Over the last few years I have added more red daylilies to my collection because I had very little of that color in my garden. One of my favorites is 'All American Chief.'  What a perfect northern daylily! You simply plant it (anywhere) and it takes off and grows like a champ. And those blooms! They are all 9" in diameter. The foliage is attractive and contrasts nicely with the red flowers. All American Chief makes quite a statement when it is in full bloom. My husband doesn't remember many of the daylily names in our yard, but he definitely knows this one!

Hybridized by Van Sellers and registered in 1994, All American Chief is a dormant tetraploid that grows 32" tall. This cultivar appears regularly on popularity polls and won the Stout Medal in 2008, which is the highest award a daylily can win (plus three other awards). The takeaway? This daylily is a sure thing! If you don't grow it, you really should.

Over the past year or two, most of my daylily purchases have been big, tall plants with large blooms. Not only do the blooms catch your eye from a distance, but deadheading is also considerably easier when I don't have to crouch over a teeny plant to remove 20-30 spent blooms each day. For these reasons I've gradually been phasing out many of my smaller plants, although I do keep a few of my favorites up close to the house. Some of my tiny daylilies have been hard to say goodbye to, but I rest assured knowing that their new owners will love them just as much as I once did. The silver lining? I keep an extensive wish list with numerous  daylilies on it that are just calling out my name. Does this sound familiar fellow daylily addicts?

So 'Black Falcon Ritual' is one of those big, tall, showy plants that I really like. With a height of 38", deadheading this guy is a breeze. The large, consistent blooms are 8" in size and have a waxy, thick texture. After a rainstorm the blooms still looks great. For dark flowers that are the color of grape jelly, they retain their color quite well in full sun. Also notice the delicate watermark. The photos don't do this plant justice -- it is so much more beautiful in real life!

Black Falcon Ritual is categorized as a UFO (Unidentified FOrm) Cascade. UFOs are a classification of daylilies based exclusively on the shapes of the petals or sepals. The American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) defines a 'Cascade' as having narrow floral segments with pronounced curling or cascading, which revolve upon themselves in the manner of a wood shaving.

Introduced in 2005 by Curt Hanson, this semi-evergreen tetraploid won an Honorable Mention Award in 2009 which indicates good performance that goes beyond the regional level. BFR is an early-midseason bloomer in my Wisconsin (4a) garden that started on July 7th last year.

Note: Black Falcon Ritual has the famous 'Jerry Hyatt' in its lineage.

Here is one of my favorite doubles, 'Black Lace Conspiracy.' The first photo was taken in the morning when BLC looks grape-purple, and the second photo was taken in the afternoon when it mellows into a rich burgundy. I love both versions! Plus, if you look closely it has a really neat white edging which is more pronounced as the day goes on.

'Black Lace Conspiracy' came from my friend Becky who bought it at a daylily nursery on one of her adventures in northern Wisconsin. What a find! This dormant tetraploid was introduced in 2008 by Wisconsin hybridizer Nate Bremer. It grows about 28" tall and has 5" blooms, with a bud count of 21-25. It also doubles very consistently. This gem looks great in all types of weather and is a hardy, reliable performer in my backyard. Keeper!

Here's a daylily that will make anyone say "Ooooooh and Aaaaaahhh." Boundless Beauty's blooms are at least seven and one-half inches of ruffled confection. This plant has a bud count of 31-35 and in peak bloom it is quite an eyeful! Hybridized by Patrick Stamile in 2005, this semi-evergreen pastel white blend is a multiple award winner that grows about 28" tall. Although registered as a mid-season bloomer, in 2017 Boundless Beauty bloomed from July 15 through September 4 in my yard.

Boundless Beauty has a couple of negatives, but let me quickly follow that up by saying I can work with both of them, because I LOVE this daylily!

First, it didn't tolerate 100% sun the best. By afternoon on very hot, humid days the flowers were a bit wilted. So I solved that problem by giving this stunner one of my rare part-shade spots. With morning sun and afternoon shade, it was so much happier. Boundless Beauty is a hardy grower in Wisconsin and didn't miss a beat when I transplanted it.

