2″ bloom, 12-20″ tall, Extra-Early Season + rebloom, Evergreen
A 2002 All-American Daylily Selection. One of the longest blooming varieties we’ve grown. Petite 2″ blooms appear very early in the season above grassy foliage, and it reblooms so well you would think the rebloom was its first bloom cycle.
First to bloom in my Zone 9A, inland San Diego County (Ramona) garden within a couple of weeks of planting in a brand new flower bed. I chose this variety for the very front of the bed and it is a perfect, clear yellow. Happy and bright. I’m attaching a close up and another from a distance. I have 8 or 9 of this plant at the front of the border. I can’t wait to see how this variety fills in and blooms in the next 3 months and then next year. The reviews on this plant led to this purchase and I thank all the reviewers for their insights and photos. They have been so helpful in my selection of different varieties of daylilies. In San Diego, we see Stellas EVERYWHERE and I don’t have any of that (common) golden yellow in my new garden. Never had crazy blooming with the Stellas in any of my previous flower beds. Much more hopeful now. Thanks, Oakes and fellow Daylily reviewers!
I received Bitsy as a free plant with my 2021 order (late season). Planted under my Red maple and this year early May in Texas Zone 8b she is blooming.
This March, when I was missing the blooms of spring down here in Florida (not that they were actually blooming up north), I spotted a few cheerful yellow faces of my Bitsy daylilies. Now, beginning May, they are still blooming! They seem to love the dry, sandy soil and hot afternoons here, when some of my other daylilies are struggling. Small but amazing!
I ordered Bitsy for my Atlanta, GA garden along with several other daylilies during the fall sale last year. It was a spindly little thing, and this spring only had one single solitary bloom on a tiny 8 inch high scape. By far the poorest performer of the bunch for this order. Well, now it’s early Fall, a year since I put it in the ground, the leaves have thickened up, and it has put up 3 tall, 28-30 inch scapes with about 10 blooms apiece! It looks like Bitsy is making up for lost time. I expect great things come Spring.
I love this daylily. The blooms and small but call your attention to them even from a distance. I have been impressed with the large number of blooms and it is perfect when planted with red daylilies.
I planted this daylily October 2020. It started blooming in April of 2021 and it’s almost September. It has literally never stopped blooming. I have at least one flower on this plant every single day. I love this variety. It’s like a little ray of sunshine in my summer droughted garden. 8a
I received Bitsy as a bonus with my order. It sent up bloomstalks after only a month in the ground, and it has the most adorable daylilies I have ever seen. They are so sweet and tiny and cute!
Bitsy is the earliest daylily in my garden. It has thin leaves, tall scapes, and many flowers. It is now the end of July, and Bitsy is putting forth her second round of blooms
Marilyn Sieber (I “inherited” responsibility for this garden in April 2019) –
Bitsy was planted approx 12 yrs ago in the formal daylily garden of our Master Gardener Demo garden in Maryville IL (outside St Louis). Its scapes are more like 28-30 inches, and IT IS STILL BLOOMING STRONG in mid October! (We had a long hot Sept, but still…) Definitely a variety to choose just for the astonishing bloom season.
Just wanted to mention, that while other reviews say Bitsy runs shorter … the scapes on mine were 28″ without any spring fertilizer. I planted it in the front of the garden, expecting a shorter daylily, and when it bloomed at 28″ it was still perfect with its sparkling little blooms floating above shorter plants. Because the blooms are smaller, and the foliage is short and delicate, it did not overwhelm the front of the border … And blooming weeks earlier than other daylilies, I was glad to have it up close to enjoy. A little treasure!!
Incredible!!! Planted just a year ago, Bitsy has been blooming for 3 weeks and has 48 more buds!! Here in Maine, June is extremely early for day lilies, and Happy Returns (which is supposed to be extra early) hasn’t even begun to bloom yet. *Bitsy* is a cheerful, bright little trooper … Can’t believe the length of bloom time, and number of blooms!!!! Now one of my favorites!
