I challenged my friend Mary to come up with a list of a dozen favorite daylilies from her garden. If you grow daylilies you know that a favorites list is very fluid, so this particular list is comprised of Mary's top 12 as of TODAY. You can bet that tomorrow's list may look a little different. We love all of our plants for different reasons and it's hard to pick favorites. Mary's list is alphabetical, so there's no preference for one plant over the other. Her garden is in Wisconsin-Zone 4 so these cultivars are all winter hardy plants that thrive in a northern climate. 

Mary's Guest Blog:
Wow, I can't believe how fast the summer has gone. The mosquitoes almost ate me alive at times while trying to garden and deadhead my daylilies. It's funny how, as we grow older, our same young self is still there inside of us. The realization that I work a bit slower nowadays doesn't get in the way of my gardening addiction. I'll never quit gardening as long as I'm able. I love coming home from work and strolling through my gardens for instant relaxation.

1. Carolina Octopus: Baxter - A gorgeous gal that came from my neighbor who was downsizing his daylily garden. This polymerous spider has huge 10" blooms.  She stands tall and shows off in my garden.  
2. Lies and Lipstick: Kinnebrew, J. - I love the mischievous name, of course. This one makes me smile when I work with it.  
3. Mynelle's Starfish: Hayward, M. - A very pleasant discovery, also from my neighbor, that turned out to be a short, but awesome polymerous. It really does look like a starfish, don't you think? I've never seen anything like it.  
   
4. Nu-Era Sure is Cool: (Kietzman/Johnson, BJ - unregistered) - The color of this daylily is so striking. It was a gift from a couple of daylily junkies. Of course I think of them when I see it. Thank you, my friends.
5. Persian Ruby: Trimmer - This beauty stole my heart the first time I saw it -- another one that gets noticed immediately by visitors in my garden.  
6. Rock Solid: Stamile  - This daylily stands by its name.  The plum, velvet eye is amazing. Love the color.  I seem to be partial to purple and pink in my garden.  
7. Rose F. Kennedy: Doorakian - Rose had been on my wish list for quite a few years. This last summer it finally became available at a daylily sale. Love it!
8. Siloam Plum Tree: Henry, P. - This daylily was one of the first in my garden. I've always loved the deep purple color; it reminds me of grapes.  
9. The Band Played On: Stamile - If this orchid-rose color doesn't steal your heart I don't know what will. I guess you could say it brings sweet music to my garden.  
10. Thorhalla: Mahieu - Another daylily surprise from my neighbor. I gave it a try and I haven't been disappointed. The violet-purple flower and neon lemon-lime eye can be seen easily from a distance, which I love. Tall, sturdy scapes support these beautiful midseason-late blooms.
    
11. Three Bad Pigs: Tanner, G. - When I think about how this daylily got its name, it always makes me smile.  That crayola purple eye is just gorgeous.  
12. Willow Dean Smith: Rice, J. - This ruffled light cream/pink daylily is a standout in my garden every year. The delicate, girly, pastel look can't be beat!
    

I challenged my friend Sally to come up with a top twelve list of favorite daylilies from her garden. I thought it would be fun for you to get someone else's take on what grows well in their yard. Sally’s garden is in Wisconsin-Zone 4 so, like me, she needs hardy daylilies that thrive in a northern climate.

Sally's Guest Blog
I am not oblivious to the wonderful attributes of award-winning daylilies that I have seen in other gardens or even grown myself. This group alone could fill up my top twelve. Instead, I wish to offer twelve solid favorites that I have grown for at least three bloom seasons. Some of them may be considered "off the beaten path," older award winners or are uncelebrated, but in my opinion worthy of a "shout out."

My list is in alphabetical order as it was difficult enough to narrow it down to twelve plants.  After all, isn't that why we are daylily collectors? We  love all of our daylily children...each for a different reason!

