be sure to click on their photos below. When you do, you’ll be able to enlarge, minimize, or zoom in or out on them. Pretty handy, no?
Note to readers: Before you set your heart on a particular Zone 4A-capable plant for your own British Columbian garden, I highly recommend a visit to The Invasive Species Council of British Columbia’s excellent website: Click here to plan ahead.
Tropics-level Flowering in Lower British Columbia’s Coldest Regions: Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A
Like the sign says, Part 6 of this 8-parter concerns our near-future endeavor of growing Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A. They currently grow (prodigiously, floriferously, and somewhat wildly) together in The RGG’s Michiana Shores 5B/6A garden, and since these plants, at the species level, are all capable of growing in levels of cold as low as Zone 3A (some, even in Zone 2), they’ll grow just as prodigiously, floriferously, and wildly in 4A in Western Canada. As an added bonus, they’re all easier to grow and care for than just about any other ornamental perennial plant that I personally have ever grown.
If you stick around for this one, you’ll discover that it’s relatively short on words, but extremely long on photos. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is that if you’re inclined to garner more care, biology, taxonomy, etc. info regarding Lilies and Daylilies, you’ll be able to find it in two of my articles from 2021, “Lilies: The Renaissance Garden Guy Way” and “Daylilies and Oriental Lilies in July”, with a lot of additional info about Oriental Lilies in my 2023 article, “5 Great Bulbs for Fall Planting”. There’s enough info about Lilies and Daylilies in those three features to turn you cross-eyed. The second reason there are so many photos and photo collages in this particular article pertains to the fact that The RGG Michiana Shores garden’s very first planting feature was, in fact, what I refer to as its “Lily Patch”. I took great pains in designing and creating this special place where Lilies and Daylilies could grow together in tropical-looking, exotically-flowering profusion. Since, for me, it’s got sentimental as well as aesthetic value, I’m going heavy on the pics of this planting feature and its inhabitants. A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?
Before I turn the following photos and their smatterings of info loose on you, I’ll mention one more thing regarding The RGG’s Lily Patch planting feature: Lilies and Daylilies are unrelated plants. They come from two separate plant families and occupy two separate genera. But, because both plants 1) flower so prolifically, 2) generate dense, tropical-like foliage, 3) are similarly cold-hardy, 4) use “lily” in their common names, and 5) look beyond awesome growing together, it’s the RGG Lily Patch for the both of them. And it’s for all these reasons that we’ll be growing Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A, in a brand new Lily Patch in the brand new RGG British Columbian garden.
Lilies: Family Liliaceae, Genus Lilium
Two groups (sometimes colloquially referred to as “species”) of Lily currently grow in the Hardiness Zone 5B/6A Lily Patch: Oriental Lilies (Lilium orientalis, collectively) and Asiatic Lilies (Lilium auratum, collectively). Both of these groups, and their respective countless numbers of cultivars, crosses, hybrids, varieties, etc., share a number of biological traits and growth habits, as follows:
Hardiness Zones. 3A-9B. So, growing Oriental and Asiatic Lilies in Hardiness Zone 4A is in the bag for Ann and me.
Sunlight requirements. Partial to full sun.
Soil. Moist but well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral (pH of 6.5-7.0) soil.
Roots. Oriental and Asiatic Lilies grow from bulbs, with roots emerging from each bulb’s bottom. The plants multiply and spread by bulb offsets and can also, if the conditions are right, self sow.
Toxicity. All parts of Oriental and Asiatic Lilies are toxic to dogs and cats (exceptionally so to cats), and most parts are toxic to humans. My advice to your pets and you: Don’t eat them.
The differences between Oriental and Asiatic Lilies are subtle (they’re much more alike than they are different) and they pertain primarily to flowering times, fragrance, and general appearance.
Bloom times. Asiatics start and finish up sooner – usually from late May through the first week or so of July. Orientals start up in early July and can bloom well into August.
Fragrance. Oriental Lily blooms are EXCEPTIONALLY fragrant, while Asiatic Lily flowers typically have no scent.
Appearance: Size. Oriental Lilies are generally taller than Asiatic Lilies, with more robust stems.
Appearance: Flowers. Although Oriental and Asiatic Lily blooms are, in terms of anatomy and physiology (3 petals, 3 sepals [which look just like petals but form an outer ring that serves as protection for the flower while the plant is in bud], 6 stamens, 6 anthers, etc.) essentially identical, the blooms of Orientals are generally larger than those of Asiatics, while the colors of the Asiatic’s blooms are generally considered more vibrant and striking (although there are some damned vibrant and striking Oriental Lily blooms, as you’ll see below).