I purchased Bitsy this spring and have been enjoying it’s dainty little cherry blooms for several weeks now. The plants are grass-like and so far the scapes haven’t topped 12 inches (which may simply be due to being its first year). For some reason I mistook this for a taller cultivar and planted it on the backside of a bed which I’ll look at correcting in the early fall. Other than this mistake on my part it’s a beautiful little daylily that would be perfect along the front of a bed or lining a sidewalk.
This may be my all time favorite daylily. While the color may not be all that eye-catching, I personally love the clear, lemon yellow color. Best yet, it is almost always in bloom! I also like the very green, grass-like foliage – the plant looks good even on the rare occasion it is not blooming. This is just a great daylily – much, much better than Stella which I don’t particularly care for.
Corry, P.A. – I was shocked at how fast this daylily got adjusted to where i planted it last fall and sent up 3 scapes with plenty of flowers on it! It’s a must have if you like daylilys such as happy returns that are short to the ground and bloom a lot.
Bitsy is an unassuming little jewel. Beautiful little perfect flowers on fairly tall scapes. Planted in July in partial shade and it bloomed in about 3 weeks. It is still blooming one at a time, but that’s not bad for the first yr. Did I mention how generous and healthy all of the daylily clumps were that I ordered? Even my husband was impressed.
This little beauty blooms and reblooms and then reblooms again. In my collection, it’s far and away the earliest to flower, and then it’s far and away the latest to still be blooming. The flowers are really small – hence the name – and the plant is very delicate looking. When I first planted this one, I split up the huge fan I received and spread the plants around in the garden. Since the plants and the flowers are so small, I think it would have been better to mass them all together. Next time I have to divide up the daylily bed, I’ll correct that mistake and move all the Bitsy’s together.
Absolutely spectacular! I planted 4 fans on March 5, 2011; the first blooms were on April 11, and to date (May 16, 2011) we ahve had 132 flowers with some yet to come. These are beautiful miniatures that liven up our fron planter – a must have for sure.
This is my 15th Anniversary with “Bitsy.” I had not a bud Year 1; I bought 1 “Bitsy” as a trial, and it seemed to disappear Year 2. Year 3 was the microburst that shaved everything off at ground level. I was going to can it – but saw the shoots coming up. Today I have a dozen mature plants in that area – all from that one struggling plant. And the dark green stems with the purest of yellow is just sooooo beautiful and calming. It has been blooming in my garden since late April (strange weather). Definitely the longest bloomer I have, ..and a 10!
Bitsy is so cute and so prolific! I received it last spring (2008) and although it grew lots of leaves, it did not bloom that spring or summer. It tried in October, but got hit with winter weather before the buds opened. This spring it came on very early with the first flowers opening on May 15th! It is very striking looking even though it is a small flower because the stems are so dark, almost wine colored! Love it!
I got my Bitsy’s in September, one had a bud on it and bloomed in October. Now it’s January and all three have bloomed and the first one is still blooming… I want more!
Bitsy was a bonus plant, received with my fall order. Since I did not have the ideal spot in the bed for such a small plant, I put it into a medium sized pot and set it on a large rock, nestled among some larger daylilies. Of course Bitsy was the first daylily to bloom this spring with many brightly colored sunbrusts of blooms; so welcome. Am expecting more with the rebloom. Bitsy is a very rewarding little daylily.
I received my daylily order in the very beginning of April and put them right in. We have had so little rain here that almost all they get is sprinkler water twice a week. My little Bitsys are already blooming their little yellow heads off and it’s only the beginning of May! I’m so thrilled! I can’t wait to see how the rest of my order will do. They all look strong and vigorous. Judy Bonn
I recieved and planted these daylilies mid-September the week before Hurricane Ivan hit our region. They started blooming almost immediately and still had blooms on them at Christmas when sleet stopped them. They were so bright in an otherwise ravaged landscape. Can’t wait to see what they do this spring!
This variety is always the first of my daylilies to bloom. I love the branching of this variety because it is so graceful. The cheerful yellow blooms always annouce May is finally here. It is a joy to grow!
