The daylily is the perfect perennial.

Name another plant that is so easy to grow, hardy, adaptable to most soils and a snap to maintain. A daylily will bloom in sun or light shade. Blossoms last only a day but scapes (the leafless stalk that holds the flowers) are loaded with enough buds to keep blooming for weeks. Choose from a rainbow of colors (except blue) and a mix of varieties that will bloom from spring to fall.

With experience comes discernment. I'm no longer a sucker for a pretty face. I look for other qualities in a daylily beyond a beautiful bloom, such as whether the cultivar will rebloom, how long the blooming lasts, whether or not the flowers fade if grown in full sun.

Although daylilies grow in all 50 states, not all daylilies perform spectacularly in our climate. Some varieties can't withstand our cold winter temperatures, while favorite varieties like "Stella de Oro" need the winter chill to survive.

Good suggestions for selecting daylilies comes from the American Hemerocallis Society:

--- Foliage variation is important for contrast and texture in the garden.

--- Cultivars should grow and multiply under good conditions without being invasive; not susceptible to crown rot.

--- Scapes shouldn't need staking and height of stalk and flower size should be proportioned to thickness of scape.

--- Scape should branch so buds are not all at the top; branches be spaced to allow developing buds or blooming flowers.

--- Color should be fresh, vibrant, rich and clear and markings clear.

Mass plantings of a single cultivar will have greater impact because it looks more natural. Or plant similar color families for variation. Some garden designers don't recommend mixing together lots of different colors because it isn't natural and the effect is muddied. If you want a lot of different daylilies, intersperse them through the garden.

Here are some AHS "daylilies of the year" honorees worth a look. Others can be found at www.daylilies.org.

--- "Lady Lucille" (2004), large 5 to 6 inch brilliant red orange blooms, heat tolerant foliage, blooms 23 to 90 days per year, blooms plate, rust resistance, unsurpassed in mass plantings

--- "Buttered Popcorn" (2006), profuse 6 inch bright gold blooms, lush, dense foliage, blooms 60 to 195 days per year, referred to as "Stella de Oro on steroids"

--- "Miss Mary Mary" (2005), petite yellow bold blooms on grassy foliage, first blooms single, double blooms on repeat cycles until frost; cold hardy and heat tolerant

--- "Plum Perfect" (2003), 3 to 4 inch plum purple blooms with darker eyes, blooms 25 to 175 days per year, thrives in light shade; excellent rust resistance

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