Hemerocallis 'Ruby Stella'

Hemerocallis 'Ruby Stella': Ruby Red Reblooms by the Curb

'Ruby Stella' is the jewellery box of the daylily world. Ruby red flowers, each one gone by evening, with another lined up and polished for tomorrow. NEW BLING EVERY MORNING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hemerocallis 'Ruby Stella'
• Common Name: Daylily
• Height: 45–55 cm (18–22 in)
• Spread: 45–50 cm (18–20 in)
• Flowers: Ruby red with a yellow throat, about 8–9 cm (3–3.5 in) across. Each flower lasts a single day, with plenty more buds lined up behind it.
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to late summer (July to September), reblooming
• Foliage: Narrow, arching green leaves in a tidy clump
• Features: Reblooming

Where to Plant: Its small size makes it a natural for edging walkways and driveways, filling the front of a sunny border, or lining a hot strip along the curb. It copes with clay soil and roadside conditions, and it does well in large containers. Deer and rabbits like daylily buds, so protect it where they visit.

Companion Plants: Give 'Ruby Stella' a sunny or part-shade bed with a big pink peony, pink spikes and light blue asters. Paeonia 'Monsieur Jules Elie' opens big pink double peonies at 90 cm in May and June. Veronica 'Perfectly Picasso' adds pink spikes at 56 to 66 cm in July and August. Aster 'Wood's Light Blue' brings light blue asters at 30 to 40 cm from August to October. Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' rises behind at 120 to 180 cm with upright plumes.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun for the most flowers. Part sun works too, with fewer buds. Any average, well-drained soil is fine, clay included. Water regularly through the first season, then only during long dry spells. Snap off spent flowers and finished flower stems to keep it tidy and push it toward more buds. Clear away the old foliage in late fall or early spring. Divide every three to five years, in spring or late summer, when the centre of the clump gets crowded or flowering slows down.

History: 'Ruby Stella' is credited to Leo Berbee of the Berbee nursery in Lisse, in the heart of Dutch bulb country. It has been sold for years as a red-flowered counterpart to 'Stella de Oro', with a similar compact size and long season.

Final Thoughts: Plant a few along the walkway and let them rebloom into late summer. Drought tolerant once established. RUBIES BY THE ARMFUL.