Peachy Keen Daylily Thoughts

I am a sucker for a peachy-pink polychrome daylily.  Although the colors peach, pinky, melon, coral, salmon and the like are quite common in daylilies, the variety is amazing.  Many collectors view anything peachy as 'the new yellow' in the category of "Daylilies to Avoid,"  I enjoy the subtle sherbert-ness of a good peach polychrome.  During a recent presentation, even the famous David Kirchhoff said he avoids using the word 'melon' to describe any daylily.

What is a polychrome?  The AHS Dictionary says: a blending and intermingling of colors without distinct bands. 

This is H. 'Crown of Creation.'  It is one of the first real toothy daylilies I paid big money for, and its coloration is sublime.  Shades of butter, oranges, milk and creamsicle swirled together in toothy goodness.  I already regret selling the whole clump last year to finance my daylily travels.

Below is H.' Harvest Moth.'  It is a spectacularly large Klehm daylily.  You can see (and buy) more of his daylilies here.  I added it to the garden last summer after winning two fans at the live auction of the Region 2 Summer Meeting.  This year, it has already multiplied to four fans and looks really healthy.  It is tall, has a large bloom, is a wonderful combination of pastel yellow and peachy-pinks.  These colors really shine in both the sunlight and the moonlight.

 

Color is such a fickle thing. Da Vinci is quoted as saying "the color of the object illuminated partakes of the color of that which illuminates it."  Polychromes play to this quote fully.  They do not have a tone or hue of their own, yet when placed next to something orange, they become more orange, or when paired with a complementary color, exhibit a different face. 

Maybe thats why I like polychromes...they are mysterious and only occasionally revealing.