Background history:

'Stephanie Returns' is a dormant diploid introduced in 2006 by Apps-Blew.

This plant can be found in the NGA Plant Database at:
Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Stephanie Returns') .

Please join in, if you own this plant! We would love to know more! I award an acorn for performance information posted to this thread.



Also, please consider adding a "Local Report" to the NGA Plant Database! Thank you!

Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Stephanie Returns')

I love, love, love the blooms on this plant. BUT...it does have a couple of issues for me....

It is slow to increase for me, I have had the plant for at least 4 seasons and it has added only 1 fan in that time. My other gripe is that it takes until around noon for blooms to open fully. I have heard others report this one being a late opener as well.

Outside of those two issues it's a plant I like very much. I love reverse bi-colors...there are not enough good ones in my humble opinion. I also love the violet mid-ribs and dark pink veining, which really make this bloom stand out from other 'pinks' in my gardens.

I got Stephanie Returns mainly because it is my daughters name . I purchased last fall (2016) and waited patiently for blooms. I did not get very many this season, which was disappointing. None the less the blooms were nice.

I have also learned to hold bloom photos and wait for the nicest before submitting!

I planted Stephanie returns in May of 2021 on Back Daylily Hill. She has more or less sat there but she did produce two blooms. I'll find out more next season, whether she likes the spot, etc.

These photos are a little spotty, she's still settling in.

I have had Stephanie Returns in MI for a number of years. it throws additional fans rapidly. I divided it a couple of years ago for a trade and it is back to 15 fans. 11 scapes this year with typically about 8 buds per scape and 2 way branching. FFO was July 7 which is I guess early since nearly everything is FFO in July. 3" x 18" I have taken a split off and moved to TX as a test.

Will look forward to hearing about the results of your test, @SunriseSide! I have enjoyed the pictures I've seen of this one. Would love to find out if it resists rust.

2022…What a year for Stephanie Returns! It has tripled since I planted it, in two seasons, now sitting at 6 fans. Nan, SR did not contract any rust this year or last year, although surrounded by rusty plants.

So, my SR seems to be very unusual in that it is consistently " tie dyed" with raspberry spots. She bloomed from June 24 - July 28, with over 60 flowers. Then she rebloomed from September 6-13 with 7 more blooms. Every single bloom had the spotty tie dye effect. Otherwise it looks exactly like every other photo I've seen of Stephanie Returns. Not sure what's going on, but I like it!

2023, another great year for Stephanie Returns.She bloomed from June 28 to August 16th with over 100 blooms…a flower making machine! She also added 4 fans to end the season with 11 fans. Clearly, she likes her spot!

2024 update

SR keeps on trucking. She is now up to 13 fans and bloomed from June 23- July 24 with at least 96 blooms. She did not rebloom in August, almost nothing did, it was too hot and dry.

2025,

We are getting close to being a clump now. SR started April with 21 fans ( over 20 is considered a clump around here). She bloomed from June 28- July 28 with 106 blooms counted. But by October, she was back down to 14 fans. I've decided I'll keep posting about a plant until it reaches over 20 fans at the beginning and end of a season. At that point it's established and there's not much new to say.

Still a wonderful little flower, I love the color variability on this one.

Dave--@SunriseSide--I wonder if Stephanie Returns ever did anything for you in Texas.