'Greywoods Disco Dana' is so cheerful and unrestrained when it blooms. Each one of these large, unique flowers looks like it is disco dancing! The petals and sepals fling themselves around in a wild, uncontrolled manor. Each bloom is headed in a different direction. This makes Greywoods Disco Dana quite an impressive sight in a large clump!

Disco Dana is categorized as an Unusual Form (UFO) Crispate daylily. Hybridized in 2003 in Massachusetts by Darlyn Wilkinson, this dormant tetraploid daylily grows 28" tall with 8" blooms (Bud Count: 21-25).  In the morning this wild and crazy gold-yellow blend has a vivid green throat, and as the day progresses the bloom mellows and the edges fade to a cream color.

Disco Dana is a hardy grower that quickly clumped-up for me without any special attention. In 2020 this lovely plant bloomed in my garden from July 15 through August 16, at which point the opportunistic deer finished off the remaining blooms. Our bad; we slipped up by not re-spraying deer deterrent after a short burst of rain.

I bought 'The Bodacious Ms Billadeau' on a whim (it was a 'pretty picture' purchase) at the Wisconsin Daylily Society sale in Madison three years ago, and what a WOW this plant turned out to be! It has large, beautifully textured, 6.75 to 7 " blooms that are vibrantly colored, and I love the added bonus of the white-ish buds for visual interest. The blooms are consistent and look great in any weather situation. In 2020, this prolific daylily bloomed in my garden from July 9 through August 26! You can't really ask for more than that. Call me happy ;)

Bodacious was hybridized in North Carolina by Paul Owen in 2012. This 27" dormant, tetraploid daylily thrives in our crazy Wisconsin climate, as do all my other Owen daylilies.

Note: 'My Friend Charlie,' also an Owen daylily, grows behind Bodacious. They look great together!

Guilty! Luckily, each daylily I bought just for the name turned out to be an amazing plant! Here are six of my 'I love the name' daylilies (pictured in alphabetical order):

• 'House of Misrepresentatives' - Enough said
• 'Legislating Life' - Because we have an attorney in our family
• 'Lounge Lizard' - Who could resist that name? And I have to wonder if one evening this daylily will escape and make a beeline for the bars.
  
• 'She's Got Legs' - Gotta luv ZZ Top!
• 'Three Bad Pigs' - This cute name always makes me smile. What mischief will it get into?
• 'Waxed Legs' - I love waxy-textured daylilies, so I took a chance on this one and was immensely pleased. The name couldn't be more perfect.

What about you? Have you bought any daylilies based solely on their name?

'Marchioness' is a daylily you probably haven't heard much hoopla about, but she's always been one of my keepers. Many years ago a friend gave me a division of Marchioness and said, "You'll love this daylily for some August color." He was spot on! I have grown this beauty in my garden for almost 20 years now. Marchioness is a consistent, reliable, late-season bloomer that more than earns her garden space. Last week my husband was helping me deadhead daylily blooms and he commented on how pretty this plant is! (He doesn't often make these comments.)

Hybridized in 1996 by Steve Moldovan (Ohio), this dormant tetraploid has six-inch blooms and grows 28" tall in my garden. I love the dainty gold edges on the soft pink blooms! In 2019 Marchioness bloomed from July 24 through September 14. In 2020 she started blooming on July 27 and is still in bloom today.

I grow two other Moldovan daylilies in my garden, 'South Seas' and 'Strutter's Ball,' which I love every bit as much as Marchioness.

In May 2016 I purchased 'Paha Sapa Thundercloud' at the Daylily Society of Minnesota plant sale in Minneapolis. Paha Sapa means "Black Hills" in the Lakota Sioux language. The Lakota Sioux consider the Black Hills the center of their universe, where their culture began. The Black Hills were at the center of the Great Sioux Reservation, and considered home by the seven Lakota Sioux tribes.

What a great choice Paha Sapa Thundercloud turned out to be! Hybridized in 2003 by Gary Schaben in Minnesota, this dormant tetraploid has been a very hardy grower for me. In fact, it is so vigorous that it grows 37" tall --  a whopping 10" taller than its registered height! Paha Sapa gets no special attention or fertilizer, either.

Blooms are 5" in size (21-25 bud count). The bitone blooms are beautiful, rich in color, consistent, and have a heavy, waxy substance. They always look perfect whether it's a hot sunny day, if there's high winds, or torrential rain. This plant is tough! Also note the neat pink-ish purple anthers in the bloom. In my 2019 garden, Paha Sapa Thundercloud bloomed from July 22 through September 14. In 2020 bloom started on July 17.

