Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Daylily 'Ruby Spider' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Ruby Spider Daylily, Giant Spider Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Ruby Spider').

More about daylily 'ruby spider'

About Daylily 'Ruby Spider'

Hemerocallis 'Ruby Spider' · also called Ruby Spider Daylily, Giant Spider Daylily · flowering

Ruby Spider is a spectacular large-flowered spider daylily producing enormous ruby-red blooms up to 28 cm across on 90 cm scapes. The long, narrow, recurving petals give it an exotic, starfish-like appearance. A mid-season bloomer and show-garden favourite. TOXIC — all Hemerocallis are potentially deadly to cats.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Reduced bloom size without sun: Flowers are much smaller in partial shade. Full sun is non-negotiable for exhibition-sized blooms.

The reasons daylily 'ruby spider' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming daylily 'ruby spider' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding daylily 'ruby spider' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get daylily 'ruby spider' to flower

Maximise sun. Give daylily 'ruby spider' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for daylily 'ruby spider' and get the feeding right with the daylily 'ruby spider' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Daylily 'Ruby Spider' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full daylily 'ruby spider' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Daylily 'Ruby Spider' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my daylily 'ruby spider' flower?

Daylily 'Ruby Spider' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make daylily 'ruby spider' bloom?

Give daylily 'ruby spider' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does daylily 'ruby spider' normally bloom?