'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.'

'Tantra Boogie' is a rock star! This cultivar is tall, tough, consistent, prolific, and the blooms are girly, twirly, and gorgeous. Wisconsin-bred, this dormant tetraploid daylily thrives in crazy weather extremes. Hybridized by Linda Ball (2010), Tantra Boogie bloomed non-stop last summer in my garden from July 15 to August 14. Tantra is an unusual form-crispate that grows 40" tall and the blooms are between 5-1/2" to 6" in size. During peak season it puts on quite a show. So if you want a fuss-free northern plant Tantra Boogie fills the bill. Plant it anywhere, ignore it, and this is what you get.

'Dean Corey' has really been impressive this year. Dean was a bonus gift daylily on an order I placed two years ago. Hybridized by Goldner-Pruden in 2008, Dean Corey is listed as a midseason bloomer, but in my yard it is more midseason-late with bloom from July 23 through September 10.  And this is a tall plant! It grows every bit of the 40" tall it is registered at and the flowers are  7" in size.

My plant grows in 100% sun. In the early morning Dean is quite vibrant and by late afternoon the color mellows to a beautiful pastel (like photo #3). I love both looks and the bloom substance remains impeccable all day.  What an amazing daylily this is. If it is growing this well after only two years in my garden, I can only imagine what the future will bring! I love seeing these cheerful blooms all the way into September.

My early daylilies have finally started to bloom this week. This year has to be a record for the latest bloom-start ever. That being said, when I was dead-heading flowers yesterday morning I stopped by 'Spacecoast Cherries and Cream' and marveled at what a beautiful garden plant this is. It's reliable, consistent and never fails to put on a show every single day during bloom season. This daylily has acclimated to Wisconsin very well, and for a Florida-bred daylily, that's noteworthy!

Spacecoast Cherries and Cream is a 2000 Kinnebrew daylily. It is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that has 5.5" blooms (bud count: 21-25) and grows about 27" tall in my garden. Last year's bloom time was from July 2-August 3. This daylily also holds up wonderfully in the hot sun. The first photo was taken at about 7:00 am, while the second one was taken a few hours later.

Since nothing much is going on in my daylily gardens just yet, I thought I'd share one of my old-school scarlet reds from last year, 'Chicago Apache.' As you can see, this daylily is a blooming superstar! I had trouble capturing the beautiful velvety look the blooms have in real life.

Hybridized in 1981 by James Marsh/Roy Klehm, Chicago Apache is a dormant tetraploid that has five-inch blooms and grows 33" tall in my garden. It's a late-season bloomer which is very desirable. Last year's blooms were from July 24 to August 27. This year my plant is huge after all the rain we have had. The scapes have not started peeking out yet, but I'm confident that this season it will put on a show even better than these photos! Chicago Apache is an American Daylily Society award winner as well.

I can't carry on enough about 'Panic in Detroit.' I love this daylily! It's big and in your face -- literally. Last summer in my garden Panic grew almost 50 inches tall. I had to actually reach up to deadhead this guy. Panic in Detroit is one of those plants that you just throw into the ground, give it no special attention and it thrives, but make sure you give it some space. The large eight inch blooms are consistent, have good substance and are very showy (bud count: 21-25). When it's in peak bloom you can't miss this plant in the landscape; your eyes are just drawn to it.

Panic in Detroit is an American Daylily Society award winner having received the Honorable Mention in 2009 and the Award of Merit in 2014. These awards indicate that the cultivar is beautiful, distinctive, performs well, and grows in a wide geographic area. Hybridized in Michigan by Ric Adams in 2002, this dormant tetraploid is also desirable because it's a midseason-late bloomer. My plant bloomed a solid two months - from July 10 to September 12. Yes, really!

