Tiger lily vs daylily
The orange ditch lily of roadsides is a daylily, though it is often called a tiger lily. The real tiger lily is a lily: a single stem with leaves all the way up, topped in late summer by up to twenty nodding orange flowers, curled back and spotted black, with small black bulbils where the leaves meet the stem. The tawny daylily makes a spreading mass of strap-shaped leaves, each trumpet lasts a day, and it flowers earlier, in July. It is also the one that runs: it has invaded natural areas across the eastern states. Both are deadly to cats.
 Tiger lilyLilium lancifolium |  Tawny daylilyHemerocallis fulva | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 4 ft tall, 12 in wide | 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide |
| Plant | 10 in apart | 24 in apart |
| Zones | 3 to 9 | 3 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun to part sun | Full sun to part shade |
| Soil | Well-drained, average fertility | Well-drained, average fertility |
| Flowers | Late July to late August; orange | Late June to late July; orange |
| Leaves | Medium, herbaceous | Medium, herbaceous |
| Job in a bed | Accent | Drift |
| Pets | Toxic (severe) | Toxic (severe) |
| Deer | Not listed as resistant | Not listed as resistant |
| Native | No | No |
| Spread | Moderate risk | Invasive in places |
Rows where they differ are marked. Flowering times are for zone 5.
Which to choose
- Choose tiger lily for a plant that stays put (the other is invasive in places).
- Choose tawny daylily for more shade and dry summers.
Read more: all about tiger lily, and all about tawny daylily, each with a bed the planner designed around it.