There are very few reliable repeat blooming daylilies for the northern daylily grower. And hardy reliable repeat bloomers that do well as far north as Mid-Coast Maine are still rare.
I have been hybridizing daylilies in Maine since 1989. Previous to this, I helped my late father, Dr. Joseph Barth, in his daylily garden in Alna, Maine. Dr. Barth began hybridizing dayilies in 1952 and is generally considered a pioneer in the hybridizing of tetraploid daylilies. Barth Daylilies is the oldest continuous line of daylilies grown in the United States.
In 2010 Barth Daylilies was purchased by O'Donal's Nursery in Gorham, Maine. Since that time I have continued daylily hybridizing for O'Donal's. Before 2010, I began the development of reliable repeat blooming tetraploid and diploid daylilies. My first reliable repeat blooming tetraploid, DAMARISCOTTA RIVER GREAT PUMPKIN, (T28-2006) was registered by O'Donal's Nursery in 2013. Below is a brief summary of the repeat bloom on DAMARISCOTTA RIVER GREAT PUMPKIN from records provided by Jeff O'Donal, the owner of O'Donal's Nursery. A picture of DAMARISCOTTA RIVER GREAT PUMPKIN is also attached. This wonderful tetraploid should be available from O'Donal's Nursery in 2016.
"In 2012; I saw a FFO on T28-06, took a picture, and sent it to you with a
description of it. Later that same day, you and Sandra arrived, with two
large bright orange blooms in-hand; and I told you we had a better one! I'm
searching for my first email to you to get a date, but haven't found it yet.
I do have a picture dated August 26 showing a re-bloom for 2012. In the fall
of 2012, you and I decided to wait until we saw another season of blooming
before registering the plant; but we did decide in the fall of 2012 to name
it as Damariscotta River Great Pumpkin.
In 2013, T28-06 FFO was July 14. I have pictures of re-bloom on August 26
here, and you sent me some great pictures of re-bloom in your garden on
August 22, with the notation that there were plenty of buds left to open. As
I was filling out the registration form for Damariscotta River Great Pumpkin
in September of 2013, my re-blooming Damariscotta River Great Pumpkin was
re-blooming for a second time...that makes 3-seasons of bloom in 2013!
This year, my Damariscotta River Great Pumpkins began blooming on July 18.
They re-bloomed in mid-August; and I have yet another third season of bloom
pictured on September 5 on my largest plant. The second re-bloom this year
actually seemed to be an instant re-bloom, as some flowers of the initial
re-bloom had yet to bloom when the second re-bloom began to open...more akin
to continual blooming than a re-bloom. What a Great plant!"
Jeff
Nicholas Barth
Boothbay, Maine
January 25, 2015
