Pronounciation: Di-ET-es i-rid-i-OYE-des

Hardiness zones
Sunset 8-9, 12-24
USDA 8 with protection, 9-11

Landscape Use: Flower and textural accent, single or in groups, near water features, sheltered rock gardens, perennial border plantings, mesic or oasis design types in Phoenix. Not hardy enough in Phoenix for dry xeric landscape designs.

Form & Character: Upright, open, oriental, colorful, intersting, coarsely grass like.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, herbaceous perennial, basally clumping via short rhizomes, 3-feet tall with equal to greater spread.

Foliage/Texture: Narrow, medium green to gray green strap like leaves to 3-feet long arising from base in fan-like pattern; medium fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Flowers are 3-inches wide waxy white flowers with orange and brown spots and purple stippling. Flowers open for only one day. Flower stalks produce many flowers over time. Fruit a green pod, non-ornamental.

Seasonal Color: Spring to early summer flowering.

Temperature: Tolerant up to 110^oF, experiences heat stress in Phoenix summer if given full exposure. Optimal temperature range for growth is 40^o to 100^oF.

Light: Full sun to partial shade; partial shade or protection from western summer sun is best in lower desert landscapes.

Soil: Tolerant, but will develop chlorosis and leaf tip scald in chronically wet alkaline soils or if subjected to excessive chlorinated pool water runoff.

Watering: Varies from regular water applications in Phoenix to some drought in non-desert California coastal climates.

Pruning: None, except to remove spent flower stalks or break off seed pods to increase flowering. Sadly, horticulturally-barbaric 'landscape (un)professionals' (accurately described as the 'Horticultural clods of Phoenix', aka 'Hort clods') drive around Phoenix freeways in late model trucks that display fancy names of famous national parks and pull trailers with prunage debris flying out the back. No doubt these 'Hort clods' and are looking for yet another African day lily specimen to vandalize.

Propagation: Division of large clumps or by seed.

Disease and Pests: None

Additional comments: African day lily is a good pool plant if one can avoid excessive chlorine water overspill. I tend to think of it as a "California" plant that has been transplanted into Phoenix landscapes by the many hordes of Californians fleeing the once "Golden State".

Taxonomic cousins: A close relative with a near identical landscape appearance is Dietes bicolor, which has blotched white or pale yellow flowers. Dietes iridioides x Dietes bicolor 'Lemon Drops' is a wonderful hybrid selection that bears white flowers with a unique pattern of lemon yellow and tangerine orange colors at the base of mature petals.