Hi Judy!
I am in So Cal and grow a couple of appliques. It may be that your dl's just need a bit of time to settle in. Our weather has been the same as yours with the exception of few 100+ degree days a few weeks back but the appliques that I do have are looking better and better.
Were the 2 pictures that you posted taken at the same time of day? I have noticed that many of my dl's that start out strong in the morning fade to nothing worth noting by early afternoon. I am starting to take notes on which daylilies I consider to be "keepers" - those that can withstand our hotter afternoons without melting away. I am not sure what part of California you are in but, in my micro-climate, we had several 115-117 degree days last year that melted all but the strongest flowers.
I posted this yesterday (Trahlyta -not an applique) and it shows what just 6-7 hours can do to a bloom here (I think that you need to click on the photo to get the full comparison).:
Here is a photo of Catcher in the eye, though, grown under the same conditions:
and it just gets better as the day progresses.
Terry Lyninger is another that just gets better with age:
