Does anybody grow either of these? I can't find Root Beer in the database or on the AHS cultivar search but I can find it for sale at various web sites. I've found Starling and it is listed as a tetraploid, is it? I've had these for many years and don't know if Root Beer was ever registered (probably not since I can't find it). Some places list it as tetraploid and others diploid, any body know? Both set open pollinated pods on them but are both in a group of old cultivars some of which I've long since lost the names of and don't know what's tet. and whats dip. I'm trying to sort out (the best I can anyway) what cultivars I have (I do remember most of what I bought) and get them labeled and any I can't identify will be finding new homes.

This is what I bought as 'Starling'

This is 'Root Beer'

Sorry I have never heard of either one. I would rely on the AHS data base in this case.

Fred I did check and Starling is in there and was registered way back in 1978 by Greisbach-Klehm but what I didn't see when I first checked is that it was registered as a tetraploid. Root Beer is not in the AHS database but on DG. it says it was registered by the same people in 1984 but doesn't say if it's dip.or tet. They are both dormant but I don't know anything else about them. I've had them since the late 80's but since I've had to frequently move them from one place to another until recently, they have never really developed to their potential. Now They are in a crowded overgrown area where they were dumped when I first bought this house. I want to clean up that area in the spring and basically I'm trying to find out if they are worth keeping or not. Because of the conditions and constant moving they have never had more than 4 or 5 flowers per scape and few scapes in the clump. I'm looking for anybody who has them now or in the past, in good growing conditions, that can tell me if they made good garden plants with enough bloom to make them worth keeping. All the pictures I've seen from people are all single bloom and do not show plant habit or full scapes.

Ohhh, I like both of them. I did find a "Root Beer Fizz" in the data base, but it is a double registered in 2009.

Does Canada have it's own database? Or is it part of AHS?

That said, I own several that are not registered, purchased from a daylily hybridizer. (Not as unregistered seedlings, I have some of those too) ~Jan

Jan,Canada is divided into regions like the US that are associated with the AHS. I'm just a new member and as far as I know we don't have our own database. I saw that Root Beer Fizz and two other double Root Beer somethings in the database but not the one I'm looking for.
I like the flowers on these two as well but if they aren't going to get any better than they are when thinned out and replanted into better soil, there isn't any point in keeping them. As far as I knew when I bought them all of the varieties I bought were registered but now it's looking like not all were. - Brian

I really like both of them. Hope they work out so you keep them.

Thanks for the info.

Are they not performing well, or just the fact that they are registered?

Hi Jan No they aren't performing well. I've had to move them multiple times for a number of years and when I bought this house I just shoved them into a corner with a bunch of others just for somewhere to put them. In the spring I'm going to dig up that area, amend the soil and put back the better ones. Trouble is they have suffered through all this abuse and they still flower but they just aren't doing as well as the others and I'm trying to find out what other peoples experiences with them has been so I can decide if they are worth putting back. So far no luck on finding anyone who has them. Starling is registered but Root Beer doesn't seem to be which isn't really a problem though.

I totally understand. I have some here that just don't do we'll at all. And I am not even pushing their growing zones. Then I have others, that shouldn't do well, that do fabulous. Sometimes just moving them helps, other times, nothing seems to.~Jan

Brian, since you admit that they've not had the best life up to now, why don't you try keeping them for 1-2 more years, and see what they do in a more settled environment?

Mary I think you're right, I owe them that at least since they have survived this long and still bloom every year in spite of the abuse. Besides I've come to the conclusion from reading various posts that what a plant does in one persons garden isn't necessarily what they will do in yours. For instance I have Daring Dilemma, parent to at least 132 kids (according to the database) and I have yet to get a pod, any pod to set and develop to ripening. The few that have set have all aborted and it has not successfully pollinated another flower yet either. I'll repost new pictures when It's had time to recover.

They're stunningly beautiful -- if you decide you don't want them, I'd be happy to give them a home (but I'm not sure we can ship plants from CA to US or vice versa, can we?)

Yes they can but they require inspection and phytosanitary certificates. I'm going to divide them keep the strongest parts and give the rest away to my niece & nephew who haven't anything in their gardens yet.

Sounds like a plan!