Illustration
El Desperado
Hemerocallis 'El Desperado'
El Desperado blooms from July through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing El Desperado
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Is El Desperado toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs by University of Florida IFAS Extension. Another source we check lists it as non-toxic; where sources disagree, the warning is shown.
- Listed as toxic to cats by NC State Extension, University of Florida IFAS Extension, Pet Poison Helpline and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant El Desperado
Plant El Desperado in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from July to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does El Desperado get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee El Desperado in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant El Desperado
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space El Desperado about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add El Desperado to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
El Desperado's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom color and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 21, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- siteone.comSiteOne Landscape Supplyheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Sooner Plant Farmheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- southernidaholandscapecenter.comSouthern Idaho Landscape Centerheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- shop.hornbakergardens.comHornbaker Gardensheight, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- daylilies.orgAmerican Daylily Societyheight, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight and bloom months and color
- NC State Extensionsun and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societybloom months and color
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about El Desperado
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Highly toxic to cats: any part, even the pollen, can cause fatal acute kidney failure, the same effect true lilies have. per ASPCA and NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.