Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Strawberry Candy Daylily: Ruffled Pink with a Raspberry Eye
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Strawberry Candy daylily lives up to its name. The flowers, roughly 4 to 4 1/2 inches across, are strawberry pink with a bright raspberry red eye, an orange-gold watermark, a small green throat and tightly ruffled petal edges trimmed in raspberry red.
It is the best-known plant in its Candy series and won the American Hemerocallis Society's Stout Silver Medal in 1998.
Strawberry Candy at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hemerocallis 'Strawberry Candy' |
| Flowers | Strawberry pink with a raspberry red eye, about 4 to 4 1/2 inches |
| Size | Scapes about 26 inches; clump about 16 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks mid-July, with some later repeat scapes |
| Foliage | Medium green, semi-evergreen |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun to light part shade |
| Deer | Susceptible |
Pink and purple, done softly
Pink and lavender are a natural cottage-garden pairing, and Strawberry Candy adds just enough red in its eye and edges to keep the combination from going sugary. Its mid-July peak overlaps the tail of the main lavender bloom, then repeat scapes carry pink into late summer.
At about 26 inches, the flowers rise a little above most English lavender, so plant it behind or between lavender groups rather than at the front edge. Keep a gap between the daylily foliage and the lavender crowns so the lavender stays dry at its base. Try combinations in the Companion Plant Planner.
Color can shift with the weather
Strawberry Candy's pink ranges from clear pink to near coral depending on soil, sun and heat. A cool, cloudy week tends to keep it rosier; a run of hot sun can warm it up. It is a nice reason to walk the garden every morning.
Planting and care
- Light: six or more hours of sun for the best bloom.
- Soil: average and well drained. It handles heat, clay and dry spells once established.
- Rebloom: remove spent scapes promptly after the first flush to encourage more flowers.
- Winter: a semi-evergreen type that is reliably hardy in Michigan within its zone range. A light mulch the first winter and good drainage help prevent crown rot and heaving.
- Dividing: split crowded clumps every few years.
Format
Strawberry Candy is offered as a dormant bare root plant. See the product page for current availability, or the Wholesale Hub for larger bare root orders.
Frequently asked questions
Does it have a scent?
No notable fragrance. It is all about color and ruffles.
What does semi-evergreen mean in Michigan?
Some foliage may hang on into winter rather than dying back fully. Tidy it in spring, and mulch lightly the first year.
Do rabbits or deer bother it?
It is listed as rabbit resistant, but deer can browse daylilies, so protect it where deer are common.
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