I need help identifying these two daylilies. I think they may be Society Belle and True Gertrude Demarest but those are not the names told me when I purchased them. They were supposed to be Noel Weston and William Milo Spalding but don't match the AHS database.





I thought I put this in the forum the other day but I must have logged off before completing. Any ideas or help would be appreciated. Thanks. MaryJane

Mary Jane! I'm glad you returned to try the post again - very pretty daylilies. Can you share a bit more info about the two daylilies? Even just a rough height or size of the bloom can help. Also, since the backgrounds in the pictures are somewhat dark - are they both grown in shade, or were the pictures taken in evening light after a day of sun? If the first one was in sun, I wonder if it might be possible it just faded - the ATP database has a few pictures, each differing a bit. When that happens I like to look at parentage to see if a cultivar is exhibiting some recessive trait - like Noel Weston has a parent, Super Valentine, whose description is "pink with deep pink eyezone and lime green throat." Harder to make much out with the second one perhaps just due to low lighting - it can be so hard for any of us to get photos that really show true colors and the details that are so distinctive. But, maybe others here will have had those cultivars and could tell better what they might be.

Did you find Society Belle and True Gertrude Demarest by looking back at what cultivars were being grown from the original seller?

Again, welcome to ATP - Hope someone might have more experience with those cultivars. Everyone here pretty much ends up with unidentified daylilies at some point, so welcome to the club!

The photos were from last year and may have been on an overcast day or late in the afternoon. Also, I have an older camera and using it on the zoom setting seems to concentrate the light on just the bloom. The top one (originally called Noel Weston) has bloomed this year already and a photo of it is attached. It usually blooms at the end of May (25th this year). Our southern sun is so bright that I usually take my photos late in the afternoon or on an overcast day if possible. These photos actually show the colors very well and I have grown them both in dappled shade and in the sun with no real color difference. Both of these are taller than Stella D'Oro daylilies but fairly short - perhaps 18-22 inches tall. The blooms are at least 5.5 to 6" across.

Maryjane

Also, I contacted Lakeview (Noel Weston) Nursery and they confirmed that it is definitely NOT Noel Weston as the form and color are not correct. MaryJane

Hi Mary Jane,

Look at Noel Weston here in our Plant Database; if you go to this page and scroll down to the photo posted by blue23rose , I think I can see some similarities to yours, at least similar to the picture in your second post.

Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Noel Weston')

I don't see a very close match in the others and I'm not familiar with any of them, but I'll keep looking.
Great that that you've joined us.

Here, this will make it easier to compare to yours . .

Very helpful info! If the seller/hybridizer was not able to ID them from their known cultivars, it may be hard for anyone to pinpoint with confidence, beyond what you may have identified. Still, I agree with Sharon ... I feel there are similarities, especially to one of Noel Weston's parent plants (Super Valentine). I didn't see Society Belle or True Gertrude Demarest in their current listings, but you must have purchased them a while ago and maybe their cultivars have changed over time, too. Still, I'd be curious if their lists of cultivars might have other potential matches for you to explore if you like ... have you searched there to see if that might be the case?

I originally purchased these daylilies from a local AHS member/vendor at the New Orleans Botanical Garden Annual Spring Flower Show. I have just looked at many online vendors trying to find one that looks like either of these. One vendor had Society Belle and when I checked it out on AHS it seemed very close to a match. On the bottom one, I checked through the hybridizer (Spalding) listing on AHS database and found True Gertrude Demarest which seemed to match closer than anything else I've been able to find. I plan to divide these daylilies this fall and would like to tell new owners the correct name if possible. As long as they like the photo I have of the blooms, the name is not absolutely necessary I guess.

I have had problems with plant ids when I buy them from plant sales like that. I quit doing that.

At this point I am getting ready to downsize because of my age. I no longer buy but would like to sell responsibly. I figure I'll just tell any buyer that I do not have the name but the photo attached shows what it looked like when it bloomed for me. Thanks to all for trying to identify for me.

maryjane said:At this point I am getting ready to downsize because of my age. I no longer buy but would like to sell responsibly. I figure I'll just tell any buyer that I do not have the name but the photo attached shows what it looked like when it bloomed for me. Thanks to all for trying to identify for me.

I think that is the best, most responsible thing to do, rather than "guessing" at what it could be.

I have been downsizing for years too - its awful to go through!

Selling responsibly is great, and quite different than just identifying a cultivar informally to enjoy in a home garden!

I grew H. 'True Gertrude Demarest' for many years and I'm sorry to say that neither of the plants you have appear to be it.