There's a serendipity story about this daylily. About nine years ago in August, Ange  and I attended the Annual Wisconsin Daylily Sale in Madison. Once inside the big daylily tent we both went our separate ways to find the plants on our list. About half-an-hour later we met up to compare notes. Although not on our wish list, each of us had picked up an 'Adorable Tiger' plant and put it in our individual baskets. So it was unanimous; we had no choice but to bring this beautiful daylily home with us and we have enjoyed it ever since!

Hybridized in 1998 by George Rasmussen from Farmingdale (Long Island), New  York, Adorable Tiger is a very showy dormant tetraploid that grows well in Wisconsin. It is  26" tall and  has 5" flowers (bud count:16-20). In my garden it bloomed from July 10 through August 10.

American Daylily Society Awards:

• Award of Merit: 2007 - This award signifies that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area.
• Honorable Mention: 2004 - The first official “stamp of approval” by the ADS, where good performance goes beyond the regional level.
• Junior Citation: 1998 - This award was established to focus attention on new cultivars that appear to have outstanding qualities and distinction.
• Don C. Stevens Award: 2008 - The most outstanding eyed or banded daylily.
• President's Cup: 2006 - The most outstanding of all clumps observed by attendees of the National Convention tour gardens.

This sounds like a crazy topic when we're talking about daylilies. Over the years, 99% of my daylilies thrived and grew wonderfully with no pampering whatsoever. In fact, I have given away some beautiful daylilies for the simple fact that they grew *too* fast and it was annoying having to divide them year after year. But let's talk about that one percent of daylilies that no matter what you do will not grow. And I'm talking about daylilies that should successfully grow in your zone.

I visited an online forum and was relieved to see I was not the only person that had experienced  this problem. Some folks said they had bought the same plant three times because they knew people in their zone that grew it successfully. Others moved their plant around numerous times until it was happy. Some folks bought the same plant twice, but the second time they bought it from a different source and the second time the plant did wonderfully.

An issue of concern could be whether the plant is a division or has been tissue cultured. It is always better to purchase from a reliable source that you know are divisions. Tissue culture plants may grow well, but more than likely may not. Blog on tissue culture

Bottom line, with more than 95,000 daylily varieties available I wouldn’t put up with these problems for too long because it is easy enough to find another daylily that is more than willing to grow happily in your garden.

​Pictured: Mississippi Red Dragon, a dormant daylily that was very temperamental for me. I knew other gardeners that grew this plant in my zone with no problem whatsoever. My plant was definitely a division. Go figure?

Look at the thoughtful Christmas gift I received from my grands, Jade and Blake! I was so surprised. What makes it so special is that Jade took all the photos to make this beautiful blanket. The blanket is very large, soft and cuddly... I love it! Who knew daylilies could keep you warm?

FYI –if you are interested, the blanket was ordered from Shutterfly.

'Cradle of Bethlehem' had been growing in my front garden for a few years. It was such a beautiful show-off that last fall we moved it up by the house so we could appreciate it more. With its vibrant yellow-green eye and dark purple edges, this daylily glowed in the sun. In a clump it is quite striking.

Hybridized by Elizabeth Shooter and introduced in 2007, this dainty diploid dormant is hardy in Wisconsin. Cradle of Bethlehem grows 26 inches tall with flowers that are 5.5 inches in size. It is a midseason-late bloomer. Last summer, in my garden, it bloomed from July 20 until mid-August when the deer ate all of the remaining flowers and scapes during a weeklong rain.

AHS Awards: Honorable Mention 2010 

Dusty Miller is one of my favorite annual companion plants. I love the fuzzy silvery-gray foliage that complements any color of annual or perennial it is planted next to. Occasionally it has reappeared in the same location it grew the year before, but only if our winter was very mild. Dusty Miller grows best where afternoon shade is available during the hottest months of summer. I plant mine in an eastern exposure and it does well. Dusty Miller care is minimal when the plant is established. It is adaptable to many soil types, from acidic clay to sandy loam. Dusty may need a midsummer trim if the plant becomes leggy. Best of all, the lacy leaves are resistant to deer, and rabbits dislike the fuzzy leaves as well, which is an added bonus!