You can request a specific date in the Order Notes box during checkout, and we will ship your plants as close to the time you request as possible.
We ship February — October.
Or we will send at the proper time for planting:
Winter and Early Spring Orders:
We will send at the appropriate time for Spring planting in your area. See the chart below for approximate starting shipping dates by zone.
Late Spring and Summer Orders :
After shipping has started to your area, we will send as soon as possible, normally within one to two weeks.
PLEASE NOTE – We will do our best to ship as quickly as possible, but the plants are growing in the ground, not sitting on a shelf, so it takes some time to get them dug and ready to ship.
Fall Orders:
We will send as soon as possible, up until it is too late to plant in your area. Orders placed after that time will ship the following spring. See the chart below for last shipping date by zone.
Approximate Dates We Start Shipping by USDA Hardiness Zone:
Zones 9-10: Mid-late February
Zone 8: Early-mid March
Zone 7: Mid-late March
Zone 6: Late March – early April
Zone 5: Early-late April
Zones 2-4: Late April – early May
Approximate Dates We Stop Shipping by USDA Hardiness Zone:
Zones 2-4: Mid-September
Zone 5: Mid-late September
Zone 6: Late September
Zone 7: Early October
Zone 8: Mid October
Zones 9-10: Late October
It’s pretty simple: most of you can grow any of the daylilies we sell. If you live in an area with a sustained cold period like we do in East Tennessee, you can grow all the varieties. However, If you live in an area that doesn’t get freezing weather in the winter, dormant varieties won’t work for you; you need to choose evergreen or semi-evergreen varieties.
We normally include bonus plants equal to about 20% of your order. And these aren’t “leftover” plants, or “whatever we’ve got lying around.” These are the same huge, healthy plants we sell. Just leave the decision up to us— we’ll pick something we know you’ll love!
Daylily Stickers!
After the year we’ve all had, we’re trying to wring whatever joy we can find out of every day— even Tax Day*. So we put our thinking caps on and thought, “What is silly and fun and makes everyone happy?”.
That’s when it hit us: stickers! To make your day brighter, we are offering 13 stickers free with every order today through April 19!!!
Stick ’em on your water bottle, your cooler, your laptop (even your wheelbarrow!) or wherever else you could use a bit of cheery color.
*We know that Tax Day has officially been moved to May 17. Since today is traditionally Tax Day, though, we’re going for it.
myfairyscloset (verified owner) –
First to bloom in my Zone 9A, inland San Diego County (Ramona) garden within a couple of weeks of planting in a brand new flower bed. I chose this variety for the very front of the bed and it is a perfect, clear yellow. Happy and bright. I’m attaching a close up and another from a distance. I have 8 or 9 of this plant at the front of the border. I can’t wait to see how this variety fills in and blooms in the next 3 months and then next year. The reviews on this plant led to this purchase and I thank all the reviewers for their insights and photos. They have been so helpful in my selection of different varieties of daylilies. In San Diego, we see Stellas EVERYWHERE and I don’t have any of that (common) golden yellow in my new garden. Never had crazy blooming with the Stellas in any of my previous flower beds. Much more hopeful now. Thanks, Oakes and fellow Daylily reviewers!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Karen Jerger (verified owner) –
I received Bitsy as a free plant with my 2021 order (late season). Planted under my Red maple and this year early May in Texas Zone 8b she is blooming.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Jennifer (verified owner) –
This March, when I was missing the blooms of spring down here in Florida (not that they were actually blooming up north), I spotted a few cheerful yellow faces of my Bitsy daylilies. Now, beginning May, they are still blooming! They seem to love the dry, sandy soil and hot afternoons here, when some of my other daylilies are struggling. Small but amazing!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
bwelchz7 (verified owner) –
I ordered Bitsy for my Atlanta, GA garden along with several other daylilies during the fall sale last year. It was a spindly little thing, and this spring only had one single solitary bloom on a tiny 8 inch high scape. By far the poorest performer of the bunch for this order. Well, now it’s early Fall, a year since I put it in the ground, the leaves have thickened up, and it has put up 3 tall, 28-30 inch scapes with about 10 blooms apiece! It looks like Bitsy is making up for lost time. I expect great things come Spring.
