Background history:

'Dynamite Returns' is a semi-evergreen introduced in 2007 by Apps-Blew.

This plant can be found in our Plant Database at:
Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Dynamite Returns') .

Please join in, if you own this plant! We would love to know more! I award an acorn for performance information posted to this thread.



Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Dynamite Returns')

I have been growing 'Dynamite Returns' (aka Passionate Returns) in my zone 3 gardens for 6 years, and it's definitely hardy. I've had no issues whatsoever with it: healthy, sturdy scapes with a really steady progression of blooms... while the flowers are a bit smaller (about 3.5 inches), it frequently puts them out in clusters of blooms ... five or more per scape on a single day, and up to several dozen over its blooming season.

It's a rosy-red (more of a deeper blush pink than red), but it shows up well in the gardens. I should note, it not only has smaller blooms but the scapes are only about a foot and a half tall, so this one serves best near the front edge of a border. That said, it's gorgeous. - And, did I mention? This lovely little lady is well-mannered, does not crowd her neighbors ... and is fragrant, as well - always a plus. (And this daylily was a gift from a sweet friend - absolutely flawless.)

@beckygardener I realize this thread is for gardeners who have them and I do not. But, when I saw the pics of 'Dynamite Returns' I fell in love and when I noticed that you in Sebastian, I had to comment. I live on Merritt Island FL and my first try with lillies here was a pack of 'Little Missy' bulbs that my daughter picked out at Walmart about 4 years ago when she was 9. They come back for us every year and the mounds get a little bit bigger every year and as soon as they start to flower I let her know her lillies are blooming.
Ok, so after feeling that need to take that trip down memory lane, I'm ready to add these beautiful daylillies to my garden. Can I purchase the bulbs locally? And do I have to wait to plant them? They are so pretty!

I am glad you are having success with Little Missy daylily! (These aren't actually bulbs, these are roots.)

As far as obtaining some, you could do a google search by the name to see who is selling it or possibly locate some for sale via the Classifieds and Group Buys thread and ask if anyone has it and would be willing to sell you a couple of fans:
https://garden.org/forums/view...

I don't have it. I am featuring it due to a request by a member during the Daylily of Day Poll when I post requests for cultivar names to be featured.

I have Dynamite Returns, and I second everything Dianne said above. This one is a definite favorite, one of those "can't miss daylilies." I want to point out that she is in zone 3b, and I am in 8b, and we both have had good success with this plant.

I bought a couple of single fans of this plant, marketed as Passionate Returns, in fall of 2019. It bloomed in spring 2020 but not the following year, when it became obvious that the plant was not happy where it was, crowded by a large rose bush and with root competition from pine trees. I put it in a planter temporarily, and the plant took off. It increased, grew lush foliage, and this spring (2022), it has been a bloom machine. It is just getting ready to rebloom after an awesome first flush of blooms. Dianne is right: the blooms are small but perfect, frequently opening several at a time, and the color is a darkish pink that just glows. One more plus: the plant has shown not a speck of rust.

MySecretIslandGarden, I sent you a tree mail.

This is my second year with Dynamite Returns. I bought mine from Oakes. The clump started blooming a week ago here in 7a. I am so impressed! Perfect little blooms, like a smaller version of Hush Little Baby, and nice branching. Fertile, too. The color at this point in the season is a deep, clear rose pink with a striking green throat. Blooms are held on wiry scapes above grassy foliage in a nicely balanced way. A cultivar with a modern feel. I find myself crossing it with almost everything in a suitable color range.

Walters Gardens notes that Darrel Apps considers this to be his best overall quality rebloomer to date. It's a "Happy Ever Appster" offering. Love it!

After the disappointment of 'Rosy Returns' which almost seemed to look like an insipid color in the garden, never branched well, and didn't rebloom especially well, I was skeptical but decided to give 'Dynamite Returns' a try anyway. I bought a potted one at a garden center under its trademark name of Passionate Returns.

When it flowered, I was duly impressed with the beautiful rich color, its nicely formed flowers, its compact growth, well-branched scapes for their height, and compact foliage. A perfect edging daylily, as Dianne @adknative reported.👍🏻 Like Justine @Hembrain I found it easily fertile and crossed it with many possibilities for lovely seedlings.

I promised some fans of it in a trade last spring and that was when I ran into problems. I dug the clump that looked perfectly healthy, with rich blue-green leaves emerged 3". When I started pulling apart the fans, I discovered that all but one were badly damaged by spring sickness! I didn't have enough to trade.

Fortunately I had purchased one from Oakes because I wanted to increase my stock. It had 3 fans. I sent those to my friend.

I am not sure what I did with the damaged fans. I may have tossed them in a pot and covered them with potting mix. I'll look around when I can get outside to see if any survived.

So, I'm sorry to report that Dynamite Returns is prone to spring sickness here. Looking back, sometimes I thought the clump did not have as many scapes as I expected. Spring sickness reduces scape production on affected fans and can eliminate them completely. I've observed this in the experiment I'm conducting on SS which has 84 clumps of So Lovely. It's one of the more prone ones in general. I'm tracking the occurrence of SS in the fans and the scape production from each in the summer. Now I may add Dynamite Returns to my study!

Pat

I must be doing something wrong. I haven't gotten the Dynamite Returns that I was promised The previous reports has prompted me to relocate my clump this spring. Dynamite Returns is planted between Stella's Sparky and Apricot Sparkles and there is no competition. In defense of Rosy Returns. She blooms none stop here till frost on multiple clumps. So far rebloom on Dynamite Returns has been sparse. I will update on performance later this season or next summer.

I hope you have better luck with it, Mike. Mine did not take off until after I had moved it. Sometimes that is what it takes.

I was thinking exactly the same thing as you, Mike. Mine only bloomed one year in its first three years here, and never rebloomed at all, despite being planted next to Miss Amelia, which both bloomed well and rebloomed for me. I replaced it after years of frustration... and not in the polite "gave it to a friend" way.

And I also agree on Rosy. Not a glorious pink, but a very persistent rebloomer here, and tends to put up scapes when other rebloomers are resting for me.

I just rediscovered this thread and the later posts.

Given the experience of Mike @Hazelcrestmikeb and Tim @Lyshack I need to move 'Rosy Retutns' to a better spot adjacent to 'Dynamite Returns' so I can compare them in the same microclimate and soil! I should have done that before dissing Rosy Returns. I'll put that on my to-do list which is endless but this won't require much time. Plus it will be convenient for crossing them.

Rosy Returns is already planted with or near some other small rebloomers for potential crosses including Hollywood Daily, Coming Up Roses, Stella's Ruffled Fingers, Stella's Sparky, Little Pink Cloud and Kanai Sensei. The last is a near white very dwarf Huben that reblooms fairly well. I don't expect anything fabulous. Just for fun.

Pat

I'll have to check out Little Pink Clouds, Pat. I haven't heard of it.

Sometimes things just are the way they are. I have Little Wine Cups in a bad location, but its the only place I have for it right now, so it will have to stay there a while. I know it's going to struggle there, but it's the only place for it right now. I hope if you do move Rosy, you'll find it reblooming several times for you.