I love my "Russian Rhapsody". I don't really deserve to have it. A friend of mine in Gainesville, FL gave me a couple of daylilies when we left that area of Florida. Our house sold quickly and I didn't have a chance to take starts from my daylily collection but instead, spent many hours setting up and clearing pastures for our horses, getting the stumps from the pine farm (450/acre) out of the pastures and hay areas, getting power and water in, etc. The daylilies that my friend Sean gave me were just put in buckets from fencing materials, no soil, put underneath the shelter of trees and forgotten. A couple of years later, through a drought, I found them growing in those bare buckets. Of the daylilies that survived that atrocious neglect, Russian Rhapsody came through practically unscathed as did Sammy Russell (1952? I think) and Final Touch. Once planted in tended soil, it has flourished, always blooming early, consistent, covered in flowers that are just the color of the photos that you see with the classic Munson form. A very forgiving plant. It will always have a place here. On the other hand, Sammy Russell and Final Touch bloomed for a couple of years but most years make themselves a bit scarce. Russian Rhapsody is a true testament to the hardiness and vigor of the daylily species.
Barb
