Over the last few years, I kept telling myself that I needed to get rid of some daylilies. I was getting too many in the space I have allotted. So during the last two years I got rid of these beauties to clear some space and also to make room for a few additions. In a couple more years, I may do it again, but it sure is a tough decision. Most of these went to my daylily club to sell, but some went to friends. Someone on this forum said that once you start doing it that it gets easier and it sure was. When I look back at the pictures though, there are a few that I wish I had kept.

Are there any that you have gotten rid of that you wish you had kept?

Siloam Double Classic


Becky Lynn


Border Music


Chinese Scholar


Francis of Assisi


God is Listening


Handsome Ross Carter


Huckleberry Candy


Inherited Wealth


Lunar Haze


Noel Weston


Pandora's Box


Rainbow Eyes


Raining Violets


Roses in Snow


Savannah Debutante


Scatterbrain


Siloam Baby Talk


Siloam Lady Lucia


Small Tempest


Strawberry Candy


Tea Leaf Prophecy


Texas Blue Eyes


Wedding Band


Wild Mustang

I have a friend that is trying to get rid of 2,017 things in 2017. I just moved to a smaller house so I downsized inside, but we have 2 acres so I potted up and brought the 20 daylilies I have with me. The ones you gave away are beautiful. I can only imagine the ones you kept. Someone gave me Francis of Assisi and it is one of my favorite. Good for you for downsizing!

Vickie, all I can say is that you are a strong woman. At least you had a plan. Manny nice looking ones.
I have a few of the ones you jettisoned. Francis Of Assissi is one of them. It's downside is that the blooms are down or just above the foliage.

I haven't come to the dilemma of having to part with any yet, but cant imagine its an easy task.

Same here. In a few years, I will definitely need to make the hard decisions ridding some plants. It is not going to be easy. I have some of the ones that you eliminated from above. I don't think I can bring myself to rid Francis of Assissi and Siloam Double Classic. Agree with Mike that you are certainly a strong woman in this respect.

When getting rid of daylilies I never look back, just enjoy the ones that are in the garden. There is still lots of beauty to enjoy and a few new ones for something different to keep it interesting. When I first started with daylilies my thoughts were that they would all always be in the garden, but found myself changing my mind in what should stay or leave. Living in the north paying close attention to bloom time for each cultivar in order to have a longer bloom season from extra early to very late, plus the number of buds, rebloom, also instant rebloom and height are among the things now more important to me.

I have 'Scatterbrain' and am dithering about whether or not to jettison it (leaning towards the "do it"). I kind of like its quirky behavior, though, and it does have large flowers on tall scapes.

The daylilies I mostly regret getting rid of are 'Dan Tau', 'Sparkling Opal', and 'Orange Clown'. I reacquired the last (but it keeps dying on me so I may just have to give up on it) but not the first two. I am also having second thoughts about the (long gone) 'Devonshire', but I am sure there must have been a good reason for letting it go... maybe top-branching, low budcount, or RUST? (I finally learned to start keeping a log as to WHY I punt this or that daylily. ) The flowers were pretty, though. Imo.

Thanks for the encouragement, Tabitha. Wow, 2 acres sounds wonderful! Your friend is very ambitious, but that is good if it is possible to find 2,017 things to get rid of

Mike, Francis of Assisi bloomed just barely above the foliage for me too. But the blooms were so pretty and full, I thought long and hard about that one.

Lucky you, Stan! I hope you never have to part with any of yours.

Karen, Siloam Double Classic tended to bloom down in the foliage for me and that is a trait that I really dislike. I absolutely loved the color of the blooms, though!

Betty, longer bloom season is what I am shooting for too. That is why plain reds like August Flame and Apple Tart that bloom in late July/early August got to stay.

Marilyn, Scatterbrain has a good name for sure, lol! Quirky describes it very well. It is nce and tall and held the blooms up well. Good idea to start noting why you got rid of some. I need to do that too.

Notice that 5 of the ones that left my garden were doubles. My tastes have changed over the years. I have found that I don't prefer them as much as I once did.

I started downsizing about four years ago and have never regretted eliminating any that had to go, even some of my own intros. I like to look at new things every year so I sell or donate the old ones and buy a few new ones, I think two years is about long enough for me to look at a daylily unless it's a great parent, that's how long I keep seedlings I don't select so why should registered flowers be any different.