Second, the flowers have so many super large ruffles (or 'chicken-fat' as it's sometimes referred to) that occasionally a bloom can 'hang up.' In daylily talk that means as the flower tries to open in the morning, it gets tangled up in itself and may only partially bloom; or it can tear as it tries to open. But even if there happens to be one bloom that hangs up, you can rest assured there will be several others that look absolutely perfect. Despite these two hiccups, Boundless Beauty is still a keeper - that's how spectacular it is!

With limited space in my gardens, I only keep plants that I am totally in love with. I've had numerous  daylilies over the years that arrived and eventually departed my Zone 4a Wisconsin garden.  Some of them were even multiple award winners. They just didn't work out for me for one reason or another. Maybe they would do well in someone else's yard, another growing zone, different soil, a shadier location -- who knows? So these opinions are all mine and relate only to my situation. I do keep all of my daylilies for at least three years to give them a chance to show me their stuff before they go anywhere.

As disappointing as it is buying plants and realizing they won't work in my circumstances, it's just a part of gardening that I accept. It makes me all the more appreciative when I hit upon a daylily that is absolute perfection. The fun is always in the journey.

Here are a few of the plants I parted company with and the reasons why:

• A little Fire, Scarecrow - An award winner that just didn't suit me and sometimes needed staking.
• Always Afternoon - The blooms on this Stout Medal winner melted in the sun. I didn't have enough shade to keep the plant happy.
• Baby Blues - I know this will sound completely crazy, but Baby Blues bloomed too much! It rivaled 'Stella de Oro' in bloom power. This departure was all about me, not the plant -- my back was very unhappy deadheading 30+ blooms a day on such a diminutive plant. For those of you who love miniatures, it's a wonderful, robust, super bloomer!
• Caribbean Whipped Cream - Some blooms were breathtaking; some were not. This doesn't bother some gardeners. I'm not in that group.
• Court Magician - A pretty color combination, but the petals regularly 'canoed' (curled over).
• Etched Eyes - Beautiful and unusual, but it never thrived for me. I found it a new home and it seems to be doing better in a friend's garden.
• Highland Lord - A double that doubled about half the time. It was either gorgeous or just plain red. Which is no doubt perfectly fine for someone else who is not picky-me.
• Lady Neva - Droopy scapes. The large 9" blooms were too heavy for the scapes. I disliked deadheading blooms that were usually on or near the ground, especially after it rained.
• Moussaka - Another plant with melting blooms. By 1:00 pm it was done for; not a good fit for my sunny yard.
  
• Night Beacon - A striking bloom with a great color combination, but some scapes grew really tall and others never made it past the foliage. The clump always looked odd with scapes and flowers poking out all over the place. I hung onto this plant for about six years hoping the growth habits would improve. They didn't.
• Nowhere to Hide - This is one of the most unique daylilies I have ever grown, but it had inconsistent blooms and ratty foliage. I wish it would have been happier, but I don't think it liked Wisconsin.
• Tholian Web - These blooms melted in the sun. I liked the plant so well that I moved it from full sun to a coveted eastern location with afternoon sun and high hopes. It melted anyway. Frown face.

Pictured above: 'Nowhere to Hide"
Pictured below L-R: 'A Little Fire, Scarecrow;' 'Always Afternoon'

Whenever I look at 'South Seas,' in photos or in real life, this daylily reminds me of the tropics. And if there's ever a time to think of the tropics, it's at the end of January in Wisconsin. The tangerine coral color screams tropical plants, warm sandy beaches, and the sound of ocean waves lapping on the shore.

South Seas grows about 30" tall with 5.5" blooms that are reliable, consistent, and hold up well in full sun. Last summer it bloomed from July 9 to August 10. Hybridized by Steve Moldovan and registered in 1993, South Seas won an Honorable Mention award in 1998, which recognizes good daylily performance that goes beyond the regional level.

In my garden I like to grow a combination of old-school daylilies with newer ones. South Seas is one of my older keepers. It arrived in my yard almost twenty years ago via proliferation from my friend Roger's garden. This exceptional dormant tetraploid performs like a champ and deserves a spot in any northern garden.

