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Daylily 'Midnight Magic' (Midnight Magic daylily) care

Hemerocallis 'Midnight Magic'

Also called Midnight Magic daylily.

RHS H6USDA 3-9Toxic to petsIndoor 60-70 cm tall in flower

Watering rhythm

7-10days

When the top 5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days

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Light

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Soil

Fertile, well-drained loam

Humidity

40-70%

Temp

5-35°C

Pet safety

Toxic to pets

Mature size

60-70 cm tall in flower

Care at a glance

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where daylily 'midnight magic' thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. Full sun is essential for the richest flower colour and maximum bloom count — aim for 6 or more hours of direct sun daily. In partial shade, dark-coloured cultivars like 'Midnight Magic' can appear washed out and produce fewer flowers. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for when the top 5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days for daylily 'midnight magic', but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Water thoroughly at ground level to keep foliage dry and reduce fungal disease risk. Established clumps tolerate short dry spells, but consistent moisture during flower-scape development improves bud count and longevity.

Soil and pot

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' grows best in fertile, well-drained loam. Adaptable to many soil types, but a fertile loam with good drainage gives the best results. Mulch with garden compost in spring to retain moisture and suppress weeds, keeping mulch away from the crown. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' sits happiest at around 40-70% humidity and 5-35°C (40-95°F). Tolerates average garden humidity. In high-humidity climates, ensure adequate plant spacing to prevent leaf streak and rust fungal diseases, which thrive in warm, moist conditions. If you keep the room above 5 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed daylily 'midnight magic' sparingly. Apply a balanced slow-release granular feed in early spring. Supplement with a liquid high-potassium feed when scapes begin to emerge to support flower development. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds that encourage leafy growth over blooms. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on daylily 'midnight magic' in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Leaf streak — Yellow-brown leaf streaks from Aureobasidium infection; cut away affected leaves and avoid wetting foliage when watering.
  • Spider mites — Fine webbing and stippling on leaves during hot, dry spells; increase humidity with light misting or treat with neem oil.
  • Aphids — Found on tender new growth in spring; blast off with water or apply insecticidal soap. Check regularly as daylilies in active growth are attractive to aphid colonies.
  • Crown rot — Clumps collapse at the base in poorly drained soil; remove rotted crowns entirely, improve drainage, and replant healthy divisions.
  • Slug and snail feeding — Emerging spring shoots can be decimated by slugs; use iron phosphate pellets or copper tape around susceptible clumps.

Companion plants

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' pairs well with Kniphofia uvaria, Veronicastrum virginicum, Baptisia australis, and Agastache 'Blue Fortune'. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Divide clumps every 3-5 years in spring or late summer; each division should comprise a fan of healthy leaves with an attached root system. Replant divisions promptly at the correct depth and water well. Cultivars are sterile or do not come true from seed. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' is toxic to pets. Hemerocallis (daylilies) are listed by the ASPCA as toxic to cats. All parts of the plant — including petals, leaves, stamens, and pollen — can cause acute renal failure in cats, which may be fatal without prompt veterinary treatment. Toxicity to dogs is considered mild (vomiting, lethargy), but cat owners should not grow daylilies in accessible spaces. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Hemerocallis 'Midnight Magic'?

Hemerocallis 'Midnight Magic' is most commonly called Daylily 'Midnight Magic', but it is also known as Midnight Magic daylily. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Daylily 'Midnight Magic' apply identically to anything sold as Midnight Magic daylily.

How much light does daylily 'midnight magic' need?

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' grows best in direct sun (at least 4-6 hours). Full sun is essential for the richest flower colour and maximum bloom count — aim for 6 or more hours of direct sun daily. In partial shade, dark-coloured cultivars like 'Midnight Magic' can appear washed out and produce fewer flowers.

How often should I water daylily 'midnight magic'?

Water daylily 'midnight magic' when the top 5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days. Water thoroughly at ground level to keep foliage dry and reduce fungal disease risk. Established clumps tolerate short dry spells, but consistent moisture during flower-scape development improves bud count and longevity. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is daylily 'midnight magic' toxic to cats and dogs?

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' is toxic to pets. Hemerocallis (daylilies) are listed by the ASPCA as toxic to cats. All parts of the plant — including petals, leaves, stamens, and pollen — can cause acute renal failure in cats, which may be fatal without prompt veterinary treatment. Toxicity to dogs is considered mild (vomiting, lethargy), but cat owners should not grow daylilies in accessible spaces.

What USDA hardiness zone does daylily 'midnight magic' grow in?

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' is rated for USDA zone 3-9 and RHS hardiness H6. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' deep-dive guides

Every aspect of daylily 'midnight magic' care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Daylily 'Midnight Magic' is also commonly called Midnight Magic daylily.