How does bud count rank in your decision to purchase a daylily? Does it rank high? Would you forego high bud counts for other favorable characteristics? Does anyone get put off by the deadheading that you may need to do after the blooming is done?

Lengthy bloom period is probably most important to me, but bud count and bud building are important keys to lengthy bloom periods, so for me, bloom count is #1 or #2 most important to me when purchasing a day lily or deciding which seedlings to keep.

If I'm paying top dollar for a 2019 or 2020 plant, I'm expecting a complete package. Fortunately, my favorite hybridizers seem to be focusing on both looks and bud count.

I've definitely removed popular, fancier, pretty daylilies for only blooming two weeks in my garden, and kept less interesting looking plants because they are bud builders that bloom a long time for me.

Right now I don't really look for something with a bud count of less than twenty and a branch count less than five. I may still buy or trade for lower counts, but when I am searching that is my low limit, so they are very important to me.

I've had a few with high bud counts that have been culled. Must have room to ensure the majority of the flowers can open well. I hate that "all smashed together" look. Bud placement and rebloom/bud building are more important to me. And I've had a couple that had great bud counts that were glorious for all of two weeks. Not enough. I want the whole package. And bloom presentation is important to me also. Anything over 24 inches needs to have out-facing blooms. Picky, much?

I have bought a few knowing the bud count was not particularly high, but the flowers were interesting and different. I never, or at least rarely, get the bud counts advertised.

High bud count is important but if it is too high I am leery. I want photos to see if the blooms open. Too many duds try to open at once and they just interfere w eachother and it looks a mess. But I do not buy ones w low bud counts, say under 20. I may if it reblooms. There are far too many to choose from to buy one w a low count. You can still get what you want AND a good bud count as a package in one plant, so why settle?

Thanks everyone's for the responses! I am learning much from the discussion. It seems everyone is in agreement that they would prefer an extended blooming plant over those that bloom and open many blooms over a short span of time. The latter does put on a spectacular show for a short time but the show does not last. Would you consider a daylily with an average bud count but multiply fast so that you will have many scapes and thus as many blooms as those with high bud count? Also, would you consider or prefer plants with average bud count but reliably rebloom over those with high bud count but do not reliably rebloom?

I do have at least one daylily that I think meets the description of fast multiplier that produces many scapes and many blooms over a long period of time, and it seems to rebloom in a succession of cycles. 'Filled With Joy' Registered as 10-15 buds and three way branching.I lament the fact that scapes produced in a season is not something listed with registration info along with bud count and branching. But, I have tried to keep stats myself and have found it to me much more laborious than suspected.

First bloom this year was 04-19-19, I think it had blooms every month until mid September, but it is a fast multiplier so I had several clumps scattered about and that makes for a prolonged blooming period. I cut back on the clumps with the club plant sale this year.
Edited:
I expect all my daylilies to rebloom, if they don't they will be some of the first on my cull list...if I can actually keep stats well enough to notice it. Yes, daylilies like "Filled With Joy' definitely would be considered right up there with the others that have high bud and branch counts, it is one of my current favorites.

I'm guess I'm the only person on this forum that doesn't want daylilies turned into annuals. I'd get bored with them, and take them for granted. Plus get sick of the endless deadheading.

I still like to have some that are showcases. Spectacular, incredible beauty that keeps you longing for next summer, to see them again. Even some that might be hot-house beauties and need extra effort to keep them with you. The special ones!

Low bud count is under 20? Some obvious regional differences here. I would be happy to get things in the 10-20 range. I think some registrations measure bud count by the scape with the most buds, which in some cultivars can be misleading. I have many cultivars with a typical bud count of 6-10, which is acceptable if fans are all scaping (not always the case) and the cultivar blooms reliably. Yes, crowding can be a problem with some cultivars, and some are bouquet bloomers. With most cultivars here, rebloom is sparse and not reliable.

With my crummy, sandy, soil, I consider anything over 12 buds to be great. What I don't get are hybridizers registering and selling fancy-flowered plants with 9 +/- buds.

Well, if they're selling them, there is obviously a market for them. There's your answer.

High budcount isn't required, but thrilling when it happens. If you don't like to deadhead, reduce the number of daylilies you have! I have about 80 and it's not a big deal.

My plants really do well because they are in raised boxes. They can't live in FL sand that has nematodes that will kill most plants. In raised boxes they have soil they like and they share their fertilizer with the palm trees around them. Works pretty well!

Thanks everybody for your input on this question. It seems to me that most on here has difficulty attaining the number of buds per hybridizer's budcount on their plants. I too have the same problem but I can forgive that as long as I get good blooms from them over a long period of time. I am not sure how much genetics vs environmental factors such as soil condition, adequate water, and/or fertilizer affect budcount. If environmental factors do play a significant role in getting the high budcount, then it certainly explains why my daylilies are not showing the number of buds as the hybridizers. I wonder if anyone has experimented or has some observation on this from the same daylily planted in different locations around their yard.

beenthere said:Well, if they're selling them, there is obviously a market for them. There's your answer.

well some hybridizers don't put bud count out so the buyer doesn't know. I think many people just buy a pretty face and don't think about that kind of thing until they have been into daylilies longer. I know I bought a lot of duds when I started out because I just didn't know better. But as time went on, I culled those out and now I am more particular about what I buy.

I have noticed that some do notable better after being moved to a different spot in my yard (I only move a struggling dl one time and if it doesn't start performing I toss it) I too do not get the 'amazing' bud counts that are registered with some of them. But there are so so many that easily have 20 -30, I don't consider anything much lower than that.

I culled several yellow daylilies this year reducing their bud count to zero:)

frankrichards16 said:I culled several yellow daylilies this year reducing their bud count to zero:)

I, too, have become much more fussy about which cultivars will get garden space. I feel if I get a bud count of 10+ here I have a good one. I figure ones listed at 20+ will be 10+ here. If I get more, it is a bonus!It doesn't end there but it is my jumping off point. There are lots to choose from in that range.
Many of my purchases of 20 years ago have been put in the green bin because I was getting only 4 or 5 blooms and few scapes--even Stout winners.