This gem came to me from my sister-in-law Sandy's garden. Sissy Sandy is a red and purple daylily connoisseur. Her lovely garden has dozens of variations of these colors. About six or seven years ago she divided her huge 'Persian Ruby' plant and gave me half.  I planted mine in a location where it gets sun until about 3 pm in the afternoon and it is growing quite happily. Hybridized by Dan Trimmer and introduced in 1998, Persian Ruby is one of those no-fuss daylilies that increases well and blooms reliably (bud count: 26-30). The huge, almost eight-inch flowers are gorgeous and consistent. This 30" tall, dormant tetraploid daylily is quite a head-turner at peak bloom. Last year in my Wisconsin garden bloom time was from July 10 through August 8.

And with these good looks, of course this cultivar is a multiple American Daylily Society award winner:

• Honorable Mention: 2005  - The first official “stamp of approval” by the American Daylily Society
• Award of Merit: 2008 - Performs well in a wide geographic area
• XLD (Extra Large Diameter) Award: 2009

So if you want a daylily that's a 'sure thing,' I think Persian Ruby fits the bill.

Butter Pecan is a wonderful, reliable daylily that I have had for quite some time. This fuss-free plant grows like a champ. The first photo was taken in late afternoon when the color had mellowed in the sun; the second photo was taken first thing in the morning when the bloom was more vibrant in color. I think both the AM and PM versions of this daylily are equally pretty.

Hybridized by Gould in 1992, Butter Pecan is a hardy dormant tetraploid. The scapes grow about 32" tall and the large, consistent blooms measure from 6.5 to 7 inches in size.  In 2018 Butter Pecan bloomed in my garden from July 16 through August 21.

Butter Pecan was awarded an Honorable Mention in 1999. Established in 1950, the Honorable Mention is the first official 'stamp of approval' by the American Daylily Society, where good performance goes beyond the regional level.

'Dipped in Ink' is one of my dependable old-school daylilies. I have grown this plant for quite a few years and it has never disappointed me. Hybridized by the late Howard Reeve in Indiana, this semi-evergreen diploid was introduced in 1998.

Last summer in my Wisconsin garden, this bicolor grew 40" tall and bloomed from July 5th to August 5th. It is categorized as an Unusual Form (UFo) Spatulate. At peak season the large clump was quite showy with nine and one-half inch blooms. It is also worthy to note that Dipped in Ink has two very famous parents:  'Miss Jessie' and 'Kindly Light.'

I'm crazy, right? Why didn't I keep these flowers? Every year I purchase approximately ten to fifteen new daylilies from my wish list. For that to happen I need garden spaces to open up and there's only one way to do that. The decisions are always hard, but there's no way I'm making my gardens any larger.

Here are some of the daylilies I parted company with in 2018 and the reasons why:

• Bertie Ferris - A prolific mini I've had since the dawn of time - I wanted to try something new.
• Betty Ford - Betty was not happy in my 100% sun garden. I made sure she went to a home with part shade.
• Burning Inheritance - I had a love/hate relationship with this one. Some years it was absolute perfection and some years it was not. Burning Inheritance needed an owner who was not so picky.
  
• Greystone Sirens (unregistered Lehman seedling) I had a similar plant and I chose to keep the registered one.
• Lake Effect - (blog cover girl) I didn't have enough shade to keep this plant happy in my garden. I found it a new home that has afternoon shade.
  
• Little Grapette - Super difficult decision; I had grown Little Grapette since I started gardening and it always bloomed like a superstar. I gave this little pixie to a gardener who is just starting out. I know she'll fall in love with daylilies after growing this one.
  
• Mardi Gras Parade - A gorgeous, profuse bloomer, but my cranky back does not like to deadhead this shorty.
  
• Siloam Doug's Double  - Ditto Mardi Gras Parade
  
• Siloam Jim Cooper - Another small one...
• Spacecoast Starburst - I grew this beauty for about 12 years and simply wanted to try something new and different.
• Tom Leonard - Another one of my love/hates. I wanted so badly to keep it, but I think a change of scenery was what it really needed. It just wasn't happy at my house.
• Tupac Amaru - I also grow Lounge Lizard, which is quite similar to Tupac. I parted company with Tupac and kept Lounge Lizard because it's taller; I've been gravitating towards taller lately.
  