(2) (0) Watch Unwatch
Robert Tucker (verified owner) –
I love this daylily. The blooms and small but call your attention to them even from a distance. I have been impressed with the large number of blooms and it is perfect when planted with red daylilies.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Anthony Callison –
Although they come short or tall,
Big and small,
If I could only have one daylily
It would be ‘Bitsy’.
A A Callison.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Colleen Paschall (verified owner) –
I planted this daylily October 2020. It started blooming in April of 2021 and it’s almost September. It has literally never stopped blooming. I have at least one flower on this plant every single day. I love this variety. It’s like a little ray of sunshine in my summer droughted garden. 8a
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Shelley Tibbs (verified owner) –
I received Bitsy as a bonus with my order. It sent up bloomstalks after only a month in the ground, and it has the most adorable daylilies I have ever seen. They are so sweet and tiny and cute!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Patricia –
Bitsy is the earliest daylily in my garden. It has thin leaves, tall scapes, and many flowers. It is now the end of July, and Bitsy is putting forth her second round of blooms
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Marilyn Sieber (I “inherited” responsibility for this garden in April 2019) –
Bitsy was planted approx 12 yrs ago in the formal daylily garden of our Master Gardener Demo garden in Maryville IL (outside St Louis). Its scapes are more like 28-30 inches, and IT IS STILL BLOOMING STRONG in mid October! (We had a long hot Sept, but still…) Definitely a variety to choose just for the astonishing bloom season.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Carol Peterson –
Just wanted to mention, that while other reviews say Bitsy runs shorter … the scapes on mine were 28″ without any spring fertilizer. I planted it in the front of the garden, expecting a shorter daylily, and when it bloomed at 28″ it was still perfect with its sparkling little blooms floating above shorter plants. Because the blooms are smaller, and the foliage is short and delicate, it did not overwhelm the front of the border … And blooming weeks earlier than other daylilies, I was glad to have it up close to enjoy. A little treasure!!
(3) (0) Watch Unwatch
Carol Peterson –
Incredible!!! Planted just a year ago, Bitsy has been blooming for 3 weeks and has 48 more buds!! Here in Maine, June is extremely early for day lilies, and Happy Returns (which is supposed to be extra early) hasn’t even begun to bloom yet. *Bitsy* is a cheerful, bright little trooper … Can’t believe the length of bloom time, and number of blooms!!!! Now one of my favorites!
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
[email protected] (verified owner) –
I purchased Bitsy this spring and have been enjoying it’s dainty little cherry blooms for several weeks now. The plants are grass-like and so far the scapes haven’t topped 12 inches (which may simply be due to being its first year). For some reason I mistook this for a taller cultivar and planted it on the backside of a bed which I’ll look at correcting in the early fall. Other than this mistake on my part it’s a beautiful little daylily that would be perfect along the front of a bed or lining a sidewalk.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Electric City, WA –
This may be my all time favorite daylily. While the color may not be all that eye-catching, I personally love the clear, lemon yellow color. Best yet, it is almost always in bloom! I also like the very green, grass-like foliage – the plant looks good even on the rare occasion it is not blooming. This is just a great daylily – much, much better than Stella which I don’t particularly care for.