American Daylily Society Award: Honorable Mention: 2007

Check out 'Eyes on the Prize,' hybridized in 2002 by Karol Emmerich in Minnesota. I bought this daylily nine years ago as a birthday gift for my friend. And I liked it so much that I bought one for myself, as well. Good decision! After all, when is buying an additional daylily *ever* a bad decision?

This semi-evergreen tetraploid grows 18-22" tall and has 5.5" blooms, which is a perfect size for a front-of-the-border plant. In 2019 Eyes on the Prize bloomed from July 9 through August 7. This year's bloom started on July 1. You can't go wrong with this eye candy!

American Daylily Society Award: Honorable Mention 2008

While the majority of my daylilies (76%) are dormant/deciduous, I also grow semi-evergreens (18%), and evergreens (6%). Typically in western Wisconsin's northern climate the dormants and semi-evergreens seem to grow the best for me. Although some evergreens can be finicky, the ones I do grow are thriving wonderfully. Sometimes it's just a matter of giving them a little bit of extra protection. Some are planted by our house, by a terraced area or a sidewalk that radiates extra heat in the winter.

'Wings of Chance' (Spalding, W.M., 1985) is a northern hardy evergreen (pictured above) that I have had for well over 20 years. It grows about 22-24" tall and has  5.5 to 6" blooms. This diploid is always one of my earliest bloomers that, in fact, just started blooming yesterday. Wings of Chance is an American Daylily Society award winner of the Award of Merit in 1993, and the Honorable Mention in 1989. It's a wonderful front-of-the-border plant. I love this plant and I wouldn't be without it!

Definitions from the American Daylily Society:
* Dormant/Deciduous:  Dormant/deciduous refers to daylilies that lose their foliage completely before or shortly after frost and over-winter with pointed foliage buds, usually just beneath the soil surface. Dormant/Deciduous daylilies will resume growth in spring.    
* Semi-evergreen:  The foliage of semi-evergreen daylilies dies back nearly to the ground in very cold climates. Some green will be seen near the base. Generally, semi-evergreens wait until spring to resume growth.
* Evergreen:  The foliage habit of daylilies that retain their foliage throughout the year. In cold winter climates, evergreen daylilies over-winter as a mound of frozen pale green foliage. Evergreens may resume growth during a mid-winter thaw in mild climates. Evergreen daylilies do not set resting buds.

Pictured below are evergreens that do very well in my Wisconsin garden: 
"Hold On My Friend," "J.T. Davis," "Joan Senior," "Lotus Position," "Mister Lucky," "Pursuit of Pleasure," "The Band Played On," and "Waxed Legs."

Historic daylilies are timeless classics that remain extremely popular despite the passing of time. According to the American Hemerocallis Society definition, historic daylilies  currently include all daylilies registered on or before 1990. This is a “rolling” date which extends by ten years every decade, i.e. in 2030, the date will change to 2000.

Many daylily aficionados grow historic daylilies, as well as the newer cultivars. My daylily collection is composed of 15% historic cultivars. My historics are daylilies I can't bear to part with.  They are stellar performers that have proven themselves over the years and earned every inch of their garden space.

'Condilla' is one of my favorite historics, hybridized in 1977 (Grooms). The deep gold flowers reliably double 100% of the time. To this day, when it's in full bloom it still wows me! It is a dormant diploid daylily that grows 20-22" tall and has cute, ruffled 4.5" blooms. Last summer Condilla bloomed from July 17 through August 18 in my garden.

And look at the awards this beauty won!
AHS Awards:

• Award of Merit (1985) Signifies that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area
• Honorable Mention (1982) The first official “stamp of approval” by the American Hemerocallis Society
• Lenington All-American Award (1991) Awarded to one daylily each year that is voted the best performer over a wide geographic area.
• Ida Munson Award (1984) An annual award given for the most outstanding double flower. Voted by Garden Judges.
• Georgia Doubles Appreciation Award (2001/2006)
  

In 2018 I purchased a daylily at a plant sale named 'Delta Force' which is purple with a dark purple eye. I planted the two fans in my front garden and waited.  Fast forward to 2019 -- this is what bloomed last summer, and it was most definitely not Delta Force!  After doing a little detective work comparing descriptions from the 2018 sale spreadsheet, what I really have is 'Heavenly Blue Butterfly.' My photo matched the hybridzer's photo perfectly along with the bloom size and bloom time.  I LOVE this daylily and I don't grow anything remotely like it. I actually wondered why I didn't purchase this daylily in the first place?

Hybridized by Jamie Gossard (2013), Heavenly Blue Butterfly is a dormant diploid that grows 32" tall and has large 9" blooms. It's an early midseason  unusual form - cascade. From the first year blooms, it appears vibrant in color and sunfast. It will look gorgeous in the future as a huge clump. Call me happy!

