Hi Becky, great question! I've been enjoying reading all the answers. I was like you too, picking from the colours and patterns in the catalogues. I didn't realise there were more things to look out for until I started noticing the major faults in ones I had planted. The biggest disappointment to me was when there were lots of promising buds but something spoiled them before they even opened, or they opened deformed or shrivelled or only part-way. I had this problem very much with one called Just Gorgeous, which I had originally chosen for the size of the blooms. They never lived up to their size either, the substance was just too poor. The other big dissapointment I had was short scapes that bloom within the foliage, that was on one called Caribbean Perfection Plus. I also didn't like when the buds were so crowded together that the new buds had trouble opening unless you broke off the dead flowers. I was disappointed in the actual colour of some compared to the photos I bought them from, they often seem to have more yellow in them them I expected, I think it's a cool weather thing.
As to what I really do like, I'd sooner have a lower bud count with a larger number of scapes than fewer scapes with more buds, so rapid increase into a large clump of fans makes a beautiful garden plant. So Many Stars and By Crikey! have been my best multipliers. Reblooming is very important, I love when they start flowering by mid spring and keep going through till frosts, Stella D'oro does this. And because I live in a cooler climate, I love the fully deciduous ones, the foliage looks nicer and greener when it is fresh and all new each spring. Plus if deciduous they are good combined with early spring bulbs. Taller scapes are much showier in the garden, so long as they don't fall over! It helps bring the blooms up closer to where you can see them, and they kind of float above the foliage and other garden plants nicely.
I love diamond dusting (like sparkly eyeshadow) and fragrance. Evelyn Kloeris has a beautiful fragrance in my garden at the moment. I like intense colours that stand out in the garden, obviously they have to be sun tolerant for this. I love blooms that are wide and full, and a little recurved but not too much. I have a soft spot for patterned eyes (chevron or star shaped) and cool tones as there are fewer daylily choices that will blend well with pinks and mauves in a cool border. Most pinks have a fair bit of yellow in them. Heavy substance and good frilly edges seem to go hand-in-hand, and make for a beautiful flower, and also tend to be wider and fuller with good form.
