I would like to add more white daylilies to my garden to add some "pop" to the darker colors. I would like to hear your favorites and/or most recommended cultivars.

You might enjoy reading through this thread.

The thread "suggestions for best "white" daylily?" in Daylilies forum

Here's another one that may be of interest:

The thread "Stuart Kendig's White Daylily Project" in Daylilies forum

Boundless Beauty for sure !!

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Won't break the bank !!

One of the very whitest (if not the all-time whitest, which it may actually be) would be Gentle Shepherd. I've had it growing here in zone 3 for at least 12-15 years, it's about as low-fuss as you can get and it always stands out.

Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Gentle Shepherd')

It also was Plant of the Day July 26, 2016.

The thread "Daylily of the Day: Gentle Shepherd" in Plants of the Day forum

Reviewing some of the comments made by other gardeners, it seems to do great in colder / northern gardens, does well in some zone 6 gardens, and struggles when you reach zone 7. It may do well for you, depending on your specific area of zone 6 (and, as we all know, every garden is different: soil, lighting, rainfall, etc.).

Another, newer variety (just added to my gardens this year) is How High the Moon (Ball, L 2010). I got mine directly from Linda Ball, I specifically wanted to add some height (this one is 48 inches) and it's also fragrant. I love it!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I currently have So Lovely and Ice Carnival in my gardens. I bought White Temptation this Fall and plan to add Gentle Shepherd next Spring. A lot of new daylilies have gone into my Want list, from your suggestions and those I found searching.

I have to say, Gentle Shepherd grew here back in the 1990's. Here it had such awful foliage that, as I became a garden judge and more experienced grower, I couldn't overlook. It got tossed. In fairness, I didn't have an irrigation system back then. But some cultivars just have bad foliage, even with good growing conditions.

floota said: I have to say, Gentle Shepherd grew here back in the 1990's. Here it had such awful foliage that, as I became a garden judge and more experienced grower, I couldn't overlook. It got tossed. In fairness, I didn't have an irrigation system back then. But some cultivars just have bad foliage, even with good growing conditions.

Hopefully it will do better here. Many of my daylilies do not have good foliage through the Summer months; they look great in the Spring and revive in September, but in late July and August they look half dead. I do water when it's needed; rain is unpredictable - we either get none or get downpours. The deer don't help. I'm also hoping that I can keep deer out of the dog yard where I'm relocating the daylilies. And then, that I can keep the dogs out of the daylilies.

2Dogsmother said: Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I currently have So Lovely and Ice Carnival in my gardens. I bought White Temptation this Fall and plan to add Gentle Shepherd next Spring. A lot of new daylilies have gone into my Want list, from your suggestions and those I found searching.

I just added White Temptation this Fall also, really looking forward to seeing how it does next year.

My new ones are Big Snowbird and Sunday Gloves. I'm looking forward to their blooms.

So far, my best performer has been Monica Marie. I would still be growing Joan Senior if it weren't for its rust susceptibility.

My White Temptation fans are very tiny; I'm just hoping they make it through the Winter and if there is any bloom next year I'll be delighted.

I like the look of Big Snowbird, love the chartreuse throat on the near whites; I thought I might try Joan Senior - can be found readily and inexpensively, and I have so far not had a rust problem.

I foresee another big daylily order in my future .

Look out Donna! You are well on your way to becoming a Hemeroholic!

Zoia said: Look out Donna! You are well on your way to becoming a Hemeroholic!

Fear I may already be there!

Here, I'll help!

DeweyRooter said: My new ones are Big Snowbird and Sunday Gloves. I'm looking forward to their blooms.

Big Snowbird looks lovely! I was also thinking about Sunday Gloves. It's easy to find and it impressed me this year:


Similarly, Heavenly Angel Ice this year looked whiter than I remembered, and rebloomed so well:



From Sterrett, this year I added (and loved) Tidewater Snowflake:


...and got a bonus of Ice Cream Sundae, which I immediately thought was a tet because of its substance:



The dips are just whiter. Loving Tuscawilla Snowdrift (which looks whiter when not in the sun):


But Whirling White is full of Ivory Ruffles. (Here, kitty kitty... )


At the ADS conference, Mike Huben noted that (dip?) whites tend to be rust-resistant. That surprised me and got me thinking and intending to gather more info.

Really like the look of Tidewater Snowflake.

DeweyRooter said: Really like the look of Tidewater Snowflake.

I do too; added three of those to my Want list - growing, growing, growing

2Dogsmother said: I do too; added three of those to my Want list - growing, growing, growing

My devilish enabling plan appears to be working! However... having a want list at all seems to be a cunning plan to delay gratification and avoid all those willy-nilly buying sprees! Lets off pressure like some kind of smart safety valve. Wise, this one is...

I have had 'Sunday Gloves' for years and 'Lime Frost', somedays they really look white and other days much more yellow. I have 'Great White Dove', it can look white but often more yellow. I also have 'Great White' it normally looks pretty white. Of course I have 'Gentle Shepherd' it is the standard I judge my other whites by. Just this month I have added 'Caribbean Snowcap' and 'Ice Carnival'. Still I would like to add just a few more with more of a white tone than yellow or pink look about them. Maybe those last two I added will be more white.

Now my Want List just increased.

Larry, here is Ice Carnival in my garden and as you can see, more yellow than white. Plant is in a location where it is in sun most of the afternoon, a bit of morning shade. Oddly, in my garden in Angier, NC (Zone 8), our previous home, all my near whites were consistently more white than yellow.



Justine, having bought around 80 new daylilies this Fall, I'm not sure how wise I am . I just bought four new ones on the LA, to be delivered in Spring and I plan to buy quite a few white DLs in the Spring.

You have all been wonderful "enablers" and I am hooked.

floota said: I have to say, Gentle Shepherd grew here back in the 1990's. Here it had such awful foliage that, as I became a garden judge and more experienced grower, I couldn't overlook. It got tossed. In fairness, I didn't have an irrigation system back then. But some cultivars just have bad foliage, even with good growing conditions.

'Gentle Shepherd' was not good here, for the short time I had it (it died around its second winter here in Zone 4) it was usually chlorotic. I didn't replace it. Sometimes it happens that a daylily doesn't do well but you get it from another source it is fine. 'Cherry Cheeks' (not white) was like that for me. But since I'd read that 'Gentle Shepherd' did the same for others, as Julie mentioned, as it did here I didn't bother trying again.