'God Save the Queen' grows in my friend Mary's daylily garden. It was love at first sight when she set eyes on this stunner. Plus the name made her smile, so that was the icing on the cake. What's not to like? The colors are so vivid! This daylily is a multiple award-winner and has been used extensively for hybridizing. There are eighty-six kiddos on record to be exact! In 2017 God Save the Queen won the coveted Lenington All American Award, which recognizes a cultivar that performs the best over a wide geographic area. Only one daylily gets this award each year. It's a great list to refer to if you are looking for a 'sure thing.' I have grown about a dozen cultivars that have won this award and they have all been hardy growers in my Wisconsin garden. Here's the list: Lenington All American Award Winners

God Save the Queen is an evergreen tetraploid, hybridized by Mort Morss and introduced in 2005. It's an early season bloomer that grows about 30" tall and has large 7" flowers. As shown in this photo, sometimes the petals can exhibit teeth. This daylily grows well for Mary and it's quite a standout in her landscape.

If you are a northern gardener and don't grow 'Heavenly Angel Ice,' you really should. This plant is outstanding in so many ways. The blooms are thick and waxy, and they look perfect whether the temperature is 55 or 105 degrees. Heavenly Angel Ice is categorized as a UFO (Unusual FOrm) Crispate, which means that each bloom presents a little differently -- the flowers curl, twist, and twirl. The bud count is a remarkable 26-30. You can see from the photos how many  buds are on my plant and I've only had it two years! Being a dormant diploid, it does very well in Wisconsin. In my yard, this daylily grows about 40" tall and the scapes never droop, even after a heavy rainstorm. It's a midseason-late bloomer that in 2017 bloomed from July 10 through August 14.

Hybridized in Ohio, and introduced in 2004 by Jamie Gossard, Heavenly Angel Ice is a multiple award winner. Awards include the Stout Medal in 2013 (which is the highest award a daylily can get), Award of Merit in 2010, Lambert/Webster Award in 2009, and an Honorable Mention in 2007. There are already 50 registered child plants on the record, so it's quite popular as a parent. Love. This. Daylily.

This gorgeous daylily is a source of frustration for me. 'Tom Leonard' is a dormant tetraploid so, by all rights, he *should* grow well in Wisconsin, but for some reason he has stalled. I have had him since 2013 and to date he has only increased from two to five fans. He looks very healthy and blooms every year, yet just doesn't thrive. Tom Leonard is on his third location change in my garden, and I'm at the crossroads of "I'll keep my fingers crossed," and "You are outta here!" I have given this plant way more leeway than usual because I love sculpted daylilies. The blooms are an impressive 7" in size, and the brilliant yellow/gold glows brightly in the garden. I also love the fringy look of the petals. Plus, Tom is a late-bloomer, and that is also desirable. So I do have many reasons to keep hoping he will come around! Tom Leonard was purchased from a reliable source so I know for sure he's a division, not a tissue-cultured plant.

Have you ever had a plant that just wouldn't perform? For the life of me, I can't figure out what more I can do to help him along. This is a problem I don't often have with daylilies. So I'm on the fence about this daylily...I will be patient and see what happens in 2018 but reluctantly, an adoption may be in this guy's future.

'Victorian Garden Rolling Thunder' was one of my favorites in 2017. This daylily exhibited different 'looks,' depending on the weather and temperature. In the morning it always bloomed near black in color, but as the day progressed the color mellowed. Some days it looked grey-tinged, while other days it appeared more purple and/or various shades of red/burgundy.

Hybridized by Gerda Brooker and introduced in 2009, Victorian Garden Rolling Thunder's blooms are 6" in size and thick in substance with a velvet-like appearance. For a dark-colored flower the blooms held up very well in full sun. It is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that grows approximately 32" tall. Victorian Garden Rolling Thunder bloomed from July 6 through August 17. I really enjoyed watching it from one day to the next, just to see what colors would emerge.

Logically, I know plant performance boils down to what zone you live in, weather/temperature, soil quality, fertilizer, water, and exposure to sun. In addition there are differences between evergreen, semi-evergreen, and dormant daylilies. But honestly, there are days I could swear a few of my daylilies have attitudes. The adage "bloom where you are planted" holds true for the vast majority of my plants, but there are definitely some holdouts. I can transplant one daylily and it joyfully continues to bloom away, seemingly unaffected by the change. I can do the same with another, and it will be sensitive, pout for a year and maybe even forego blooming entirely,  just to let me know that it is not happy with the change.