1. Black Falcon Ritual, Hanson, C. - I could go on and on about this one--lovely bloom shape, beautiful dark color-fast blooms on sturdy scapes...A must in my eyes!  
2. Ellis Powell, Carpenter, J. - The huge distinctive blooms of this ruffled gold-edged plant would be enough for me, but the thickness of the blooms is remarkable.  
3. Fountain of Life, Emmerich - This stunning rebloomer produces 64 days of bloom on average in my garden.  The scapes are sturdy and the flower, of course, is beautiful with a gold edge.  
4. Malcolm David Brooker, Senior, Brooker - What a striking performer this glow-in-the dark bloomer is. The teeth are incredible and it doesn't hang up when opening.  
5. New Series, Carpenter, K. - I can always count on this plant doing well with 50 plus bloom days in most years. The beautiful unique look it has is unmistakable.
6. Pork Barrel Spending, Bremer - My first attraction was to the humorous name of this hardy, overachieving plant.  Blooming all or more than the registered 8" bloom size and towering at 34+" (registered at 29"), other plants were being blocked so I moved it.  Relocation didn't faze it and the striking, huge unusual form blooms continued the next season.  
   
7. Schnickel Fritz, Kirchhoff, D. - This stunning double is a prolific bloomer/rebloomer.  It is one of my first and one of my last to bloom each year.  
8. Two to Tango, Stamile - A prolific bloomer of perfect double flowers.  Even though this is a smaller flower, it makes a huge impact in the garden and is easy to deadhead.
9. Vanilla Fluff, Joiner - This huge cream double will always be in my garden--actually I have two clumps.  It never flops over even at its towering 40" height in my garden and it has a wonderful fragrance.
10. Venus Flytrap, Gossard - I was first drawn to this one because of the name. The dark maroon flowers with a white toothy edge make it a standout.  My mature plant bloomed 66 days last year and only stopped because it froze in the fall despite my attempt at covering such a tall bloom.  I surround this one with light cultivars of similar height that really show off the beautiful edge:  Suzy Cream Cheese, Vanilla Fluff, and Wedding Band.
11. Wedding Band, Stamile -  My mature clump stands up perfectly at almost three feet and provides so much bloom in a color I love.  Truly deserving of the awards it has received.
12. White Eyes Pink Dragon, Gossard - I have not had this plant as long as the others on this list but it is a strong bloomer and the huge flowers, clear color and shape that I love make it a standout at the back of the border.  

Photos in this blog are all courtesy of Sally

Wisconsin Daylily Society (WDS) Annual Sale
Saturday, August 21 - 10:00am-4:00 pm
Sunday, August 22 - 11:00  am-3:00 pm

This is THE largest daylily sale in the nation. There will be more than 700 DIFFERENT cultivars, which means an abundance of individual daylily plants for sale. The prices are reasonable and you get a free daylily with your purchase! All plants are bare-root, hardy and Wisconsin grown. A portion of the proceeds benefit a Wisconsin nonprofit with a horticultural mission. If you love daylilies, this is the event for you - don't miss it! 

The list of available daylilies will be posted on the website link below sometime after August 15th. 
https://wisconsindaylilysociety.org/

Daylilies pictured were all purchased at this sale:
Top L-R 'Man of Sorrows,' and 'Heavenly Angel Ice'
Bottom L-R 'Black Falcon Ritual,' and 'Waxed Legs'

Frances Joiner is a beautiful, delicate rose blend that is reminiscent of a tropical sunset. This reliable double is perfect for the front-of-the-garden border. The blooms are both consistent and prolific. Hybridized in Savannah, Georgia by Enman Joiner, Sr. and introduced in 1988, this award-winning daylily was named for his wife, Frances.

This dormant diploid daylily grows 24" tall and has 5.5 inch blooms. Frances is a midseason bloomer typically starting in early July and blooming into August. She is hardy in Wisconsin's northern climate. This daylily's genetics have been used to create 114 child plants that are registered in the American Daylily Society database.

American Daylily Society Awards: 

• Award of Merit: 1995 - This award is given to signify that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area.
• Honorable Mention: 1992 - The first official “stamp of approval” by the American Daylily Society where good performance goes beyond the regional level.
• Junior Citation Award: 1988 -  An award given to new cultivars that appear to have outstanding qualities and distinction.
• Ida Munson Award: 1993 - A specialty award given annually for the best double flower.
• President's Cup: 1989 - The most outstanding clump seen in an ADS National Convention tour garden
  

Listen up daylily lovers. Not only is lemon juice great for making delicious lemon bars, it's a necessity for cleaning up your hands. After deadheading the mushy, drippy red and purple daylily blooms that stain your hands and fingernails, simply rinse your hands in lemon juice, then wash them with warm soapy water. Your hands will instantly look sparkling clean again!

Daylily pictured: Time Stopper