Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Double Daylilies

Doubles are my favorites.

I started with Siloam Double Classic, in my opinion the best double ever. Last summer I ordered two new ones: Night Embers and Moses' Fire. These are blooming for the first time this year. I have to admit a little disappointment in Night Embers. The color is dull and fades quickly. The white outlined edges are nice. Moses' Fire is much more orange than the catalog pictures and Night Embers isn't as dark. LOL, why am I surprised that catalog photos aren't accurate.

The first photos are of a daylily growing wild on my farm. When I first found it, I thought it must be rare and unique. Perhaps a sport or mutation of the tawny daylily seen on old farms and along roadsides. Actually, it's fairly common, but no less spectacular. Fulva Kwanso with a triple bloom. This has to be the most elegantly made daylily in existence. Unfortunately it's sterile so hybridizers won't be creating its lovely form in other colors.





Below is Night Embers, a dark and dull red with a white outline around each petal. As with most dark daylilies, the color rubs and washes off easily leaving a blotchy appearance.



Moses' Fire isn't the bright, true red promised in catalogs. When it begins to open, the petals have more red but they soon fade to a spotty orange.





Siloam Double Classic--the gold standard in doubles (in my humble opinion). The first year it bloomed, it was a clear pink. The following years it has displayed a more coral color, perhaps the result of different soil, I really don't know. Double Classic increases quickly in my garden and the single plants have become large clumps. The first photo shows the color the first season. The last photo is this years color. Based on the clear pink color I planted it among pink roses. This year the combination is not pleasing. It needs to be moved into an area with no pink and more blues and purples to look its best.

The photo above shows the color in relation to a truly pink petunia.


21 comments:

A Wild Thing said...

Oh my, so many to choose from. I think the flowers of mid-summer, the day lilies are my all time faves. I can't get enough of them. My Father always thought them a menace and couldn't get rid of them...but the bigger my beds get the happier I am. My Turk's caps are in full swing, but I give them a wide path because of the brown staining pollen...it gets everywhere, even when you think you missed.

sharon

troutbirder said...

Wow. I am going to have to revise my thinking about day lilies. You definitely got my attention!!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Sharon, they truly do produce a lot of color for the little work they require. I even like the fountain like foliage before they bloom.

My Dad loves the turk's caps. He has a nice stand beside his garage. The flowers seem a little smaller in size this season.
Marnie

Roses and Lilacs said...

Troutbirder. I see you have some beautiful lilies in your garden. Maybe you have too much shade for daylilies? I've tried them in shady areas and the foliage does well but they don't bloom much.
Marnie

Amy said...

Hello Marnie - thanks so much for visiting and commenting on my blog.

I love your daylilies. I had no idea there were "triple" versions. They look fantastic!

100 Thoughts of Love said...

I love daylilies...mine were nothing as spectacular as yours, but hopefully every year i can add to them. I like the oranges rather then the reds, but then I love orange in the garden. Where do you like to order yours from?

Gail said...

Marnie,

When did so many double daylilies get developed! I am partial to spiders but your Siloam Double Classic could sway me! The photographs of her are spectacular...I do like pinks!
Gail

tina said...

They are all so pretty! I love these kinds of colors in the garden. Do you know I thought the same when I saw a 'spider' lily like your triple at a daylily farm. That it was rare and a sport. lol

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Marnie,
I'm one of those day lily resistant gardeners, but all the garden blogs I haunt are starting to win me over with some varieties. Maybe it's just something with me, but I've never really gotten into the lily form type flowers? No matter, you have some lovely ones blooming now! Just call me the hibiscus/mallow obsessed guy!

Kudos for you for having some really beautiful specimens in your garden! I can appreciate them from afar, without having to worry about tending to them! (LOL, my rose attitude too, no offense!)

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Amy, thanks for stopping to visit. I loved your blog--I'm gardening with natural rainfall also (except my precious tomatoes:). Nice to find a blog where I can visit for tips on good drought tolerant plants.
Marnie

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Pat. I've gotten all my daylilies for Gilbert Wild & Son. I started out with one of those collections years ago. Lately I've only gotten a few doubles from the same place. Request one of their sale catalogs--daylilies, iris, peonies and super deals on hosta

http://www.gilberthwild.com/

bottom of the page for catalog.
Marnie

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Gail. If you only have one daylily, I would recommend Double Classic. It will quickly make a large clump absolutely covered in luscious blooms.
Marnie

Roses and Lilacs said...

Good morning Tina. I know what you mean about the spiders. They don't look like daylilies, the doubles don't look like daylilies either. I really like the colors on some of them.

I'm beginning to like the darker daylilies. I have one that's almost black that looks really good beside yellow.
Marnie

Roses and Lilacs said...

IVG, isn't it great we all don't like the same things? That would be boring.

I just made another attempt at eradicating some pink mallow from my garden. LOL. The mallow from hades. I wish I could remember the name. I'm seriously considering using nuclear weapons to get rid of it.

I'm seeing more and more of the dinner plate sized hibiscus in my area. Until I saw them, I didn't know they were hardy here.
Marnie

Rose said...

Marnie, You are contributing to my Empty Wallet Syndrome!LOL.

I didn't even know about double daylilies; thanks for all the info. The Siloam Double Classic is truly beautiful; I would love to have some of these. Did you buy it at a nursery or order it?

I've already decided it's time to dig up some more of the yard for more flowers; these would definitely have to go in a prominent place.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Marnie,
That pink mallow doesn't happen to be the Prairie Mallow I posted about recently is it? If so, it's pretty easy to get if you catch the seedlings when young. Let them go (as we do to an extent), and they will go everywhere. The really obnoxious ones for you can be dispatched by digging and breaking the taproot, if you need to get rid of them.

By all means, you need to get some perennial hibiscus! You'll love them, and they are really carefree once established. Keep your eye out for 'Kopper King,' as that's one of the best hybridized ones. Just wait until I start posting the hibiscus bonanza ....

beckie said...

Marnie, I am drooling! I love that first one- the triple. I have never seen one before but now that I know the name I will look for it. It's so easy to want everyone I've seen on yours and other's blogs. I would have to dig up more yard, but don't think that would go over so well with hubby. Thanks for the wonderful show!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi IVG. I think my pink mallow is just malva alcea Fastigiata--not 100% sure. I cut it all down before it went to seed this year but expect it to grow back. I may have to resort to the method Mr McGregor's Daughter was demonstrating. Round up on a Q-tip. We all hate to use chemicals but I've been trying to remove it from a bed for three years. Those tap roots...

I googled Kopper King. Beautiful color with a 12" bloom. I've noticed similar ones when driving around the area. The blooms are so big they stand out clearly for 50-feet or more.
Marnie

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Beckie. It's really good to see you back. I was reading your blog about how busy you've been lately. Hope things calm down a little for you.

I will always think of that tawny triple as 'my daylily'. For a while I thought I had discovered it. LOL, I was pretty disappointed to find they were fairly common.
Marnie

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Wow, these are some handsome daylilies. I haven't seen many double before. I guess I don't get out much.

I like you love the old fashioned double orange one. I have that in my garden too.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Lisa, I do like the old fashioned ones. I see them everywhere around here mixing with queen ann,s lace. So pretty.
Marnie