That is a good way to look at it, Fred.

For unselected seedlings and daylilies that just aren't drop dead gorgeous and/or great performers, yes, I can see 2 years being long enough.

But (for example) I've had 'Osterized' and 'One Fine Day' for many years, and I don't anticipate booting them *this* year. I always look forward to the first one, and the second gives me reliable early bloom and fall rebloom, and the flowers open well during those time periods. Maybe they aren't all drop-dead ruffly gorgeous, but they serve me and the garden well (and have not yet gotten more than a speck or two of rust) - whereas it is a crapshoot with respect to anything new coming in (blooms can't handle our cool nights, the plants get rust, and so on).

So while I, too, like to see new plants (I want to get some more Davisson daylilies this year), there will always be some "oldies but goodies" in the garden.

LOL! I've yet to boot one ..... and I really need to start. But instead, I just build new garden areas to plant more. I still have yard left. I find at least a couple things to love about each one. I do lose some every year to whatever is ailing them.

Vickie - You sure did get rid of some gorgeous cultivars!

I just counted, and I got rid of at least 21 registered cultivars last year, and at least 6 more are on the hit list for this spring. (I should pitch more than that, but I'll have to work myself into the proper (usually angry ) mood.)

Reasons those 21 got the boot (yes, I justified it to myself and recorded the reasons why): rust, weak scapes, meh flowers, flowers that can't handle our cool nights and open well, upright foliage, disproportion (scape and bloom sizes), "doubles" that don't, muddy color, short scapes, few flowers, and a few cultivars that (after a great many years) I was just tired of.

I'm really trying to hold the line on new (daylily) acquisitions this year - just a few Davisson daylilies. I will need to get rid of more oldies to make room for them, though.

beckygardener said:LOL! I've yet to boot one ..... and I really need to start. But instead, I just build new garden areas to plant more.

Becky, same here! I just put up more fences to keep the deer out!

I'm with you Becky, I still have grass so lots of room for new.

I still have Siloam Double Classic, Strawberry Candy and Scatterbrain and have no plans at the moment to eliminate them. I'm just too fond of them.

Polymerous said:

Reasons those 21 got the boot (yes, I justified it to myself and recorded the reasons why): rust, weak scapes, meh flowers, flowers that can't handle our cool nights and open well, upright foliage, disproportion (scape and bloom sizes), "doubles" that don't, muddy color, short scapes, few flowers, and a few cultivars that (after a great many years) I was just tired of.

Thanks Marilyn for this tip! I have to learn to be more critical and objective with them. I will use this to evaluate the daylilies that I have and start making a list.
I don't know if this happens to anyone on here. It seems that every time I make a decision to toss a plant, it will make a spectacular comeback or put on a spectacular show that year and I would fall in love with it all over again. Then I can't bear to part with it. Just make it really difficult to toss.

Karen, I have had that problem in the past too! I was all set to get rid of After the Dawn and then this year it did wonderful

I have kept Wildest Dreams for 8 years now thinking that it will eventually get better, but it never has. The only reason I have kept it is because I have a beautifully engraved marker for it and keep hoping that the blooms will eventually look like some of the pictures I've seen in the database here. If I give it away completely, I will have to send the marker with it I guess

Lol, Karen, we have all experienced that, I think - planning on getting rid of a cultivar, and then the cultivar puts out a final effort of performance in order to escape death (or, at least, removal from the garden).

Vickie, I've stopped counting the number of plants that I have tossed (or which died) which I had engraved markers for. The waste ($ put into the markers) is annoying and irritating, but since these are the best markers that I've yet found for the garden... I'm resigned to it.

What galls me, though, is when I give a plant away and include the marker with it, is to find that the marker has been left behind/disposed of. I guess not everyone wants the "botanical garden" look, but...I really can't understand not wanting to know what the name of the cultivar is, and the engraved labels elegantly serve that purpose.

Many of my family and friends don't care about the cultivars name either. I try to record what went to whom so if they ever ask I can tell them, secretly hoping someone will become as addicted as myself,

When I first started with daylilies, I didn't label anything. Fortunately, the daylily farm I purchased from kept records and they could tell me what I had purchased.

Marilyn, your avatar is gorgeous!