Note: Both groups do feature varieties, cultivars, etc. that are double-flowered. These have an inner ring/crown of additional petals formed by the fusing and replacing of the flower’s stigma, stamens, and the stamens’ corresponding filaments, and anthers (which carry localized loads of pollen), and are therefore sterile. Since there’s no pollen produced by these flowers, allergy sufferers can enjoy them sneeze-free.
Appearance: Foliage. Both Oriental and Asiatic Lilies feature sessile, lanceolate leaves on their rigid, upright, branchless stems. But the larger, more robust stems of the Oriental likewise feature larger and broader – but less densely packed – leaves than those of Asiatic Lilies. The leaves of the Asiatic are narrower and much more numerous than Oriental Lily leaves.
Oriental Lilies (Lilium orientalis): A Ton of Pics of a Ton of Flowers
Oriental Lilies demonstrate immense blooms on hyper-robust, richly-leafed stems from early July through a good part of August in Hardiness Zone 5B/6A. They’ll do the same in Zone 4A. Like I said, a picture’s worth a thousand words, and there’s about a thousand pics of Oriental Lilies here. Look at the ones you like, skip the ones you don’t . It’s all good.
The Renaissance Garden Guy is a participant in the Bluehost affiliate program. The Renaissance Garden Guy earns a fee/commission each time a visitor clicks on a Bluehost ad or banner in this site and makes a subsequent qualifying purchase. For more details, and for a full list of this site’s affiliate partners, please visit The Renaissance Garden Guy Disclosure page.
Asiatic Lilies (Lilium auratum): Explosions of Insane Color
Asiatic Lilies boast some of the most vividly colorful flowers in the business, their foliage is verdantly cool, they naturalize quickly, and, in typical Lily fashion, they’re long-lived. Of course, since they’re cold-hardy down to Zone 3A, we’ll definitely be growing them in 4A. Here’s a bunch of shots from the Zone 5B/6A Lily Patch for you.
Daylilies: Family Asphodelaceae, Genus Hemorocallis
Daylilies are among North America’s most ubiquitous cultivated perennial plants. Since they’re hardy in Zones 3A (in some cases, even down to 2A) through 11B, there’s almost no place on the continent that they can’t grow. They’re so rugged and climate-proof, they’re just as happy baking in the scorching sun in drought-infested “planters” in the Menard’s parking lot as they are being pampered and babied in meticulously tended private cultivated gardens. Daylilies are not true Lilies. In fact, they’re not even related to them (at least not at all closely). They belong to the genus Hemerocallis, in the plant family Asphodelaceae. There are at least 16 recognized species of Daylily with quite literally thousands and thousands and thousands of cultivars, hybrids, crosses, varieties, etc. Right now, a bunch of them grow in The RGG Lily Patch in 5B/6A, and, in no time, you know they’ll be growing in The RGG Lily Patch II in 4A, as well. Here’s some info on them in case you’re up for trying them out for yourself in Hardiness Zone 4A (or practically anywhere else south of Mars):
Hardiness Zones. 3A (in some cases, 2A)-11B. So, Zone 4A, here we come!
Sunlight requirements. Full sun to partial shade. They’ll flower more heavily in full sun, but can definitely handle light shade.
Soil. Moist but well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil (a pH of 6.0-7.0 works great for ours). They like a rich, humus-ish sort of medium, but they can handle dirt that’s even just a bit thinner.
Roots. Daylilies have fibrous, fleshy, or tuberous root systems. These plants spread via underground stems called rhizomes to form clumps, and they can persist in a garden for decade after decade. They’re very long-lived.
Foliage and aerial structures. Daylilies typically have low stems (although some varieties can be more erect) from which the leaves – they can be slender and grass-like to strap-like to even corn-like – originate. Tall flower scapes (long flower stems) emerge from the midst of this foliage.
Blooms. Virtually all Daylily flowers have 3 petals and 3 sepals (as in the case with true Lily flowers, the sepals look just like the flower’s petals, but also serve as protection while it’s in bud), and 6 stamens with corresponding filaments and anthers. The colors and forms of these flowers are virtually limitless across the tens and thousands of cultivars, varieties, crosses, hybrids, etc. Their defining quality: a Daylily’s flowers last only one day, exactly as their common name advertises.
Bloom time. There are several varieties of Daylily growing in The RGG’s 5B/6A Lily Patch (which have all spread to become multi-membered clumps) and, the earliest bloomers of the bunch start flowering in very early June, while the latest bloomers finish up in early August.
Toxicity. Daylilies are exceptionally toxic (fatal) to cats, definitely toxic enough (potentially fatal) to dogs, and potentially toxic (depending on the variety, up to and including fatal) to humans. Although some people do eat them, I personally think you’d be insane to do so. There’s a shitload of conflicting info floating around about the Daylily’s toxicity. My advice to you and your pets: Play it safe. Make it pizza and pretzels for you, and Fancy Feast and Milkbones for Fluffy and Fido. Nobody eat the Daylilies!!!
