What to Plant with Daylilies: 15 Best Companion Plants for Your Garden

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are beautiful perennial plants that produce colorful flowers throughout the summer. Their versatility and hardiness make them a gardener’s delight

When planting daylilies in your garden, it’s important to choose the right companion plants to complement them. The right plant partners can enhance the daylily’s beauty, attract pollinators, and create an aesthetically pleasing landscape design.

Here are the 15 best companion plants to grow with daylilies:

1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Lavender’s delicate purple flowers and silvery foliage pair nicely with daylilies. Being drought tolerant, Lavender thrives in hot, sunny spots just like daylilies Plant lavender in front of daylilies to add color contrast.

2. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Russian sage’s airy spikes of blue flowers and silver leaves make a perfect backdrop for daylilies. It thrives in poor, dry soils Plant it behind daylilies where its taller size can provide balance

3. Tickseed (Coreopsis)

Tickseed produces abundant daisy-like yellow or gold flowers from early summer to fall. Its fine foliage creates an attractive mound. Plant tickseed in front of daylilies for a color and texture contrast.

4. Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)

The large, white daisy flowers of Shasta daisy go well with daylilies. It blooms after daylilies are done flowering, extending the bloom season. Plant it behind daylilies to create a layered look.

5. Bee Balm (Monarda)

Bee balm’s shaggy purple, pink or red flowers add bold color next to daylilies. It thrives in hot, sunny spots. Plant bee balm in front or between daylilies as an edging plant. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

6. Yarrow (Achillea)

Yarrow produces flat-topped clusters of tiny white, yellow, pink or red flowers from early to late summer. Its fern-like foliage provides great texture contrast to daylilies. Yarrow is drought tolerant and attracts pollinators.

7. Foxglove Beard Tongue (Penstemon digitalis)

This North American native has tubular white or pink bell-shaped flowers on tall spikes that rise above daylilies. It thrives in poor, dry soils and blooms in late spring or early summer before daylilies. Plant it behind daylilies.

8. Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

Garden phlox bears large clusters of fragrant flowers in summer. It grows up to 3 feet tall, with green or purple foliage. Plant it behind daylilies to extend bloom time. Phlox attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

9. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple coneflower has daisy-like flowers with brown cone-shaped centers. They bloom in summer after daylilies are done flowering. It has sturdy stems and drought tolerance. Plant coneflowers between or behind daylilies.

10. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

Blanket flower displays daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red andburgundy with fringed petal tips. It blooms all summer long, pairing nicely with daylilies. Plant blanket flower in front of daylilies as an edging plant.

11. Coral Bells (Heuchera)

Coral bells are grown for their colorful leaves in shades of purple, chartreuse, silver and green. Their spikes of tiny bell-shaped flowers add interest too. Plant coral bells in front of daylilies to provide foliage contrast.

12. Fern Leaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina)

This yarrow species has golden yellow flat-topped flower clusters and lacy, fern-like leaves. It thrives in hot, dry spots. Plant it between daylilies to fill space or use it as an edging plant in front.

13. Catmint (Nepeta)

Catmint has fragrant gray-green leaves and blue flowers that bloom all summer. Plant it in front of daylilies where its lush foliage can spill over the edges softening sharp lines. Catmint thrives in hot, sunny spots.

14. Astilbe

Astilbe produces feathery plumes of white, red, pink or purple flowers in summer. Its mounded foliage adds excellent texture. Use astilbe as an edging plant in front of daylilies or plant between daylilies.

15. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)

This phlox species is a low-growing ground cover with masses of pink, purple, blue or white flowers in spring. Plant it as a flowering ground cover around daylilies. It thrives in poor, dry soils.

When choosing companion plants, pick ones with similar sunlight and water requirements as daylilies. Combine plants with different heights, foliage colors, and bloom times for visual interest. Space plants appropriately and you’ll have a thriving daylily garden!