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OT - Reblooming daylilies

Posted by roseseek z 10, SoCal (My Page) on
Thu, Aug 29, 13 at 16:11

Knowing we all grow other things with our roses, I'm posting this here and in the daylily forum. I need evergreen, heavily repeat flowering, large flowered daylilies for the entry of a home. It's USDA Zone 9b-10a in a weird micro climate which experiences a bit less of the severity of the mid SoCal desert the surrounding areas receive. The soil has excellent drainage, with a good deal of ground water seeping through the hill. It's sufficient for Baby's Tears to grow in direct, full sun about nine months of the year. The other shrubs and ground cover roses flourish without any special treatment. Everything receives the same, all purpose, inorganic fertilizer monthly with regular sprinkler irrigation. There is sun most of the day. And, there are virtually no frost issues. Even when we had the blast with days of 9 degree nights several years ago, this garden only suffered blackening of native sword ferns around the fish pond, which all exploded right back when the weather warmed. Ten feet away, on a lathe covered patio, the large flowered fuchsia didn't miss a beat flowering and experienced no freeze damage. As I said, it is one weird micro climate!

I hope to find a taller, larger flowering, evergreen type with a high rebloom rate. The ones the landscaper planted grow beautifully, but they are deciduous with rather "delicate" foliage. They flower three times a year, but I hope for more durable foliage which will remain green and present over the winter months so there aren't any holes in the beds bordering the front entry. Color isn't as important as flower size, frequency and reliability of bloom and durability and persistence of foliage.

Given that information, what would be your best suggestions for varieties I should consider, please? Thanks! Kim


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Hi,

I have grown Persian Market in different gardens for years. The blooms are 7", it is 27" tall, has a very good re-bloom and is evergreen.

Lynn


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Do you care which bloom form, Kim? The round bagel or the spider or unusual form blooms? Or does bloom form not matter?

kay


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Roselee, I fell in love with daylilies a few years ago and have a variety of dormant, semi-evergreen, and evergreen daylilies. Unfortunately, many of my daylilies are NOID, or have had their labels lost, but I will vouch for Persian Market and one that is blooming even now is Midnight Raider. You can get wonderful information on almost any daylily on the Tinker's website: http://daylilydb.com/
Molly


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Kim,

Here's a picture of Persian Market.

Lynn


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

She wants COLOR. It's a rather formal lay out with large, staggered pad steps, Flower Carpet roses in the staggered beds on either side of the pads. The roses and the few Nandina planted there are going great guns. She honestly doesn't care about flower color as long as the flowers occur FREQUENTLY, they're LARGE, the foliage is durable (meaning doesn't die off quickly requiring weekly "combing out" to get rid of all the brown leaves) and they remain green all year so there aren't holes. What's there is the flower shape of Persian Market and she's fine with that. I'm sure if there were others which flowered more frequently, of a more spider form, she'd probably accept them. She just wants durable, "continuous" color. I've looked and dug around and I figured I was best off asking "the gardener who owns one" (to paraphrase Packard!). Kim


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

  • Posted by hoovb z9 Southern CA (My Page) on
    Fri, Aug 30, 13 at 16:12

'daring dilemma' will bloom until thanksgiving in my garden.

Are you sure daylily is the right solution? Foliage color is more reliable for year round interest, but you already know that...


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Thanks, Hoov. Well, the fountainous form of the day lilies fit the space and add the right shape to the beds. Taller splashes of color "floating" over the rest of the greenery works. I've not found anything else to give that shape, movement and "hovering" color. Grasses won't work. She has a yard full of liriopes and isn't enamoured with them, though they work where they're supposed to. She wants as low maintenance as possible, but some color, other than "green" is a must. There used to be a field of Icebergs there, but they gave way to the current plantings. At least they're not bloody cannas!

Have you a different idea in mind? Thanks. Kim


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Kim

Does Gaura do well in your zone? When you speak of color "floating" over the greenery, I think of things like Gaura and Agastaches, and there's a neon pink Gaura such as Pink Cloud that seems like it would fit the bill. Similarly, Aster Frikartii in our zone blooms constantly from midsummer on with neon blue blooms, but I don't know how it likes your no-winter conditions. There's always Lantana, if the daylilies don't work out. Or the deeply colored foliage plants, like the dark purple Strobilanthes that would be tall enough and might be year-round for your zone.

In response to your original question about reblooming daylilies, the best rebloomer for me is Happy Returns, and even that wants some down time. In my zone, I'll get one rebloom cycle per plant from my "reblooming" daylilies, but none have the faithfulness of roses in being a constant source of color.

Cynthia


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Thanks, Cynthia. Gaura is a total weed here. It seeds everywhere and looks "on" for about a week before it's full of enough dried material to warrant mowing to the ground. If it could be hidden so only the flowers appeared, it might work, but not for this friend. She's a retired hair dresser, "meticulous" and quite anal. Very nice lady and I enjoy her greatly, but the occasional browned leaf in the day lilies has her out "snipping the split ends". Gaura would have her stoned! The liriope is also "combed out" to remove any damaged/dead leaves. She isn't ugly about it, she just wants it the way she wants it and is willing to do as much work to get it as she can and willing to pay for what she can't do. Asters aren't "on" long, nor suitable for the sort of "Zen-formal" look. Lantana we won't mention to her. It's been ripped out of every property she's ever owned. The look of the day lilies, when they're "on", is perfect. It's just finding one which is "on" more of the time. Thank you. I'll take a look at your suggestion, too. Kim


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

There is a daylilly that I am growing that I have been so pleased with. It's an old fashioned variety called Autumn King. It is taller than I am and has bloomed continuously since June. I don't know about the foliage staying through winter because it wouldn't do that here.


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

  • Posted by hoovb z9 Southern CA (My Page) on
    Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 0:46

Well it's the foliage of hems that can get annoying. The spent stems of the flowers, the flowers themselves after they turn to goo. Those three things I hear all the time people don't like. Even out of bloom, if only a few of the leaves yellow, they look bad to a lot of people.

Foliage color for example Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' (it's been a stellar performer here), some of the colorful Coprosmas, that sort of thing.


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RE: OT - Reblooming daylilies

Kim, I grow alot of daylilies, am as crazy about them as I am about roses. One of my very favorites is BEAUTIFUL EDGINGS, its an old one, but still had a couple of blooms on it today [Sept. 3]. Folliage is great, blooms its head off and is very tall. Its a creamy yellow with a pinkish edging. It should be easy to find and is one of my favorite lilies. I just bought some Happy Returns this year - they are still in pots but this lily has a good reputation for reblooming. Dont think its as tall as Beautiful Edgings. Daylilies do not bloom as much as roses, but when they do and are combined with roses, they are gorgeous. Another good bloomer is the white Joan Senior - its another oldie. Bloomed lots for me this year. I still have a few blooming, which is amazing for this time of year - Contra Dance, a mini, Purple Pashmina and an unknown gift, a pink one, plus a few others I cant recall. Like other perennials, they have their time to shine and then they leave the stage for other bloomers - purple salvia farnicia is a super bloomer for me and returns every year. I have a clump that has been blooming all year. Blue Plumbago is another bloomer that loves the heat. "Fireworks" gomphrena was new for me this year and its tall, although a bit floppy, but blooms constantly. Lantana is always a dependable bloomer.
Judith


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