• What Nerve - This pretty went to my very dear friend -- I knew she'd take good care of it :)

Gardening friends told me on numerous occasions what a great daylily 'Ruby Spider' was. I have to say, it wasn't until I actually grew it myself that I fully understood what they meant. Wow! If you like large nine-inch blooms, consistency and hardiness, this is the plant to have! Ruby Spider grows about 34 inches tall and is categorized as an Unusual Form-Spatulate. For a red it holds up very well in full sun. Ruby Spider was my first daylily out of the gate last spring, beginning its bloom on June 3. With re-bloom scapes, it continued through August 22!

Ruby Spider has a whopping 92 registered child plants on the books! This indicates that hybridizers value the genetics of this plant and want to pass them on to future daylilies. Hybridized by Patrick Stamile and introduced in 1991, this dormant tetraploid is a multiple award-winner that ranks very high in popularity. American Daylily Society Awards include the Award of Merit: 2002 (distinctive and beautiful); an Honorable Mention in 1999 (good performance); the Lenington All American Award: 2011 (best performer over a wide geographic area); the Lambert/Webster Award in 2002 (most outstanding unusual form); and the President's Cup (most outstanding clump) in 2004. You can't beat those credentials!

When 'Techny Spider' is in bloom, it lives in a constant state of perfectness. The soft pastel pink and yellow blend of these delicately ruffled, seven inch blooms is ethereal. The blooms are thick and waxy, which keeps them impervious to weather of any kind. Hybridized by Reckamp/Klehm and introduced in 1987, this classic cultivar is a midseason-late bloomer that grows about 27" tall in my garden. In 2018, it bloomed from July 13 through August 19. And yes, it's an award-winner! Techny Spider received the Award of Merit in 2014 and an Honorable Mention in 2010 from the American Daylily Society. These awards indicate that this plant performs well over a wide geographic area.

I must note that this daylily is very slow to increase. I choose to look at that as a positive because, really,  who enjoys dividing a daylily every year or so? Techny Spider can have as much time as it wants to increase because, in my opinion, it's so worth waiting for!

You can always count on "Integrated Logistics" to be showy and bold. This is one of the seven daylilies I grow hybridized by Curt Hanson in Ohio. I also grow Bela Lugosi, Black Falcon Ritual, Jerry Hyatt, Lounge Lizard, Primal Scream, and Virginia B. Hanson. They are all hardy and prolific plants in my Wisconsin garden.

Integrated Logistics, introduced in 2005,  is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that grows 37" tall and has 6" plus blooms. The flowers have a beautiful rose watermark and are pleated, which is a form of sculpting in which the petals fold upon itself creating a raised platform on the bloom. You can see how the petals narrow in the close-up photo.

Integrated Logistics is a very reliable and consistent plant. In summer 2018, bloom season was from July 10 through August 28 (including re-bloom). You can't ask for more than that!

Every fall I make a point of giving my daylilies what I call their 'medical' checks. I like to examine each individual plant, pull out any weeds, determine that no moles have tunneled under or around them, and make sure that squirrels haven't buried any walnuts close by. When I do checkups I occasionally find a proliferation on an old daylily scape.

"A proliferation is a leafy shoot from a node or bract found on scapes of many cultivars. Small roots often form and occasionally a flower is produced while the proliferation is still on the scape. (Definition from the American Daylily Society.)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with daylilies, their seeds are not identical to either parent plant. A proliferation is one way to get an exact replica of the plant you have (in addition to plant division). I have had good results growing daylilies from proliferations. In fact, I have huge daylily clumps growing in my garden that started with just one tiny proliferation! It's also a fun way to share plants with friends.

When I find a proliferation I cut the scape off of the plant and place it in a plastic cup of water to grow roots. I have found that the roots will grow quicker if you use a clear plastic cup (as opposed to an opaque one). Important: Be sure to keep the water in the cup clean. The roots generally grow large enough to plant in a week or two.  I like to leave a good portion of the scape on both sides of the plant. When I eventually plant the proliferation in dirt, the scape gives the tender new daylily stability. The scape above the dirt will eventually dry up and fall off. I leave my proliferations in a pot for a few weeks to form roots, and from there I place it in the ground. In two or three years the proliferations pictured will bloom and look exactly like the beautiful 'Red Volunteer' pictured in the first photo. 