Daylily ruffles come in all different sizes, shapes and colors. Some ruffles are very subtle and others are over the top. But there's one thing for sure, there is specific type of ruffle to please every daylily lover.

Definitions from the American Daylily Society:

• Ruffled - Term used to describe the tissue on a segment's edges (petals/sepals), resulting in a wavy appearance. Ruffling may be very loose and deep or tightly compressed.
• Angel Wings - A type of ruffling on the edge of petals that causes a portion of the petal to fold forward showing the back of the petal.
• Owl Ears - Observed when a ruffled daylily is so strongly recurved that when viewed from the front the edges of the daylily protrude like ears on a Great Horned Owl.
• Owl Wings - A type of ruffling on the edge of petals that causes a portion of the petal edges to fold backward.
• Pie Crust - A descriptor used for ruffles, usually indicating that the ruffles are very evenly spaced and evenly alternate between raised and lowered petal edges, like a decorative pie crust.

Daylilies pictured: 'Shores of Time,' 'Bluegrass Music,' 'Butter Pecan,' 'Border Blessed,' 'Profound Mystery,' 'Lies and Lipstick,' 'Ring the Bells of Heaven,' 'Final Destination,' 'Raspberry Goosebumps,' 'J.T. Davis,' 'Sis Boom Bah,' 'Boundless Beauty,' and 'Wild Child'

It's hard to take a bad photo of 'Forestlake Ragamuffin' because this daylily always looks perfect. Not only is it a strikingly beautiful plant, but it's really famous! This guy is the granddaddy of teeth edges in daylilies. To date, Forestlake Ragamuffin has 241 children on the records! It's been heavily hybridized to pass on its genetics. Many of its offspring are noteworthy daylilies with teeth edges, as well. They include 'Bass Gibson,' 'Buzz Saw,' 'Heavenly Pink Fang,' 'Heman,' 'I Wanna Piranha,' 'Malcolm David Brooker, Senior,' 'Puffer Fish,' 'Swimming with Sharks,' and 'Venus Flytrap' just to name a few.

Hybridized in 1993 by Fran Harding, Forestlake Ragamuffin is a dormant tetraploid that grows wonderfully in Wisconsin. It always looks great in any type of weather and holds up well on those humid 90+ degree days . Ragamuffin grows 28 inches tall in my garden with 5.5 to 6-inch blooms. Last summer it bloomed from July 13 through August 17.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong with this daylily in a northern climate.

American Daylily Society Awards:
Award of Merit: 2009
Honorable Mention: 2005

Each daylily in my garden is special to me, but I had a 'what if' moment. What if I could only have ten of them? Which ones would I choose?

Note: This is my *today* opinion, which can invariably change depending on what's blooming :)

• Coleman Hawkins - OMG. And that about covers it! I'm always drawn to big oranges.
• Coral Majority - Profuse, late bloom; one of the most unique, tropical colors ever!
• Heavenly Angel Ice - Large near white ethereal blooms that dance in the breeze. They twist and curl and bloom like crazy.
• Jerry Hyatt - This large, striking purple has a different look every day, depending on the weather, and it occasionally exhibits animal print spots!
• Omomuki - Love the early, waxy thick flowers. It's a gorgeous fluorescent yellow that a photo can't adequately capture the beauty of...and believe me, I've repeatedly tried!
• Panic in Detroit - Who knew I'd love a red this much? I can't get enough of this one.
• Ruby Spider - Another red! I'm a complete convert! This daylily is amazing; 9" blooms!
• Schnickel Fritz - Pristine. Prolific. Always. My absolute favorite double.
• Suzy Cream Cheese - Suzy is the latest bloomer in my garden, often into October, which makes this a very valuable plant. She looks so spidery and delicate, but holds up in a rainstorm wonderfully.
• Waxed Legs - This lovely evergreen is huge and waxy. Love the color! Whenever I'm in the garden I can't resist taking pictures of it. Consequently I have about a zillion photos of this one.

All of these beautiful daylilies are sunfast and consistent with little or no special care. They are pictured in the order listed.

Veining is a unique color pattern some daylilies exhibit. The natural veins in the flower show up as very darkened and they contrast with the lighter background or vice-versa. "Nowhere to Hide" (shown above) is a perfect example of this characteristic.

The American Daylily Society definition: "A color pattern on the floral segments in which the base color and the veins within these tepals are of a contrasting color."

Daylilies show varied amounts of veining contrast with this color pattern. If you look carefully, some veining is quite subtle. I added some examples to clarify the many ways in which veining can appear.

Pictured below: Profound Mystery, Bordeaux Beauty, Mr. Lucky, Solar Eclipse, Pork Barrel Spending, and Waxed Legs.

