Daylilies: Lost Forever?

Though preservation is our mission, bulbs drop out of our catalog every year.

Sometimes it’s because the harvest was too small. Sometimes it’s because they’re widely available elsewhere and don’t need our help. And sometimes it’s because we’ve lost our only known source due to severe weather (cold, drought, etc.), health problems (a debilitating stroke), or economic woes (small farmers are always at risk).

The good news is that, in time, we’re often able to return these bulbs to our catalog. So here’s a list of many we’ve offered in the past. For an alert the moment they’re available again, subscribe to our free email newsletter. Or to find a similar bulb, try our easy Advanced Bulb Search.

Fall-planted: Crocus Daffodils Hyacinths Lilies Peonies Tulips Diverse

Spring-planted: Cannas Dahlias Daylilies Gladiolus Iris Diverse

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ANNETTE, 1945

Red-headed ‘Annette’ is a spunky little World War II daylily with curling, ribbon-like petals and a wide-open heart of pure sunshine. At just 20 inches tall, it’s perfect for small gardens or the front of a perennial border. It’s one of the most enduring legacies of Texan H.M. Russell who at one point was growing more daylilies than anyone else in America. Early-mid summer, zones 4-8S/10WC, Missouri. Last offered in spring 2010. We may offer it again periodically.

BLACK FALCON, 1941

Back in the day, ‘Black Falcon’ was celebrated as the darkest daylily of all, and 70 years later it’s still a stunner. A glowing center of molten gold makes its rippled, mahogany-red petals seem even darker. It’s free-flowering, easy-growing, mid-summer blooming, 32-36”, dormant, for zones 4-8S/10WC, from Missouri. Last offered in 2012. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

EVELYN CLAAR, 1949

One of the best of the ground-breaking mid-century pinks, ‘Evelyn’ is a delicious peachy-melony color with a rosier eye and gold throat. Free-flowering and vigorous, it was bred by University of Chicago botany professor Ezra Kraus – who clearly knew what he was doing. Shorter than many daylilies at 24-30 inches tall, early-mid summer blooming, dormant, zones 4-8S/10WC, from Missouri. Chart to compare. Last offered in spring 2011. We may offer it again periodically.

HYPERION, 1925

Thousands of yellow daylilies have come and gone, but ‘Hyperion’ endures. Its fragrance, carefree vigor, and classic, lily-like flowers make it the only daylily from the early 1900s that’s still widely grown today. Indiana-bred and winner of an RHS AGM, it’s named for the Titan father of the sun god. 4 feet, zones 4-8S/10WC, Missouri. Last offered in spring 2009. Widely available elsewhere.

KINDLY LIGHT, 1949

“Did you see that?” everyone asked when this unusual daylily first bloomed here in our trial garden. With its long, thin, curling petals, a clump in bloom may remind you of fireworks bursting in the summer sky. A landmark daylily, it was the first “spider,” a form that’s now in vogue after decades of scorn. 24-36”, mid-summer blooming, dormant, zones 4-8S/9WC, from Missouri. Last offered in 2012. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

MELONEE, 1959

With a name that’s pure 1950s, this luscious daylily looks like a cool summer dessert of melon and peaches and lots of whipped cream. It was bred by Orville Fay of small-town Illinois who — perhaps not surprisingly — worked as a chemist in a candy factory. Just 26” tall, mid-summer blooming, dormant, zones 5-8S/10WC, from Missouri. Last offered in 2012. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

PAINTED LADY, 1942

“I may be old-fashioned,” writes daylily connoisseur Sydney Eddison, but this “big handsome daylily with flowers the color of orange marmalade is still a striking plant.” Others call its abundant flowers “bronze orange” or even “cinnamon,” but everyone seems to agree that this vigorous, drought-tolerant, Stout Medal winner is far from ordinary. 36” mid-summer blooming, evergreen in warm zones, zones 5-8S/10WC, from Missouri. Chart to compare. Last offered in spring 2011. We may offer it again periodically.

YELLOWSTONE, 1950

What sets this mighty classic apart — and why should you give it a try? It’s more fragrant than its famous parent ‘Hyperion’. Its Chicago breeding makes it extra tough. And its lily-like, moonlight-yellow flowers stay open longer than most, making it especially beautiful in the evening garden — when you’ll be home to enjoy it. 36” mid-summer blooming, dormant, zones 4-8S/9WC, from Missouri. Last offered in spring 2011. We may offer it again periodically.

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