For those who are trying daylily seed growing for the very first time, honestly, it’s probably easier than you think. The seeds we offer have already been given their cold storage period and, for the most part, will germinate within 2 months of planting, if they’re going to germinate.
If you receive our seeds but are not ready to plant them immediately, store them in your refrigerator, e.g. the vegetable drawer. DO NOT FREEZE DAYLILY SEEDS! Viability decreases with time, so the best time to plant our daylily seeds is as soon as possible!
While I have not tried the method I’m outlining below, I see no reason it won’t work based on my experience raising several thousand seedlings in our basement each winter. Visit our fully-documented Daylily Seed Growing pages to see how WE grow OUR seeds!
To try just a single packet at home, you can likely do it in bright, direct sunlight on a windowsill. Get yourself a pot and a dish to catch water that drains from the pot. Fill the pot with a good seed starting mix or even just normal potting soil. Make sure the soil is moistened but not sopping wet. Use the bunt end of a ballpoint pen to create indentations about 1/4-inch deep in the surface, one per seed. Place each seed in a hole, and top off the pot with just enough potting soil to fill the holes and cover the seeds. Cover the pot with something simple like an inverted bag or saran wrap, held in place with a rubber band, to help retain moisture while the seeds wake up. Place the pot in a bright window and wait.
In most cases, the first seed will germinate within 1-2 weeks. At the first sight of green poking up from the soil, you can probably just uncover the pot right away so that the seedlings sprout directly into normal room air and are already adjusted to normal humidity. Keep the top of the soil moist initially until most of the seedlings have sprouted. Water right before the top of the soil goes dry…do not let the seedlings completely dry out. As they grow, they become more forgiving. Seedlings can be fertilized weakly at every watering, and they will greatly benefit from it. Balanced fertilizers are the way to go initially.
Once the risk of frost is over, seedlings can be brought outside. For me, this is typically May in Duluth. It is perhaps easiest to trim back all the foliage at this time rather than trying to acclimate the seedlings to bright daylight. Just cut back the foliage to leave maybe 1 inch or less, and plant your seedlings in full sun. New foliage will grow, and this is also suggested to encourage root formation.
Seedlings lack the resilience of more mature plants, so make sure to keep them watered during their first year of life. They will also benefit from routine fertilization during this time.
In the far north of Duluth, MN, first blooms are most likely to occur during the third year. So, a seedling started in the winter or spring of 2025 won’t bloom in 2025, likely not in 2026, but more likely 2027. Earlier blooms are possible, but they are the exception, not the rule.