Betty, it's funny how the daylilies react. I have some listed semi-evergreens that went dormant here when it was cooler and then they started to sprout up when it gets warmer. None of mine went totally underground here where you couldn't see any foliage, just the tips show. I believe I read somewhere that some dormants react to the length of days rather than the weather and that's why some dormant daylilies will go dormant even in the warmer climates. Things can get a bit confusing here with summer dormancy and winter dormancy then throw in freezing days followed by days with high 70s.
If memory serves me correct......Here is what I have read about dormants. Can go completely underground or just the tips sticking out. (if you dig the dirt from around it you will see a little bit of foliage. Now the HARD dormants are different (from centerton nursery), Daylilies that are deemed “hard dormant” die well into the ground and form hard buds during winter. You canpoke your fingers into the ground and feel something that feels a lot like a hazelnut just beneath thesurface.
Semi-evergreens can display traits of both dormant and evergreen. Some of the ones here will keep the outer foliage, but the middle will stop growing so it looks like the middle had died and then when it warms up the center will start growing again. Other Sev look almost like the evergreens.
Depending on her weather when Mary Jane evaluated them, they may have shown more Sev traits than dormant for her.
