I am trying to do a search for daylilies that are similar to Purple Maze. I check ORANGE and EYE or BAND and get back - nothing. And what does color description mean? How am I supposed to match a color description that is somewhere in the database? What category would I check for patterned eye?

In my experience, it is best to try both the check boxes and just writing a key-word in the color description, sometimes altogether, sometimes individually, to find a good range of results. Since there are 70,000+ cultivars and no set categories for the many descriptive styles, you have the best chance to find things if you keep your searches very simple.

Purple Maze look-alikes might have many different color terms to try out individually, for example: Orange, Peach, Gold, etc. But, including a checked box for eye and/or band at the same time might narrow your results since not that many are designated that way from original registration information.

I believe color description just means the written description included from the hybridizer that we see in the cultivar's entry. So, whatever terms they might have used can be search for - just takes getting used to trying a number of different searches based on various terms you think might have been included in descriptions.

For patterned eyes, I put the word "pattern" or "complex" or "broke" or "intricate" in the color description box. That way it also catches longer forms of the key word, such as "patterns" and "patterned" etc. I'm sure there are more words used to describe eyes, so as you learn which ones are in current use, it will improve your search results, too.

Pretty complicated. Actually, I think a google search would be easier and return more results! Maybe I will try it!

Let us know how it goes! I've had less luck that way, so if you find that google search returns the results you are looking for, I'd be interested in what search terms worked for you, so that I could try to use them in the ATP database as well.