Premium Daylilies

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What makes a Daylily 'Premium'?

There is no clear line to cross for a daylily to qualify as premium. This list is based off our decades of experience growing and observing the many daylily cultivars and represents our top 20. We evaluate a daylily for a variety of characteristics such as exceptional rebloom, garden vigor, and consistency of flower form. Each daylily marked premium is evaluated for a minimum of 6-10 years must be exceptional against current market standards.

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Hemerocallis 'Blackthorne'

One of the very best! Very light creamy yellow blossoms have a hint of peach, displaying a prominent wine-purple eye and matching picotee edge half way up the petals. Chartreuse throat and ruffled petals add interest. Rebloomer as well!

Height: 26" | Bloom Size: 4½-5"

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Hemerocallis 'Born to Run'

Rich, rosy red flowers have a creamy yellow, incredibly ruffled picotee edge. A narrow pale pink watermark appears above the lime green throat. Although registered at 28”, we have observed this daylily to be shorter at 20-22”.

Height: 28" | Bloom Size: 6"

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Hemerocallis 'Cosmic Struggle'

Stunningly intense, rich wine purple flowers are lined neatly with a lemon-yellow picotee edge. The purple color holds up well and does not fade. The lined margins accentuate the color for an incredibly attractive look. A subtle, dark lavender watermark above the eye.

Height: 26" | Bloom Size: 6"

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Hemerocallis 'Desert Flame'

Large, flaming red-orange blossoms are ablaze in color twice per season. Beautifully ruffled flowers with a lime green throat are of excellent substance, produced on very strong, well-budded and branched scapes. Foliage stays nice all season.

Height: 36" | Bloom Size: 5½"

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Hemerocallis 'Erin Lea'

You will be incredibly impressed by the cookie cutter perfect flower form and consistent rebloom of this daylily. Large, broad, golden yellow blossoms edged in frilly ruffles are borne on very strong, well-branched, heavily budded scapes.

Height: 24" | Bloom Size: 5½-6"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Going Bananas'

An improved ‘Happy Returns' with larger flowers and nearly continuous bloom right into early fall. Lemon yellow flowers open fully just above the foliage, typically 10-15 per scape. Not recommended for overwintering in containers.

Height: 19-22" | Bloom Size: 4"

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Hemerocallis 'Handwriting on the Wall'

Another beautiful daylily from renowned daylily breeder Karol Emmerich! 6in triangular shaped flowers are peach with a wine purple eye. Like watercolor paint, the purple color blends to lavender purple toward the yellow throat for a stunning display. A thin, purple picotee edge frames the edge of the blooms.

Height: 24" | Bloom Size: 6"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® 'King of the Ages'

Excellent to bring height to the garden. In addition to tall scapes, ‘King of the Ages' boasts incredible size with 6½” flowers. The petals are a unique blend of butter-yellow, peach, and apricot (officially, a “polychrome”). With its burgundy red eye and matching red picotee edge.

Height: 38" | Bloom Size: 6½"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® 'Lake of Fire'

Enormous 7” flowers are apricot orange with an incredibly wide, orange red eye. Along the ruffled edge is a matching orange red picotee edge with a razor thin golden yellow margin. ‘Lake of Fire' will set your garden ablaze in midsummer.

Height: 24" | Bloom Size: 7"

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Hemerocallis 'Monterrey Jack'

Large flowers of perfect form are light yellow with a well-defined, raspberry red eye. The broad, rounded, ruffled petals open wide and flat. Strong grower with candelabra-branched scapes. Early bloomer.

Height: 24" | Bloom Size: 5½"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Nosferatu'

This daylily is similar to ‘Bela Lugosi' but is shorter and has fragrant blossoms with prominent dark purple veining. Very large, shimmering dark purple, very sunfast flowers with a chartreuse throat and ruffled petals. Heavy bloomer on well-branched scapes.

Height: 26" | Bloom Size: 6"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® 'Orange Smoothie'

4" wide, orange mango petals with a light rose band, pink mid-rib, and green throat. Well-branched, 4-way flower scapes have upwards of 32 buds per scape. Flowers are cookie-cutter consistent in form and color with excellent rebloom.

Height: 24" | Bloom Size: 4"

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Hemerocallis 'Passion for Red'

An advancement in red daylily breeding. Very sunfast, extremely vibrant red flowers have a contrasting yellow eye/throat zone visible on all 6 tepals. Very large, fragrant blossoms are carried on thick, 3-4 way branched scapes atop vigorously growing plants.

Height: 27" | Bloom Size: 6¾"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Primal Scream'

Nothing comes close to this spectacular award winner! Enormous, glimmering tangerine orange, gold dusted blossoms have narrow, twisted, ruffled petals. This one just screams “Buy me!” Steals the show when in bloom.

Height: 34" | Bloom Size: 8"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Ruby Spider'

A must-have for retailers; incredible impulse appeal. Gigantic 9", ruby red flowers with a radiating golden yellow throat have long petals that open wide. Planted singly or in groups, this extraordinary daylily is sure to make a huge visual impact!

Height: 34" | Bloom Size: 9"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Siloam Peony Display'

Produces an elegant display of large, consistently fully double, fragrant flowers with ruffled petals in midsummer; rebloomer. Peach, diamond dusted blossoms with a rose blush near the center.

Height: 18" | Bloom Size: 6"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® 'Sound of My Heart'

This new daylily from Walters Gardens hybridizer Chris Meyer (of 'Going Bananas' fame) has taken over a decade to reach critical mass in production and has outperformed a ruthless selection process to make our catalog. 5", pastel pink flowers have a very wide, wine purple eye with a matching purple picotee edge on the ruffled margins. Petals open flat, maximizing the floral display.

Height: 28" | Bloom Size: 5"

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® 'Storm Shelter'

A high quality tetraploid daylily. Mauve colored blossoms have enormous eggplant purple eyes and matching pie crust edges. Flower petals are elegantly rounded and made of heavy substance.

Height: 24" | Bloom Size: 5"

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Hemerocallis 'Star of the North'

A uniquely shaped daylily. Triangular, pale yellow petals have a large wine purple eye and a razor thin wine purple edge. An improved ‘El Desperado', this variety has a superior flower form, a higher bud count, better branching, rebloom, and earlier bloom season than its predecessor.

Height: 34" | Bloom Size: 5½

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Hemerocallis RAINBOW RHYTHM® ‘Tiger Swirl'

Huge, 6½" triangular-shaped flowers are light golden yellow with a pronounced raspberry red eye. Its bottom sepals are smooth, often twisting or curling into a “swirling” motion. A perfect companion to ‘Primal Scream' and ‘Ruby Spider'.

Height: 32" | Bloom Size: 6½"