What is E, M, ML, L

11 years ago

Hello,

I have noticed that daylilies are listed as E, M, ML, L, as I look towards next year and the new daylilies I have planted I was curious as to what months do the designations refer too. I am in zone 5/6, and I know any particular year can be a little different. It would be great if the Late daylilies were Sept/Oct, as I'm sure you know, the blooms are limited at that time of year. Also what are some good blooming Late daylilies for my zone in the $5-$15 range and who do you buy them from. Lastly, I have read a lot of good remarks about ordering from Maryotts and from what I understand his daylilies will do well in my zone. I was wondering if I should wait until next fall if I want to order from him due to the sales and BOGO or do I need to worry about availability of plants and order in spring. I am new and would not consider any plant over $20 more than likely.

Thanks,

Gale

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Comments (8)

FlowerGardener
11 years ago
E, M, ML and L refer to when they bloom during the daylily bloom season in your part of the country bloom season is not the same all over the country. E is early season, M is mid season, ML is mid-late and L is late it is nice to have some for each season in order to have blooms for a longer period of time. Someone in your area should be able to tell you when your bloom season is although keep in mind that it can change from year to year depending on the weather.
silverkelt
11 years ago
Keep in mind, that most of the time those bloom times are judged by the hybridizer over the course of 3 or so years of records, in their garden, in thier zone, area of the country ect...

A early in florida, southern cal or texas, may end up being a middle in more northern zones ect..
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nat4b
11 years ago
Maryott is a great source, and Check out Sunset Meadow too!
In my limited experience in my zone, there is not much difference between EM and M, they are kinda all starting at the same time, but lates are somewhat later :)
Ed
11 years ago
M or mid-season is supposed to align with the peak bloom in your area/zone. Mid-season will occur earlier in the south than in more northern areas. The most common terms are Extra Early, Early, Early Mid-season, Mid-season, Mid-season Late, Late and Very Late. Abbreviated EE, E, EM, M, ML, L, VL. Each season division is supposed to last for two weeks. Tack on an extra Extra or Very if your bloom falls outside these divisions. It's notable that seedlings will often bloom out of season the first year of bloom. Observe for several years before deciding what their bloom season is. A good way to determine your likely peak bloom/mid-season is to look for flower shows in your area. They usually are planned for the Early Mid-season to Mid-season to make sure there is adequate blooms for the show. There are also a couple of registered cultivars that are referred to as markers. Seems like H. Alec Allen is one.
Ed
nat4b
11 years ago
Interesting, never heard of markers. Do they consistently bloom at a certain time or what? Well, quick google search displays results about labels/markers as I thought.
gdjcb
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for info, I appreciate it. So for North would very late be September, early October?

Thanks again,
Gale
gdjcb
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for info, I appreciate it. So for North would very late be September, early October?

Thanks again,
Gale
Ed
11 years ago
Interesting, never heard of markers. Do they consistently bloom at a certain time or what?
Yes, they bloomed consistently and were fairly available. Back in the early days when there were far fewer collectors of daylilies, this type of information was harder to come by, thus the need for markers.

Not sure about when VL would occur in your area Gale. I would recommend you ask a grower or collector in your area. If you go to the AHS (link below) website and click on About the Society, it will give you regional information. You can go to the region for your area and search for clubs in your area. Email the club(s) close to you and ask them when Very Late occurs, or better, go to a meeting! You'll probably come home with more than an answer!
Good luck, Ed

Here is a link that might be useful: AHS website