(2) (0) Watch Unwatch
Corry, PA –
Corry, P.A. – I was shocked at how fast this daylily got adjusted to where i planted it last fall and sent up 3 scapes with plenty of flowers on it! It’s a must have if you like daylilys such as happy returns that are short to the ground and bloom a lot.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Axis, AL (verified owner) –
Bitsy bloomed the first year it was planted. It is a pretty lemon yellow.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Moss Point, MS –
Bitsy is an unassuming little jewel. Beautiful little perfect flowers on fairly tall scapes. Planted in July in partial shade and it bloomed in about 3 weeks. It is still blooming one at a time, but that’s not bad for the first yr. Did I mention how generous and healthy all of the daylily clumps were that I ordered? Even my husband was impressed.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Watertown, MA –
This little beauty blooms and reblooms and then reblooms again. In my collection, it’s far and away the earliest to flower, and then it’s far and away the latest to still be blooming. The flowers are really small – hence the name – and the plant is very delicate looking. When I first planted this one, I split up the huge fan I received and spread the plants around in the garden. Since the plants and the flowers are so small, I think it would have been better to mass them all together. Next time I have to divide up the daylily bed, I’ll correct that mistake and move all the Bitsy’s together.
(3) (0) Watch Unwatch
Las Vegas, NV –
Absolutely spectacular! I planted 4 fans on March 5, 2011; the first blooms were on April 11, and to date (May 16, 2011) we ahve had 132 flowers with some yet to come. These are beautiful miniatures that liven up our fron planter – a must have for sure.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Bloomington, MN –
This is my 15th Anniversary with “Bitsy.” I had not a bud Year 1; I bought 1 “Bitsy” as a trial, and it seemed to disappear Year 2. Year 3 was the microburst that shaved everything off at ground level. I was going to can it – but saw the shoots coming up. Today I have a dozen mature plants in that area – all from that one struggling plant. And the dark green stems with the purest of yellow is just sooooo beautiful and calming. It has been blooming in my garden since late April (strange weather). Definitely the longest bloomer I have, ..and a 10!
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
newport, RI –
Nice little flower on tall scapes,best rebloomer.Better all around plant than stella if you are looking for a small rebloomer.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Galva, IL –
Bitsy looks good in a cottage garden because of the branching. The color is a true lemon yellow and the leaves are thin.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Longmont, CO –
Bitsy is so cute and so prolific! I received it last spring (2008) and although it grew lots of leaves, it did not bloom that spring or summer. It tried in October, but got hit with winter weather before the buds opened. This spring it came on very early with the first flowers opening on May 15th! It is very striking looking even though it is a small flower because the stems are so dark, almost wine colored! Love it!
(2) (0) Watch Unwatch
Altadena, CA –
I got my Bitsy’s in September, one had a bud on it and bloomed in October. Now it’s January and all three have bloomed and the first one is still blooming… I want more!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Goodlettsville, TN –
Bitsy was a bonus plant, received with my fall order. Since I did not have the ideal spot in the bed for such a small plant, I put it into a medium sized pot and set it on a large rock, nestled among some larger daylilies. Of course Bitsy was the first daylily to bloom this spring with many brightly colored sunbrusts of blooms; so welcome. Am expecting more with the rebloom. Bitsy is a very rewarding little daylily.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
The Villages, FL –
I received my daylily order in the very beginning of April and put them right in. We have had so little rain here that almost all they get is sprinkler water twice a week. My little Bitsys are already blooming their little yellow heads off and it’s only the beginning of May! I’m so thrilled! I can’t wait to see how the rest of my order will do. They all look strong and vigorous. Judy Bonn
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Murfreesboro, TN –
Perfect for the border! Blooms reliably from early May into October here in middle Tennessee. I can’t imagine being without little ‘Bitsy’.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Oxford, MS –
Of all my many daylilies, this one is the first to bloom this season—April 29, 2005!
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Pensacola, FL –
I recieved and planted these daylilies mid-September the week before Hurricane Ivan hit our region. They started blooming almost immediately and still had blooms on them at Christmas when sleet stopped them. They were so bright in an otherwise ravaged landscape. Can’t wait to see what they do this spring!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Sparks, NV –
I love this daylily. The blooms on mine were more golden than lemon, which goes beautifully with the black buds, stems and scapes.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Owensboro, KY –
This variety is always the first of my daylilies to bloom. I love the branching of this variety because it is so graceful. The cheerful yellow blooms always annouce May is finally here. It is a joy to grow!
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Philadelphia, TN –
For the sheer joy of yellow, plant one of these.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch