Some of these plants have been photographed multiple times (usually different blooms on different days, since each flower lasts only one day). I either lose track of which ones I've photographed (and whether the previous photo/photos were any good) or just can't resist taking photos of the latest bloom. Whyever it happens, the result is the same-- lots of photos, some of them extremely repetitive. Apologies to anyone who's bored, but at least it's easy to scroll down or click to another blog! ;o)
I've made a half-hearted effort to group like photos together (photos of the same plant from different days), but I'm sure some are mixed up (and this is just the first batch of photos, so there will be "familiar faces" popping up in daylily photo posts to follow). Grouping them this way may only make the repetitiousness more painful ;o) but we'll give it a try.
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The first daylily to open in our garden this year was...
'Stella de Oro'! (It's known for being an early bloomer, so it's not a surprising development.)
This variety has become so popular and "common" that many gardeners-- especially daylily enthusiasts-- seem to hold it in low regard. (It's another case like the Knock Out roses.) I was prepared to love it in spite of its ho-hum reputation-- and I don't dislike it-- but it hasn't really impressed me, yet.
It's still getting settled in, but the number of blooms hasn't been amazing, so far. It's also a small, short daylily, which isn't a selling point for me. (I like the average-to-large/tall ones better, generally.) However, if it picks up the pace in flower production-- and if it keeps blooming through the summer-- I'll happily revise my lukewarm opinion of this ubiquitous daylily.
'Happy Returns'. Another short, small daylily. Again, I haven't been blown away by its performance in my garden. The color is a nice, clear yellow (often compared favorably to the warmer, golden yellow of 'Stella de Oro'), but the number of blooms hasn't been anything to write home about. Maybe it needs some tlc.
'Dominic'. This is new to our garden, so it definitely needs more time to settle in before I judge too harshly. This year, there weren't many flowers, and I seem to recall they were on the small side, but the color is certainly impressive. I love those rich, dark daylilies! And the pastels... And the ones in the mid-range... ;o)
The one above tricked me... At first glance, I thought it was from the same plant as the ones below, but looking more closely, it's obvious that they're different. The one above has a coarser (seersucker-ish) texture than the one below. The red band is also a rustier red and more sharply defined on the daylily above. Both flowers are pretty, but if I had to choose, I prefer the one below.
Two other newbies in the garden are 'Elizabeth Salter' and 'Fairy Tale Pink'. I have them planted side by side, and they bloomed over the same period of time. I neglected to take photos of the plant tags to remind me of which was which, and now it's been so long since I took the photos that I'm second-guessing myself about which flowers came from which plant! (It really, really matters, too. It's so important! ;o))
I think these are 'Elizabeth Salter', but they might be 'Fairy Tale Pink'... Looking at photos online hasn't helped me decide! In any case, both plants had beautiful flowers. I was impressed by their bud-counts-- especially since this is their first year here. I'd recommend either for a very pretty pastel peachy-pink with lovely ruffles. (If I'm not mistaken, 'ES' was slightly darker than 'FTP' in our garden, but wasn't quite as dark/melony as it looks in some photos online.)
...Looking again at the size of the golden throat, I feel more confident that these are 'ES' (which apparently has a smaller throat than 'FTP'. Again, it doesn't matter at all, but I get a bit obsessive about silly little "mysteries" like this and just want to know! (g)
This is a NOID yellow that Mom gave me my start of, a couple years ago (I think). It's been a very strong performer-- lots of flowers every year. Can't recall if it's a rebloomer.
...I think this might be 'Fairy Tale Pink'.
Maybe. (g)
Lighter color, more prominent "veins" (whatever the technical term might be)... and maybe my eyes deceive me, but the throat does look bigger/deeper and with a tinge of green in the center that is missing in 'Elizabeth Salter'. (But give me enough time and I'll talk myself into exactly the opposite opinion!)
So, I've only whetted your appetite for more daylily photos, right? Right?
More will follow. (And more after that... And then probably two or three more healthy helpings of daylily photos.)
