Candy Custard Daylily | Colors, Care & Growing Guide

The so-called “Candy Custard Daylily” is correctly named Custard Candy Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Custard Candy’), a reblooming perennial with ruffled creamy-yellow petals, a maroon eyezone, and a gold picotee edge, introduced in 1989.

One search for “Candy Custard Daylily” turns up confusion over the name, but the plant itself delivers exactly what any gardener wants: a hardy, fragrant bloomer that puts on a show twice a season. The Custard Candy Daylily hits 24 inches tall, spreads into a dense clump, and keeps flowering from midsummer into early fall when deadheaded correctly. Below is everything needed to plant it, care for it, and keep it coming back for the better part of a decade.

What Is A Custard Candy Daylily?

Custard Candy is a named daylily hybrid developed by hybridizer Stamile in 1989. Its official scientific name is Hemerocallis ‘Custard Candy,’ and it belongs to the dormant-foliage class—meaning the leaves die back to the crown each winter and regrow in spring. The most common name mix-up flips the words, but “Custard Candy” is the registered cultivar. This plant is a rebloomer, typically flowering in July and August, taking a brief rest, then sending up a second round of scapes in September.

How Does It Look? Key Physical Traits

The flowers measure 4.25 inches across and sit atop 24-inch scapes above a clump of foliage that stays 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. The base color is a warm cream-yellow. Each bloom has a deep maroon eyezone near the throat, a green throat, and a narrow gold ribbon—called a picotee edge—along the ruffled petal margins. The overall effect is rich without being loud, and the blooms are fragrant enough to notice when planted near a path or patio.

Can You Eat Custard Candy Daylily Flowers?

Yes, the flowers and buds are edible and are sometimes used in salads for color contrast. The petals add a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Two caveats: make sure the plant has never been treated with pesticides labeled for ornamentals only, and wash the blooms thoroughly before eating. Also, the plant’s fragrance may cause reactions in sensitive individuals, so try a small amount first if you have known allergies.

Planting Custard Candy Daylilies

Plant in spring after the last frost or in late summer after bloom season, giving the roots at least six weeks before the ground freezes. Follow these steps from the Proven Winners guide:

1. Loosen the soil to about 12 inches deep and mix in 2–3 inches of compost to improve drainage and nutrient content.
2. Remove the plant from its container and gently tease apart potbound roots with your fingers.
3. Dig a hole slightly wider and deeper than the root ball. Position the plant so the top of the root ball sits level with the surrounding soil—planting too deep is the most common mistake.
4. Backfill with the original soil, tamp down lightly, and water thoroughly.
5. Keep the soil consistently moist for the first few weeks until the plant is established.

Space each plant 18 to 24 inches apart. In hot climates, give the plants afternoon shade; the dark eyezone can fade if blasted by all-day sun.

Care Through The Seasons

Sun and Soil

Custard Candy needs a minimum of 5 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal blooming. It adapts to clay, dry, or urban soils as long as the drainage is decent. No specific soil pH is required.

Watering

Keep the root zone evenly moist, especially during the first growing season and during dry spells in summer. Avoid overhead watering once the buds open—water sitting on the blooms can cause spotting and shorten each flower’s life.

Fertilizing

Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month from spring through early autumn, or use a slow-release granular 10-10-10 in early spring when the new shoots emerge. Do not over-fertilize; more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium can produce leafy clumps with fewer blooms.

Deadheading for Maximum Rebloom

The difference between one flush of flowers and two often comes down to how you deadhead. Pinch the spent bloom off at the base between thumb and forefinger, but then reach another half-inch down the stem to remove the swollen ovary—the round seed pod just below the petals—by pinching it off too. If you leave the ovary, the plant shifts energy into seed production and skips the second bloom cycle. When the whole scape (the leafless flower stalk) has finished producing buds, cut it back to the base of the plant to keep the clump tidy.

Dividing and Winter Care

Divide clumps every 3 to 5 years to keep the center productive. The best time is early spring when new growth is 2–3 inches tall, or late summer after the second flush finishes. Lift the clump, separate it into sections with at least three fans each, and replant at the same depth. In late fall or very early spring, clip the dead foliage back to the crown before new growth starts—this removes hiding spots for pests and tidies the bed.

What Are The Best Uses In The Landscape?

Because Custard Candy stays compact and reblooms, it works well as a mid-border plant, in mass plantings, or in containers. The fragrant flowers make it a natural choice near seating areas or walkways. It is deer-resistant, rabbit-resistant, and highly tolerant of urban pollution, so it thrives in city gardens and along foundations where other perennials struggle.

End-of-Season Checklist for Custard Candy Daylilies

Follow this short list before winter sets in or when spring arrives to ensure the clump fires back at full strength:

• After the final rebloom fades, cut all scapes to the ground.
• Leave the foliage until it yellows and collapses—it feeds the crown for next year.
• In early spring, clear away all dead leaves and debris from around the crown.
• Apply a light layer of compost around the base, but do not cover the crown itself.
• Divide crowded clumps only when new shoots are 2–3 inches tall, not when ground is frozen or waterlogged.