I never tire of taking photos of 'Firestorm.' Whenever I'm in the garden it continually beckons me over with its large 8.25-inch vibrant, brick red blooms. I originally grew it from a division that my friend Sally gave me way back when. In my yard it grows approximately 31-32" tall and last summer it bloomed from July 16 through August 18. Hybridized in 1979 (Krekler), Firestorm is registered as an Early Morning Opener (EMO) and an Unusual Form Crispate. Firestorm is also known as a 'Bud Builder.'

Bud- Builder: Scientifically called “indeterminate inflorescence,” it means “continuing to grow at the apex” or end of the scape. A pattern of growth on scapes in which buds continue to form as lower buds open. A scape showing this characteristic will get taller through the bloom season. It is a somewhat unreliable trait, dependent upon weather and growing conditions. Later bloom tends to be sparse. -- Definition from the American Daylily Society website

Over the course of (at least) the last twenty years, this award-winning dormant diploid has never once disappointed me. Firestorm always looks fantastic with no special fuss or care.

AHS Awards: Honorable Mention: 2009

Here is one of my big guys, "Legislating Life." A 2012 dormant tetraploid, this daylily was hybridized in Wisconsin by Nate Bremer. It thrives in our northern climate of extremes. The 7.5 to 8" blooms are consistent and always look good (bud count: 21-25). I love the different shades of lavender and the subtle watermark on the petals. Legislating Life grows 38" tall in my garden and bloomed from July 14 through August 14 in 2019. This beautiful daylily is a child of Curt Hanson's well-known, award-winning "Swallow Tail Kite."

'Heavenly Flight of Angels' is a bit of an oddity in my garden. A good oddity of course! It's always fun to discover the unusual blooms this spider puts out. Every seven-inch flower looks just a little different. Hybridized in 2003 by Jamie Gossard (Ohio), this semi-evergreen diploid grows 39" tall and has a crisp vibrant yellow and lime-green color with white edging. It really stands out in the landscape.

This beautiful daylily is a 2007 award winner (American Daylily Society Honorable Mention). Bloom time in my Wisconsin garden in 2019 was from July 11 thorough August 16. If you want unique, this daylily is a perfect choice.

Daylilies never fail to amaze me with all the different types of shapes, colors and sizes that are available. There is truly a daylily for everyone, no matter what your likes and dislikes are. Hybridizers are continually coming up with many unique cultivars as each year passes. Lately, I am particularly fascinated with the striped and spotted daylilies that are becoming popular. Hello wish list...

Pictured are just a few of the variations that grow in my garden.

'Jen Melon' is one of my favorite old-school daylilies that is hardy and fuss-free. I got this melon-yellow daylily as a freebie when I bought another plant, and to be honest I actually liked Jen Melon better than the plant I purchased! This dormant diploid was hybridized in 1987 by Oakes Daylilies in Tennessee. Although registered at 26," my plant grows 32" tall.  The thick, waxy blooms are consistently 7" in size and hold up wonderfully in any kind of weather. A midseason-late bloomer, Jen Melon bloomed from July 19 through August 21 in my garden.

This pretty is also an American Daylily Society 2018 Honorable Mention award winner. This award is the first official 'stamp of approval' where good performance goes beyond the regional level.

Every season I seem to have one daylily that goes above and beyond in performance with re-bloom and length of bloom. In 2019 it was "Time Stopper." This beauty grew to a height taller than I had ever seen before (58") and it bloomed the longest of any daylily in my garden. Bloom started on June 15 and continued through September 15. Perhaps it was all that rain we had! Time Stopper is a hardy, reliable plant that grows vigorously in a northern climate without any special fuss or care.

To read more about this cultivar's attributes, I previously posted a profile of Time Stopper in 2017:
http://www.iplanthappiness.com/blog/time-stopper

Most of my 2019 gardening season was spent downsizing. Although these daylilies were hard for me to give up, they now have new homes with friends and family, and I can still visit them. And just so you know, I still have way more daylilies than any one person needs.

The first photo is 'Lies and Lipstick.' The other photos are in alphabetical order: 'Bluegrass Music,' 'Bordeaux Beauty,' 'Dipped in Ink,' 'Dragon's Eye,' 'Double Charm,' 'Elizabeth Salter,' 'Gentle Shepherd,' 'Grecian Gown,' 'Greedy Governor,' 'Heavenly Beginnings,' 'Heaven's Pride,' 'Larry Grace,' 'Lies and Lipstick,' 'May May,' 'Mexican Magic,' 'Miss Jessie,' 'Patty in Pinstripes,' 'Siloam Double Classic,' 'Star of Fantasy,' 'Startle,' 'Wayne Felgar,' and 'Will Return.'