I purchased Gaia from Pat last year and only have had her in the gardens for the one summer. But already, I love this daylily. She did bloom the first summer ... and the plant was still on the immature side, so I really kept thinking, 'Grow roots. Grow leaves. Quit blooming..." But the flower is so lovely, I could not bring myself to snip the buds!
I have several other Pat Ball daylilies and I just love what she is bringing from her breeding lines. While it's still very young in my gardens, I will say it is a very healthy, strong plant and put out a half dozen blooms its very first year. I will update when I have another summer and more maturity with Gaia, but based on last season, I would recommend this lovely addition to any garden.
2023 update:
After having another summer in the gardens, I have fallen even more in love with 'Gaia'. A much sturdier clump by her 2nd summer, fans have increased nicely.
And this is colour-fast ... does not fade in the sun, does not spot or run in the rain.
A beautiful bicolour bloom, the pattern is consistent from one flower to the next.
2023 was a poor season in the gardens, and we had weeks of heavy smoke from the wildfires in Canada, which stunted the height of many daylily scapes throughout the gardens. But unlike a number of others, 'Gaia' did not exhibit any issues with buds opening well and blooms looking as they should. I still would (wholeheartedly and without hesitation) recommend 'Gaia' to any gardener.
