Daylily Haiku Thursday | Long Overdue: My favorites from 2011

like blooms, kids fulfill.

we need their wildness

in the field of time.

Today we are celebrating our son's 7th birthday!  

Happy Birthday, sweet Carter!

I'm not quite sure where 2011 went - it's already April and I'm still writing 2011 on documents.   I know that 50% of last year was dedicated to moving, moving, and more moving.  The daylilies were admired in pots in the driveway and in the hands of their new owners as they left the yard smiling.  I dug up my whole collection in the peak of its annual glory and I didn't really get a chance to enjoy their details as I have in past years.

I do remember many nights last summer, well after 10pm on a weeknight, in my driveway staring at the rows of potted perennials waiting for their ride south - wondering if we were making the right decision.  It's hard to think about now and even harder to believe we pulled it off.

Here are some daylilies that despite the tough year I gave them in 2011, still managed to leave an impression...

First, H. 'Dragon Fang' (left) and H. 'Enchanting Esmerelda.'   H. 'Dragon Fang' has lived in a pot since I brought it home from a meeting in Atlanta in the Fall of 2010.  It survived the winter, came back with an extra fan and bloomed in summer 2011.  I have lusted after this flower for a while, but was never able to afford it until I split a four-fan clump of it with some other auction bidders in Georgia.  I got one fan out of the deal and looking out at the garden now, I have three.  Very respectable.

I just love the pink of H. 'Enchanting Esmerelda.'  Its the perfect shade of rose-pink - not muddy in the least. I chose this one because it was a workhorse, putting up two sets of scapes with more than 25 buds on each scape.  The blooms were almost always flawless and worth a snapshot.  The triangular watermark is distinctive and reliable.  

If you confuse or interchange the terms EYE, WATERMARK and HALO - don't.  They are not interchangeable and do not indicate the same traits.   You will also find halo and eyezone in the same AHS Dictionary.  Click here for the dictionary.

H. 'Dragon Fang' and H. 'Enchanting Esmerelda'

Below is H. 'Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie' (left) and H. 'Glorious Autumn.'  The pie-crust edges of the daylily on the left get me every time.  Hybridizer Greg Schindler of Michigan is featured twice on this short list!  This is one of his first introductions, and it is fabulous.  Clear, bi-tone, and vigorous, it is a great addition to the collection.  H. 'Glorious Autumn' has quickly become one of my favorite doubles.  My friend Nicole gave me one small fan of it from a bonus she received and I wasn't sure it would even live - let alone bloom the same year and put up two little fans before winter set in. The carrot-red edge is brighter in the morning, and fades to what you see below by evening.  Way to go, David Kirchhoff. 

H. 'Apple Peaches Pumpkin Pie' and H. 'Glorious Autumn'

And finally, my friend Nicole Willis hybridized this gorgeous chalky-yellow seedling.  Its out of H. 'Aquamarine' and H. 'Skinwalker.'  What you see below on the left is one scape blooming.  I sure hope she registers it so I can show its trademark multi-bloom scapes in an exhibition show.  

There is no favorites list of mine that is complete without mention of H. 'Matchless Fire.'  It won an Honorable Mention last year and I was so proud for Greg Schindler.  The wide, orange watermark is so unique and its foliage is so spectacular all year.  It even sat next to two rust-infested plants last summer in Michigan and showed great resistance; the foliage stayed pristine!  I love it and have unintentionally fell into a personal quest to get it out there.  I have two double fans left to sell if anyone is looking to add it to their collection.  Just email me here if you'd like to own it.

Nicole's H. 'Aquamarine' seedling and H. 'Matchless Fire'

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!  And if you are in the St Louis area, please stop by the Missouri Botanical Gardens on Saturday at 7am for a great Daylily Sale sponsored by the West County Daylily Society.  You must come early for any selection at all!  See you there.