I have grown 'Red Volunteer' ever since I can remember having daylilies. It is reliable, consistent, big, tall, and gorgeous. In addition to other awards, Red Volunteer won the 'Lenington All-American Award' in 2004, which goes to one daylily each year voted the best performer over a wide geographic area. This midseason, dormant tetraploid was hybridized by William Oakes and introduced in 1984.   My plant grows 38" tall and the blooms are 7" or more in size. It is a definite wow! There will always be a place for Red Volunteer in my garden.

It's mid-September and I only have three daylilies still in bloom. Due to the rain we've had recently, I was unable to spray deer deterrent regularly and the deer managed to eat some scapes of my late bloomers. But I am happy to report that for some odd reason the deer spared 'Suzy Cream Cheese.' This award-winning spider daylily is a late-season bloomer I would never be without!

Suzy Cream Cheese was hybridized in Ohio by Dan Bachman (who was possibly a Frank Zappa fan back in the day?) Suzy started blooming on August 21 and is still in bloom today. The flowers are an impressive 7" in size and the plant grows about 35" tall. The scapes always remain upright and never bend or droop. The flowers have good substance and the hot sun doesn't bother them a bit. Both of these photos were taken late in the afternoon on a 90 degree day. Suzy is a dormant diploid that thrives in Wisconsin. If you are a northern gardener and want lots of late-season bloom, Suzy Cream Cheese is a gotta-have.

When I look at photos of my daylilies, I notice many details that I don't otherwise see on my garden walk-throughs. In fall I enjoy taking the time to review all the photos I've taken throughout the summer and revisit bloom season through my camera's lens. This year I made a point to get more up-close photos to capture the minutiae of each bloom.

My cover girl this week is "Mexican Magic." This cultivar has a most unique and pleasing color combination of pale orange and purple with a deeper orange throat, plus the delicate ruffled purple edge adds a perfect finishing touch! As striking as this particular daylily is, I think every daylily is beautiful in their own special way. I posted a few photos below just to prove my point.

Daylilies pictured after Mexican Magic are: Bluegrass Music, Man of Sorrows, Sabine Baur, Wild Child, Magnificent Rainbow, Nip Me, and J.T. Davis.

I knew 'Pork Barrel Spending' would be a hardy daylily even before I got it in the ground. Last September, a few weeks after I had purchased and potted up my two scapes this bad boy was trying, in earnest, to escape its pot. (See photo below) What a unique plant this turned out to be! The large 8" blooms are are well-branched so they look really pleasing when many are open together on one scape.  There are always darker veins and spots visible on each petal, which makes the petals look kind of iris-ish.  The blooms are both consistent and weather-resistant.

Pork Barrel Spending is a Wisconsin daylily hybridized by Nate Bremer and introduced in 2013. It is a dormant tetraploid that grows 31" tall in my yard. It is also categorized as a UFo Cascade, Crispate, and Spatulate. I was very pleased with this daylily's performance; for a first year plant it bloomed from July 3rd to August 5th. By year three it should be nothing short of amazing.

Okay, I admit it...I bought 'Three Bad Pigs' because I loved the name! Over time Three Bad Pigs has proven to be more than just a catchy name; it is a consistent and prolific plant. The colors are vivid and the beautiful blooms look like my photos all day long. This summer it produced 27 scapes and bloomed like crazy after a merciless winter. Blooms started on July 6, and as of today it still has a few more blooms to go.

Three Bad Pigs was hybridized by Gene Tanner and introduced in 2008. It is a dormant tetraploid that has 5.5" blooms and grows 28" tall in my garden. This is a South Carolina plant that has acclimated perfectly to Wisconsin. As for the name? According to the Browns Ferry Gardens website, Three Bad Pigs got its name after three pigs got loose and had a 'good time' in the hybridizer's daylily beds.