Background history:

"Rose F. Kennedy" is a diploid dormant introduced in 2007 by George Doorakian. Upon doing an internet search, it was rather interesting what I found and didn't find. George is currently serving as one of the directors of the Patriot Daylily Society (PDS) based in Bedford, MA. I could not find a website for his daylilies, but Mary Collier Fisher (who is the past AHS President and the current treasurer for the PDS) specializes in selling his daylilies. Her website is:
http://noreastdaylilies.com/in...

Mr. Doorakian is a rather elusive hybridizer, but some of his daylilies are featured on the PDS website :
http://patriotdaylilysociety.o...

He is also featured for his presentation "PDS Colchicine Conversion Clinic by George Doorakian":
http://patriotdaylilysociety.o...

This cultivar can be found in the ATP Plant Database:
Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Rose F. Kennedy')

This cultivar has won a number of awards: Award of Merit: 2013, Honorable Mention: 2010, RWM: 2013



Please join in, if you own this plant! We would love to know more! An acorn will be awarded to those who can share performance information about this cultivar.

Also, please consider adding a "Local Report" to the ATP Plant Database!!! Thank you!
Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Rose F. Kennedy')

I don't own this beautiful daylily, but if I hit the lotto, it would certainly be at the top of my list of daylilies to purchase! This diploid was converted to a tetraploid. Here is a review and a price for one of it's tet children. (I nearly fainted when I saw the price listed on this web page):

http://www.daylilytrader.com/g...

I've had RFK for 4-5 years, I bought a clump.
The second year I had it, RFK had nearly 100 blooms on the clump.
It's a great increaser, I have lots of it.
It only has about 10 buds per scape, but every fan even little ones usually have a scape.
The first year we had it we put it in everything, we probably harvested 5,000 seeds with RFK as a pollen parent. It sets pods very easily too.
It stands out in the garden.
RFK is definetly a garden favorite.

Ashton - How many fans were originally in the clump your purchased? Do you remember? Just trying to get an idea of how much it multiplies.

It sounds like an exceptional daylily that produces lots of blooms that are quite large and very unique. Definitely a much sought after plant for it's hybridizing potential! Thanks for your very exciting review of this beautiful cultivar, Ashton!

Thanks for the acorn, Becky.

I should also add that RFK is a great parent.
Here are it a few of the many seedlings we have from it.

beckygardener said:Ashton - How many fans were originally in the clump your purchased?

It sounds like an exceptional daylily that produces lots of blooms that are quite large and very unique. Definitely a much sought after plant for it's hybridizing potential! Thanks for your very exciting review of this beautiful cultivar, Ashton!

I probably got about 4 fans.
I now have about 15. (That's great increase for our area)

Oh my! Look at those children seedlings! That yellow/greenish one is fabulous! Very, very eye-catching they are, indeed! Thanks for sharing photos of some of your seedlings!

Edited to add: Terrific increase it produces! WOW!!! My kinda plant!

This is the second year I've had it, and last year it didn't do that much. But this year I think it's really incredible!

Yep, this one is added to my list



Mayo

This is another poor performer on the Gulf Coast because of being so dormant. It grew, survived and increased, but made such small fans I did not use it. I sent it north where it has been much happier.

Becky, what a great thread idea! I have 5 daylilies in my want list and RFK is one of them. I dream of the day to own this one

I received some seeds from profesora from the cross 'Emerald Toucanet' x 'Malachite Sunbird', both of which have Emerald Starburst in their parentage. With Emerald Starburst being the pollen parent of RFK, I am hoping that I get something with a huge green throat. Keeping my fingers crossedXXXX! I won't know for at least another year!

I noticed the description says it is "Green with wide purple red picotee edge above green throat". It makes me wonder what is considered when deciding what the main color is. I have always thought it was a purple with a huge green throat. Mary's website lists three daylilies for sale in the 'previous intros' section. Emerald Starburst is one of the parents of RFK and its description says 'Green and raspberry above emerald green throat'.

I just about dropped my jaw at the price of Tet RFK!!!!

Nice seedlings, kidfishing! I like all of them

Sorry to hear that it did not perform well in your garden, Fred.

I think ROSE F. KENNEDY is very special,It does everything well and is very fertile both ways here in zone 6.

Boyd - Does it pretty much match the stats listed by George Doorakian?

There was a lot of buzz about Rose F. Kennedy when it first came out. I remember talking to Mary Collier Fisher about it at the 2007 Convention, and she shipped it to me after that convention. George has had some health issues, and Mary introduces and sells for him. The first pictures I took of it were in 2007 in this garden. Visitors and club members wanted it for years before I had enough to divide, but I sold off several fans ( 5, I think) back in 2012. Because I have a small garden and not room enough to line plants out, I had to dig up the entire clump in order to take fans, and the plant sulked that year after it was divided. RFK makes smallish fans. The scape height is about what is registered ( 29") and after just going out to count, there are 13 fans here now. I'd describe increase as slow to moderate in this climate. Vigor is OK although this is not the most vigorous plant in the garden by a long shot. Blooms are distinctive - this is one of those that needs no nametag once you've seen it.
These are pictures all taken here. First was 2008,. 2nd was in 2009- picture was published in several publications, last was taken here this year. Consistent blooms.
You will notice that the color - especially the green -shows better in some sunlight. The pics from 2015 were taken before the sun hit, and it looks rather blah.



Although I'd spoken to George by phone several times, we never met until 2013 when he and Mary attended a Region 3 meeting in DE. George, like many of us, has limited space and when we spoke in 2013, he'd been dealing with deer issues and had put up a deer fence. I heard him say that one of his newer intros called 'Igor F. Palacios, MD' is what he considers to be one of his best. I am thrilled to grow it. It has ( in the one year its been here) been a more vigorous plant than RFK, and George registered this as "a large green eyezone spilling onto a purple border." With time, I may come to love this one more than Rose F. Kennedy. It's a stunner with nice tall scapes and gorgeous blooms.
Here are a couple pictures of Igor F. Palacios, MD ( named after his cardiologist) taken this season.

Hi Julie
I wouldn't take anything away from George, his Emerald Starburst has done wonders for us in the deep south who like green, much better than RFK. Emerald Starburst makes small fans here but not as small as RFK, Emerald Starburst is also extremely fertile both ways for me. I have trouble with almost any daylily that's hard dormant. Fred

Yes, I should have mentioned Emerald Starburst too. It is a very vigorous and good grower here too! Nice tall scapes, sets pods easily, long bloom period, etc.

The stats listed are pretty much right on.

I have Rose F. Kennedy and love it! The huge green throat call to you as you pass by. I don't remember setting pods on it but the pollen is nicely fertile.

It's quite fertile both ways for me here in California.

I have grown RFK since it was introduced. It is certainly a distinctive daylily and needs no tag for identification. It grows very well in my zone 5 garden with no mulch and has increased well. I have found it to be both pollen and pod fertile. The scapes hold the flowers well and do not bend. Unfortunately, I think it's already been used too much in hybridizing.
Rose F. Kennedy


Seedling from Rose F. Kennedy