Daylily Photos: A Metric Ton of Them
We’ll be seeing all of these smiling faces in our British Columbia Hardiness Zone 4A garden. But for now, this is how they look when they’re at their best in 5B/6A.
Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A: Now You Know the Score
Oh yeah, baby, we’re gonna be growing Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A. In The RGG Lily Patch II, British Columbia’s new and improved version of the existing, already awesome (if I do say so myself) Michiana Shores RGG Lily Patch. You’d better believe were gonna. And now, you can do it, too. You’ve got the basic info, and you’ve got a boatload of pics. So, get yourself going with your own Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A, or for that matter, in whichever Hardiness Zone your roots happen to be set down. Give these plants a whirl. Build your own Lily Patch and put ’em all together in it. Grow them in borders. Grow them as specimen plants. Whatever you do, just grow them – I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.
P.S. Make sure to come back for Part 7 in this 8-part series, “Spreading and Naturalizing Groundcovers in Hardiness Zone 4A”. It’s about some super-cold-hardy, low-growing beauties that we’ll be bringing to the new RGG garden in British Columbia from the current RGG garden in Michiana Shores. You’ll find some excellent selections in that article.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
John Stamos is a writer and is co-publisher of The Renaissance Garden Guy. His work has appeared in a number of publications including, most recently, A Man for Some Seasons, Splice Today, and, of course, The Renaissance Garden Guy. He is married to his multitalented sweetheart, the mycologist and writer Ann Simpson-Stamos.
The Renaissance Garden Guy is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, The Renaissance Garden Guy earns from qualifying purchases.
Additionally, The Renaissance Garden Guy is a participant in the Bluehost, SeedsNow, and Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting) affiliate programs. The Renaissance Garden Guy earns a fee/commission each time a visitor clicks on an ad or banner in this site from one of these companies and makes a subsequent qualifying purchase.
Please click here to view The Renaissance Garden Guy Disclosure page.
This is truly a terrific piece, John. The flowers from your garden are amongst the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. And so very informative, too! Everything about the feature was wonderful, and I enjoyed it very, very much.
Thank you so much, Jo – how incredibly kind of you! Those Lilies and Daylilies are just so amazing, Jo. They’re as tough as can be, and they’re so incredibly easy to grow and tend. They literally do all the work themselves! I wish I could take credit for their incredible flowering proficiency, but really, it’s all them. They’re just the most amazing plants. Thank you once again, Jo, for your kind and lovely comments, and for reading the piece. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for all of the great information, and for reminding me that lilies and daylilies are so easy to grow. The pictures from your garden are stunning. I am very happy to know that you can grow them in your new garden.
Thanks for reading this one, Kevin, and for commenting here. I’m definitely excited about being able to grow these plants in British Columbia’s Zone 4A. They can definitely handle the cold there, and it’ll be amazing to watch them thrive and flower. I can’t wait to get going with them there. And yes, they definitely are super simple to grow and tend – even I can do it! Thanks once again, Kevin.
Great photographic show of all the fabulous colors of our Lily and Daylily friends. I am slow to embrace bulbs in my garden since I am such a seed freak. Two years ago, I got 3 asiatic lily giant white bulbs. The first year only two bloomed. This year, it looks like they have divided and are already showing leaves that are about 6 inches tall. The actual flowers sit at the top of a 3-4′ stem. They look like they will be taller than that this season. Excited to see what they bring. There is a strip of golden yellow daylilies I planted about 6 years ago (I can’t remember where I got them from) that reliably return each spring even after a little neglect. My running joke is I planted them near my solar array…day lily…solar power…lol
Your update really instills a desire to consider setting aside some of my seed budget and go ahead and invest in some bulb beauty. (Sure, encourage me to shop)
Haha! Although I do feel guilty about encouraging additional shopping behaviors, I guess I’ve gotta resign myself to the fact that your money will be well spent. Lily bulbs are never a bad investment! Your giant Asiatics sound hyper-cool – you’ve got to send some pics. Those are some gigantic Asiatic Lilies, by the sound of it. The solar-enhanced Daylilies sound like beauties, too. You really can’t get much more neglect-proof than Daylilies. Thanks for reading the article, Lane, and for all the insight into your own Lily/Daylily scene. Everything there sounds amazing. Now, go get yourself them bulbs!
Gorgeous photos and great descriptions as always!
Many thanks, Lisa. I appreciate your reading the article and I’m grateful for your kind words. I had to include these in our Midwest-to-British Columbia plant haul. I’m always astounded that these plants can look so tropical and, at the same time, grow so beautifully in such frigid parts of North America. Thanks once again, Lisa!