Thought I might ask this question while people are looking at their daylilies in person. The only red daylily I have is SLH. It glows from a distance and is colorfast. I usually don't like red dayliles but I LOVE the color on SLH. Can anyone suggest a daylily with a similar ruby coloring? I've seen alot of reds, but none the color of Santa and I'd sure like to find another similar one. Someone suggested the older one "Charles Johnston" but some pictures show it more of a flat dull red. Any input is appreciated....Maryl

Santa's Little Helper

Have you looked at Donna Mead or Mississippi Red Dragon? Although I have several reds, these two are the only two that I consider to be true red - no pink, no purple and no orange anywhere to be found:


(Donna Mead - registered as blood red)



(Mississippi Red Dragon - registered as "red" - this photo does not do it justice)

Both really standout in the garden - they glow.

Ruby Laser and/or Ruby Fantasy, maybe?

Laser, Fantasy

If you are looking for ruby red, I don't think you can beat Fabulous Frieda. I am on my iPad, can't post a photo. We have storms in the area, so my main computer is shut down. But if you look it up in the database, I am sure I have posted at least one photo of it. I posted one on the Porch Swing thread a couple days ago, taken with a new camera tht I have been playing with.

As I recall, Charles Johnston is a ruby red. Been about 20 years? since I have grown it, hard to remember.

One that may be harder to find, but is a lovely ruby red is Kissed Off. It is one I would keep if I could only keep 10.

Here is Charles Johnston today, FFO
. Gorgeous deep red color, large flower. The only problem I have is that it is much shorter in my garden than recorded - I will transplant it this fall to the front of my red bed.

I love Charles Johnston. It's one of my first daylilies but I will say that it is a tad short in my garden too, and it's one that I grow in the ground verses in pots. It does bloom above the foliage but just barely. It blooms and blooms for me and each bloom is just nearly perfect. It is a RED with just a very slight touch of darker burgundy to it, but I'd say 98% red.

I also grow Mississippi Red Dragon, Texas Big Red and Mississippi Red Bed Beauty. All of these are true Reds for me. I have SLH and it is red and a beautiful red but it does have more of a burgundy hint than even Charles j. has. I'd say maybe a 95% red with about 5% being burgundy. I have a terrible time of getting a true picture of SLH or I'd show you mine.

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that CJ is shorter on. Mine currently has 12-13 inch scapes. But the blooms are 7-8 inches across, and it is a heavy bloomer. I just need to move it from the back of the bed - where 24 inches would have been OK - to the front.

I have and love Santa's Little Helper. I also have a bigger one that color which is Talladega.

Dot

Talladega


Santa's Little Helper

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful suggestions AND pictures. I was beginning to think there was no such animal as a match to Santa's Little Helper. I even looked through Dan Trimmer's site to see if he pursued that shade of red, but didn't see anything as pretty to my eyes.
- Old Town Gardners and Mona: You both recommended Mississippi Red Dragon so will check that out in particular.
-Thanks to Jan and Mona again for the input on Charles Johnston. I wouldn't mind a shorter daylily for this situation, but not too crazy about a large bloom on a short plant. Will have to think about that one.
-Debra: I'm not familiar with either of those daylilies but you are in a hot zone too so will check both out on your recommendation. The colors look a little darker and not quite as ruby as SLH, but pictures can be tricky.
-Dot: As always your pictures are wonderful. I remember when Talladaga came out and everyone was swooning over the catalog picture. I'm always leary of those pictures, and welcome your garden picture of it. WOW. Just out of curiosity what is the off white/eyed daylily you have paired it with?
-Juli: No problem with not being able to post your pictures. My computer is hiccuping on me for some reason now, but hopefully by this PM I will have it worked out and will look up your list. Appreciate it.

Maryl

Maryl, they are somewhat darker, especially from the one Dot just posted. But a pretty ruby red nonetheless.

I think the complaint I hear the most on Talladega is that it is more rose colored than the reddish photo that is always shown. But Dot really had nice comparison pictures

Mary, the flower blooming next to Santa's Little Helper is Sunday River.

As far as the color of Talladega goes, some days it looks more red than others, thats why I showed two different pictures. But most days it is the darker rose color. I love it whichever color it is showing.

Dot

thanks Dot for the info. The combination of Santa's Little Helper with Sunday Rivers may need to be repeated in my garden (lol).....Maryl

Not sure if this is a true match for Santa's Little Helper but I can tell you that Little Business is a beautiful shade of red.
This picture makes it look like it is a bit pinker than it actually is.

Toss "Holly Dancer" in the mix

Carmine Monarch

It's funny that mine are in pots and just randomly placed together. But that day Sunday River and SLH were blooming beautifully together, so I took the picture. They are still in the same places out there. Here are more pictures of Sunday River. It is very hard to photograph so the colors are always a tad bit off.

Sunday River


sometimes it looks a bit more purple.

Holly Dancer is a bright "true" red. For me, it is the red that all other reds are judged by. Holly Dancer, Bill Fall, Cherokee Star are all great reds... But they are bright reds.

Rose red cen be really beautiful. It's one of my favorite colors, long with the raspberry reds.