Primal Scream has been a mainstay in my garden for 20 years. It has a combination of form and poise that makes practically every bloom unique and interesting. The other thing which sets Primal Scream apart from the sea of orange daylilies is its finish—a smooth, wax-like substance which gives the bloom the ability to hold up throughout the day, in practically any weather. The color is not only saturated and intense, but uniform with no veining - a characteristic which I think came from Kirchhoff's Tangerine Parfait. It wouldn't surprise me to find that Ming Porcelain was involved in Tangerine Parfait's background.
Then there's that foliage. Nicely proportioned, clean and dark green, narrow, arching and deeply keeled. I think it's one of the most deserving of the Stout Medal winners in at least the past decade. Not bad, considering that Curt never really thought much of it.
Primal Scream will set a few long-lasting teaser pods, however viable seeds are few and far between, even here, where seed-set is generally easy. I'm certain that those cultivars with Primal Scream as a pod parent were hard-won. One clump is holding a late-emerging scape (I hesitate to call it rebloom) with 2 pods, but it's getting cool now and I don't know if they will have time to mature.
Ken
