Thanks to all for your recommendations and to Jessie Worsham for emphasizing the importance of seeing daylilies in person by visiting a grower. That is getting to be a challenge where I live, but I was fortunate to find one that is about an hour's drive from my home: Perfect Perennials in York County, PA, owned by Stuart and Diane Kendig (www.kendigdaylilies.com).
'Indian Giver' was the one cultivar that was on at least two of your lists of recommended cultivars, and photos of it in the NGA database were fairly consistent from one image to another. It was also listed on the Perfect Perennials website, so I was able to see it in person and purchase a clump. (It was the only cultivar on your lists that I was able to see in person.)
The Kendigs had many daylily cultivars for sale that were not listed on their website, and I came home with two in addition to 'Indian Giver': 'Nile Flower' and 'Royal 'Occasion'. Here is 'Nile Flower' photographed in the pot from Perfect Perennials:
There were numerous enticing purple cultivars, especially a dark purple spider with a bright yellow throat (I can't remember the name), so temptation was a major challenge while walking through the Kendigs' beautiful display gardens.
The Kendigs are planning to downsize Perfect Perennials soon to focus on Stuart's daylily introductions, so I was fortunate to see it in its present pre-downsized multi-cultivar glory. They have been in business for 20 years. Their downsizing will make it very difficult to see cultivars of interest in this part of Pennsylvania, other than the handfull offered by garden centers.
Again, thanks to all for your lists of recommended purple daylily cultivars. I would love to see all of them in person. It makes all the difference in the world in choosing daylilies!
