In my garden the Stella D'Oro Daylily is the first to bloom. It's a great plant. It is unusual as perennials go, in that it is ever blooming. Yeah, it blooms all Summer.
It doesn't count.
I don't know why I don't count this as the beginning of the Daylily Parade...but I don't. I really like, no, love this plant. I don't work for the affection of any of my Daylilies, that's why I like Daylilies, they are easy. So it's not because Stella D'Oro is easy that I dismiss her. I can't figure my mindset out.
Hey, you didn't start reading this entry because you thought I was mentally stable. We will chalk this Stella D'Oro 'dismissal' up to my cute and adorable 'quirkiness' (This will happen a lot)(the cute /quirkiness to that is).
This is a Purple D'Oro. Great bloom count. Growth rate, excellent.
This one does count. (Don't ask)
This is an Orangutan Daylily. The photo doesn't do it justice. The color is a lot more orange than it looks. Very large flower too.
Counts.
Siloam Cooper's Chantilly.
Loverly peachy cream color. A lady-like Daylily.
She counts too.
Black Eyed Stella. A bit of a disappointment I think.
She doesn't count, but for reasonable...reasons. (*see below)
*I was expecting a showier 'Black-Eye', maybe like a Black-Eyed Susan. The plant performance is OK. An OK bud count. OK scape count. I didn't bring this Lily back to sell at the market this year. She was just...OK. I believe I was disappointed in this Daylily because it's Big Sis, is such an awesome plant, and comparatively, this one just doesn't live up to the hype. (Big Sis? You know...the Stella who's performance I dismiss because she is so good.)
So what's this with my dismissal of such a wonderful plant like the Stella D'Oro? I compare others to her. She's on a pedestal of sorts. Other Daylilies pale when put alongside Stella. Bloom/Scape count and length of bloom time?...none compare. Color?...intense. Hardiness?...fantastic.
That's it. She's in a category all to herself. She doesn't count as the first Day Lily because she is just ... Stella. It begins and ends with her. I figured it out.
Cuteness and quirkiness still intact though.
3 comments:
Thanks for this post on Daylilies. I've never grown them before and was wondering which ones to buy. Now I know. :-D
I have a bunch with buds but no flowers yet. I can't wait! Even though I don't know the names for half of mine.
Honestly...I do have a patch of lilies I don't know the names of. Some are my fault...not getting back to the plant to tag it before the original tag is gone, or the name eludes me. Some lilies didn't come with names, I just liked them so I bought them. Some were gifts from others gardens, and they never had a name in their garden either.
I still enjoy the nameless multitudes. A lily by any other name...can reside in my garden anytime.
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