Looking for Flore Pleno

14 years ago

Hi. I'm new to daylilies, but was looking into using a variety in a difficult spot in my yard. I just read Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden by Graham Rice. He recommended the Flore Pleno daylily. I have a dry shade area I'm trying to fill and thought this might be a great way to bring it some color. The daylilies would be in a spot that is part-shade and not so dry as the rest of the bed is.

Two questions -

Anyone had luck with this variety in a shadier location?

I'm having a hard time locating. I think it has two names. Flore Pleno is the one that the book gave, but then Kwanso pops up online when I search. Also, is it very common? I'd like to purchase larger sizes locally as a first choice, but if its not likely to be found, I'll order. Recommendations for where I can purchase? Thank you!

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Comments (4)

dementieva
14 years ago
If Flore Pleno is the same as Kwanso, you'll probably have better luck searching for Kwanso and its alternate spellings (Kwanzo, maybe others).

There's a house down the street with a large planting of it in a very shady garden, and it seems to do well (she didn't know what it was but I'm pretty sure it's Kwanso). I've never grown it personally. I bet some other people here can help with their own experiences.

Nate
weedyseedy
14 years ago
I think they may be slightly different, Kwanso being very twisted and irregular masses of petals--some people think not too great a form, but it is bright. Flore Pleno being maybe more evenly "hose in hose" evenly petaled. Mine refuse to bloom where they are under a vibernum and shaded but do fairly well where there is a little more sun. But you may have to try them to see how much shade will stop their blooming. They do better in full sun and I have seen them "escaped" in woods around old cellars and they just form a green ground cover. Hostas may do better in shade but they need some water, I think.----------------------------------------------Weedy
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jeanne
14 years ago
I know both of these daylilies. Kwanso is the taller of the two and grows about 40 inches for me. A large patch of Flore Pleno grows behind the car parts store at the corner, it's a much shorter plant, perhaps 18 to 20 inches, and as Weedy said the petals are stacked one inside the other unlike Kwanso which is fully double. That particular patch grows in sun so I can't comment on its shade tolerance.

Hope that helps,
Jeanne
signet_gw(6b)
14 years ago
I grow Kwanzo which is as stated a messy looking bloom not quite double not quite single and Kwanzo Flore Pleno which has mulitple layers ,one layer on top of another . I also grow varigated Kwanzo. Both Kwanzo and K.flore Pleno grow well here in shade and in sun. I have a clump of Flore Pleno that got tossed into the edge of the garden (I meant to plant it but forgot last fall and havent got around to it yet this spring ) and it is growing merrily away sitting on top of the ground This is one tough daylily! Varigated Kwanzo needs more light hours to bloom and so needs to be in sun and is a shorter variety but still not as short as 18 or 20 inches here

Signet