Seedfork said:I am always surprised more people don't consider the foliage when choosing daylilies!

I am shocked there are not more variegated daylilies. They have the perfect foliage for it.

Frillylily said:

Saw a really tall one in the Oakes catalog, Moon Ladder, is 50+ inches tall. Any one have that? if so whatchya think of it?

I grow Moon Ladder. It is very tall and leans in the Oklahoma wind.
Not very many buds.
Moon Ladder

Moon Ladder

not many buds! that is stinky!

Very interesting forum. I live on a small island off mainland Australia, so all plants come by post. Zone 9b. My main criteria is garden vigour and free flowering. Choosing is hard as websites usually concentrate on pretty pics, with not much information on vigour. My garden is frost free so I like evergreen and semi- evergreens as they look good all/most of the year. DAYLILY RUST has just appeared in my garden with a new lily purchased May 2014. This has now become a major concern as I have ideal conditions for rust - mild frost free winters and mild summers with few days over 25C ( 77F). Also I don't want to cut my daylilies back in winter to reduce rust as I really love their foliage throughout the year There is very little information in Australia about rust free varieties. I don't like very dark or bright colours as they tend to look garish in our cooler summers - and most flowers I buy tend to be darker/ brighter than the catalogue in my rich moisture retentive soil. My general approach is to look for mostly taller varieties that have been around for a while and are reported to do well in similar climates to mine. But even after taking all this into account I find it hard to choose a plant if the name doesn't appeal to me as well!!

Nelli to ATP.

Nelli.

The nice thing about ATP is that you can ask all the folks here if they have purchased a particular daylily and get feedback. With all the garden pictures in the plant database, you can see what they really look like.

Nelli!!!

Welcome Nelli! Always a pleasure to see a newbie chime in here!

I will add to this conversation because I am probably an oddball.

97% of my daylilies were grown from seeds. Most of the seeds were freebies, though the past 2 years I have purchased a few from the Lilly Auction. Last year I actually bought some named cultivars for very cheap. I did it because I decided I wanted to actually use some named ones for hybridizing. Whether that works out or not .... I don't know yet.

I received my very first daylily seeds from Sandi (Seedsower) about 5 - 6 years ago (I think it's been that long ago). I had great success with growing them from seeds. Here they bloom in a year or two since I live in the south. The attraction for me growing hybrids is the surprise element. Strange as that may sound ... I like the unexpected. I am rarely disappointed. I never know what I am going to get with a seed. Each seed is one of a kind and unique. They may resemble their parents or may look completely different. I find the genetics utterfly fascinating!

Unfortunately, over the years, my labels have disappeared for one reason or another, so many of mine no longer have tags and I don't remember who their parents were. Not only do I have mainly seedlings, but some no longer have a record of genetics . LOL! I don't care. I enjoy them for what they are, not just their genetics. It is nice to go out into the garden in Spring through Fall and enjoy the blooms. I grow lots of other plants too, but daylilies are my obsession. I just really like them.

Living in the south, rust fungus is a major problem. I don't care. I just keep growing them. They bloom just fine. I have over 300 daylilies in my yard and have another 27+ that germinated on my window sill this Winter that will go out into the garden this year.

When it gets to the point that I do not have room to grow anymore, it will be then that I will start culling them. My taste can range from a variety of characteristics. There are very few that I do not like. Here dormants live maybe 3 years, so if I like them, I cross them with an ev. Growing sev or ev are important here for me. I do like to hybridize also, from my favorites.

The one thing I want to do is to name and register a few of my seedlings after loved ones. Not to sell, but to give as gifts to family and friends. What is more special that receiving a gift plant that honors someone!? Right now it is only $20 to name and register a daylily. That is my ultimate goal!

My seedlings can be seen on two different slideshows on YouTube:
2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

How I choose daylilies to buy:

1. rust resistant
2. big, strong, hunky vigorous plants; semi-evergreen preferred
3. balanced flower shape
4. heavy blooming
5. breeding track record

Re-bloom is a given and fragrance a nice extra.

I always buy from the hybridizer. Took two years to find the ones I trust the most and that have great daylilies for my area.
As far as daylily seeds are concerned while they well have the genetics of their parents. You could plant several hundred before getting a couple that would pass on the best qualities of those parents.

Becky love the Youtube slide show. Such a wide variety of birds. Love the red mulch path. Weed Be Gone!

Im in a warm zone as are you, so..
1 - colorfastness....I get so so tired of getting about an hour of a daylily looking good, and then the sun turns it into munge.
2 - rust resistance ( In your zone, your gunna get rust, its really not that major if you just keep it under control, but if a plant is resistant, that is a real plus. I find, the healthier the plant, less rust, plants in the ground seem to get far less than pots. Most of mine happen to be in pots)
3 - good plant habit... leaves behaving and look like nice clumps. Flowers that open without having to pry them open. I dont like the real ruffly ones anyway, so thats not a big problem.

I personally dont like flowers that have the bottom of the petal turning in. So many do. I want a flower that opens the same on all petals.

This doesnt fit what I look for in the plant, but I think anybody who buys a plant without seeing a GARDEN picture of the flower/plant, not a catalog picture, are going to be sorely disappointed.

Thanks, Mike!

The you tube tour was very nice...I could never do that in 100 years. Peaceful...pretty..

All Things Plants is a good data base for referencing some rust resistant plants.
I'm only buying plants & seeds that have good ratings like a 1 or a 2 or have those plants on both sides in the background.
Unique flowers are nice to look at, but spraying for rust gets old fast.

I hate the rust, but have to spray for aphids and such anyway, I cant imagine ever having a daylily in fl. that you would not have to treat for rust. The bugs are far far more harmful than the rust. Between the snail, thripes and aphids, Ill take the rust, it at least doesnt destroy the bloom. I have thrown many away, thats for sure, some seem like such rust magnets, but they also seem to be the ones that dont increase, so saying goodbye doesnt bother me. Ive thrown many away that people just love and post pictures of, if it doesnt work in this yard, I dont care...its gone.

I do think this is my last year with seedlings, thats were I really have a rust issue. They are small during all of rust season, the rust loves them. As they get bigger, its no so bad, but I just dont have enough sun. Ive got to face it.

gardenglory,
The problem in Gainesville, Fl. is...not enough sun?

Yea...they dont call it the tree city for nothing. Gainesville is a big oak tree forest. Your not allowed to cut down trees of any size without a permit. I thought all the trees were pretty at first, and its not like yards dont have sun, depending which way they face, but they are serious about their trees here.Well, at least unless you want to clear cut for a big shopping center that brings in tax revenue.

Whoops, pictures didnt post...front/back

I have oaks also, but the power line right of way runs right through my back yard, so they keep that cleared and that is a good place for my daylilies.