Just as attitude is important in the workplace, it is in my garden is as well. I like to keep my daylily family well-adjusted, happy, and all working toward the same mission -- unbridled bloom!

Pictured is 'Betty Woods,' a dormant, diploid double. She is most certainly beautiful, but despite her multiple awards Betty was a poster child for an indifferent attitude in my garden. After years of temperamental behavior she was adopted by my friend Becky. I am happy to report that she appears to be much happier in Becky's garden. Oddly enough, sometimes that's all it takes.

Earlier this year I put fluorescent pink tape on Joan Senior's name tag. In my yard pink tape means "I've had enough, you've worn out your welcome." In response, Joan defied me and put forth a stellar year, blooming from July 3 through August 19. I recently removed the pink tape and wondered "What was I was thinking?" This old-school evergreen daylily has been a bit temperamental for me. Over the years I've moved her to different spots around the garden trying to make her happy. On this, her fourth move, I think I have *finally* found her happy place!

Joan Senior arrived in my garden as a bonus plant from a daylily order many years ago. She is a multiple award winner and has been used extensively in hybridizing. She has a whopping 196 children on the books! These include some well-known daylilies that include 'Bee's Betty Sue,' 'Nanuq,' and 'Snowy Night.'

This understated beauty is perfect for the front-of-the-border, growing about 25" tall. The 6" near-white blooms always look crisp and clean and the dark green foliage contrasts nicely. Okay Joan Senior, you've made your point - you can stay.

I take countless photos of 'Bill Tonn,' but try as I might, my photos never capture the real-life beauty of this plant. Bill started blooming on July 6th and is still blooming, with about five blooms remaining. I must add that 2017 was far from our typical summer weather, with extreme temperature fluctuations from day-to-day. Consequently, bloom season didn't last as long as it usually does. Last year Bill Tonn bloomed longer -- from July 2 through September 24, at which time the deer ate the two remaining scapes.

Bill is a dormant tetraploid that grows about 30" tall in my yard. The large 7" blooms are very showy, in addition to being thick and waxy in texture. I love the delicate gold edging on the ruffled petals. It's a large, robust plant that was hybridized in Minnesota by Karol Emmerich and introduced in 2007. If you want a consistent, reliable, late-season performer in Wisconsin, Bill Tonn fills the bill!

Jerry Hyatt is one of the most interesting daylilies that I grow. His look varies depending on the weather and temperature, and he may (or may not) change throughout the day. I'm sharing a few of his different faces so you can see for yourself. I love the animal-print spots in the first photo!
 
Hybridized by Curt Hanson and introduced in 2004, Jerry Hyatt is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that grows about 27-28" tall and has a 6" bloom. He's an award winner that received an Honorable Mention Award in 2007 and an Award of Merit in 2012. Jerry is a new plant to my garden and thankfully he appears to be happy here.

Jerry Hyatt is a child of the tetraploid Trahlyta, which is where the grey/violet tones come from. I grow the diploid version of Trahlyta, which I have had for many years (and would never part with).

What a perfect name for this daylily! 'Time Stopper' was one of my awesome daylily purchases last year at the Wisconsin Daylily Society Sale in Madison. And yes, time did stand still for me when I first saw it bloom two weeks ago! Although the flowers are registered as seven inches, I measured a bloom yesterday and it was fully eight and one-half inches in size! It is certainly an attention-grabber. The photo I took is very true in color to what it looks like in my garden. Love, love, love the green and burgundy combination. I have it planted in 100% sun and it holds up quite well. Being a dormant diploid, it is also hardy in the north. Hybridized by Jamie Gossard and introduced in 2006, Time Stopper grows about 33" tall in my garden. This daylily will be even more amazing as the clump grows larger!

'August Wedding' came to my garden in a very  unusual way. In May of 2016 I went to the Minnesota Daylily Society Sale in Minneapolis. I bought daylilies for myself and three of my friends. Upon purchase, all of the daylilies were placed into one large plastic bag. The cultivar fans for each individual plant were held together by a vinyl name tag. Here's where the dilemma happened -- when I got home, after I removed all the plants from the plastic bag, I noticed there was one tiny fan remaining at the bottom of the bag that was not attached to a vinyl name tag. Uh-oh...I had no idea which daylily this fan belonged to. Was it my own or was it someone else's?

