Last week I wrote about all the unseasonably early bloom times of many plants this year thanks to the record-setting mild winter and hot spring weather here in SoCal. With all the early blooming I have seen, there is one plant that has still managed to stay on schedule. It is the same plant that even after being frozen to the ground in the winter of 2007 still proceeded to flower the same time that year too. That plant is the daylily and I have developed great admiration for the impeccable timing it shows towards blooming.
Even though I have been growing daylilies from when I first started my garden in 2005, it is one of the groups of plants that people love to collect but still has not activated the collector gene in me to join their ranks. I certainly appreciate and find great value in the daylily, but as of now I have too many other things that have my undivided attention. You have to say enough is enough at some point. With that being said, I do have quite a few planted around the garden and it is this time of year they earn their keep with me. No calendar needed.
When it comes to buying and planting daylilies in my garden, I have four main prerequisites I stick to:
1) They must be a true “Evergreen.” I only want year-round perennials when I plant something in my garden. Given that consideration and the fact that I live in Southern California, it would not make sense to plant anything other than evergreen daylilies.
2) They must be “Rebloomers.” It really is an added treat to see your evergreen daylilies bloom from spring through fall.
3) They cannot be “Miniatures.” Maybe it is just me, but the small flowers on a daylily just don’t look right.
4) They have to be “Tried and True.” I have far too many experiments going on in the garden to be the test bed for a new daylily variety.
Now that we got all that out of the way, here are the evergreen daylilies I have blooming right now. Same bat-time. Same bat-channel.
Daylily “Russian Rhapsody.” One of my favorites.
Daylily “Pirate Patch”
Daylily “Pink Parfait.” This one always seems to be a little more peach than pink but with the extra heat this year it is mostly peach in color.
Daylily “Petal Pusher”
Daylily “Lemon Spokes.” This yellow variety has a long scape so the flower can be viewed when planted behind boulders or taller plants. A “scape,” you ask? It is the leafless stalk which bears the flowers.
Daylily “Hot Lips”
Daylily “Black Suave.” Similar to “Hot Lips” above, but with a darker flower and larger scape.
Daylily “Eye-Yi-Yi.” This is my personal favorite. It has a beautiful orange flower with a red center that seems to always be in bloom from spring through fall.
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