Very interesting forum. I live on a small island off mainland Australia, so all plants come by post. Zone 9b. My main criteria is garden vigour and free flowering. Choosing is hard as websites usually concentrate on pretty pics, with not much information on vigour. My garden is frost free so I like evergreen and semi- evergreens as they look good all/most of the year. DAYLILY RUST has just appeared in my garden with a new lily purchased May 2014. This has now become a major concern as I have ideal conditions for rust - mild frost free winters and mild summers with few days over 25C ( 77F). Also I don't want to cut my daylilies back in winter to reduce rust as I really love their foliage throughout the year There is very little information in Australia about rust free varieties. I don't like very dark or bright colours as they tend to look garish in our cooler summers - and most flowers I buy tend to be darker/ brighter than the catalogue in my rich moisture retentive soil. My general approach is to look for mostly taller varieties that have been around for a while and are reported to do well in similar climates to mine. But even after taking all this into account I find it hard to choose a plant if the name doesn't appeal to me as well!!