So I did what any daylily lover would do. I planted the small fan and waited. Sure enough, this year the small plant sent up a scape and it bloomed last week. It was, without a doubt, August Wedding. Thanks Becky! It was one of yours ;)

I have to say I am already in love with this plant! August Wedding opens fully, even when morning temps are in the high 50's. It has really thick substance as well.  August Wedding was hybridized in Suamico, WI (close to Green Bay) by the Korth's of Pinewood Gardens Daylilies. It is a dormant tetraploid that grows about 30" tall. The blooms are between 5-6" in size.  Plus, it is an award winner that has ruffles and glitter. What more could a girl want?

'Bluegrass Music' is a relatively recent arrival to my garden, but I've grown it long enough to know that it's staying! This daylily is a great performer and each bloom looks exactly like this photo.  I have it planted in a terraced rock area where it enjoys a southern exposure. In 2016 it started blooming on June 21st, but bloom will be considerably later this year due to the cool weather we've had this spring. (It was only 48 degrees this morning! Where's my winter coat?)

Bluegrass Music is a Grace-Smith daylily, introduced in 2005. It is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that  grows 28 inches tall. Bluegrass Music won an Honorable Mention award in 2010. This award acknowledges performance that goes beyond the local or regional level. Although the flowers are only four inches in size, the amount of blooms it produces (bud count=26-30) provides a beautiful display.

Last fall I transplanted this gorgeous daylily to my backyard so I could appreciate it up close. "Pursuit of Pleasure" will provide you with an 'oooh-ahhh' moment every time you see it. Orange has always been one of my favorite daylily colors (except roadside orange, that is).  Last summer Pursuit of Pleasure bloomed from July 10th through August 16th in my garden. It is sunfast, doubles close to 99% of the time, and consistently looks just like this photo. Can it get any better than this?

Pursuit of Pleasure was hybridized by David Kirchhoff, and registered in 2008. It grows about 28" tall and has showy 6" blooms. Registration statistics show a bud count of 31 to 35. Pursuit of Pleasure won the Georgia Doubles Appreciation Award in  2011.

Love, love, love this daylily! Not only do I love the curls, but the green throat is also striking. My photo shows just how prolific it is. In 2016 Heavenly Curls bloomed from June 29 to July 29, with dozens of blooms open every day.  It grows about 27" tall and never flops over, even with the large 7" blooms. I have it planted in a prominent spot in my front yard, and it never disappoints me. During peak season, this clump is breathtaking! Visitors never fail to notice it.

Hybridized by Jamie Gossard in Ohio, Heavenly Curls is categorized as an Unusual Form (UFO) Cascade/Crispate/and Spatulate. It is a dormant diploid, so it grows wonderfully in my Wisconsin garden. Heavenly Curls won an Honorable Mention Award in 2005. This award is a stamp of approval for good performance that goes beyond the regional level.  

In my world, this daylily is a wow!

If you don't grow 'Bela Lugosi,' you  need to! No drama whatsoever with this beauty! Just day after day of beautiful big 6" blooms. For a dark purple daylily, it is incredibly sunfast and mine grows in 100% sun. The fans multiplied quickly and in 2016 it bloomed steadily from July 4th through August 8th. The deep purple color of the flowers really pop with the complementary vibrant green foliage. In this photo you can see the velvety texture of the blooms.

Bela grows 33" tall and was introduced in 1995. Curt Hanson's no-fuss daylilies (that I have) grow wonderfully in my Wisconsin garden. Bela Lugosi is a multiple award winner and received an Award of Merit in 2001, an Honorable Mention in 1998, and the Lenington All American Award in 2007. The Lenington is awarded annually to one daylily voted the best performer over a wide geographic area.

Another plus -- Bela's been around for a while, so you can probably purchase this stunning plant for around $10.00 or less!  Caution: Sometimes big box garden/landscape center plants are tissue-cultured and you may be getting a lesser plant. Consider directly purchasing a division from a daylily vendor.

Blog on tissue-culture- 12/15/15