I haven't had time to add some comments on this thread until today. Last year my wife and I sent in an early spring order for some of Mike Derrow's plants just to give them a try. He uses some plants of Richard Norris' in his program and Richard focuses heavily on plant health and habit. His plants do extremely well for us in south/central Indiana. We do grow mostly tets, and didn't order any of his dips, though he has a number that are tempting.
Mike shipped the plants very promptly and we got them in the ground quickly. They had time to settle in and most bloomed for us last year. They're still fairly new, so no final assessment, but we have been very happy with them so far. His site is a bit hard to navigate since it's a blog and a catalogue, too. I can find the 2014's, but can't find the 2013's right now. One thing that impresses is that he discusses the good and bad of each plant and often shows bloomed out scapes. He is obviously not a breeder willing to sell you a plant that is weak or was represented as a rebloomer when it isn't. He seems very focused on accurately representing how the plants do for him, with attention to their overall health. It's disappointing to buy, based on a pretty flower, when the plant is so poor you rarely see it bloom. I don't think that's the case with Mike.
Last year's order, with generous bonuses:
Transylvanian Tango (check out Mike's assessment of this one...he grew it side by side with other toothy reds for his evaluation. We can't wait for it to rebloom this year...very tall scapes with loads of buds!)
Empire of Dawn and Dusk (from Norris' Clarification)
Butter Me Up (seems very healthy, as he portrayed it. I like 'em big, flat, and yellow)
Also Known As (big AND toothy)
Bonuses:
Sometimes Shadows Speak (from Norris' Mary's Baby)
The Tribble With Blue (love this one!)
Last year in the GardenWeb forum on daylilies, one grower praised Derrow's plants for rebloom and continuous bloom. My wife and I also found him prompt to answer emails, which makes him tops on our list. I think his program is well worth a trial!
The Tribble With Blue
