Purple Riot is gorgeous! I think your expectations of at least 10 buds per scape and at least three weeks of bloom is reasonable. But this was an unreasonable season. For example, Ruby Lipstick has had more than 20 buds per scape most seasons here, and even into the 30s one very wet year. But this year it had only 6 buds per scape. Others in my garden had similar drastic reductions in bud count. The real question is are these seesaw temp Springs that cause low bud count now the norm?

Debra

I agree with Debra, this has been an off season. Consistent rebloomers have to be considered too. Of course, i am the one who finds something redeeming about every daylily i have that allows it to stay. I have kept Arkansas Post and Brave World for years because I like them together. They had never had many buds. I moved them a couple of years ago,planning on easing them out of my garden. They have been much better budded since. I am determined to get rid of some plants this year though, multiple clumps or very similar ones, i want new daylilies. I have a couple too that are so nice in bloom like Purple Riot, they just don't last as long.

Quite a few are leaving here this year, Nancy...at least ten, and quite possibly more. even with the new ones, I am almost down to 250. That is with not counting the ones that are leaving. I have actually counting all the new ones to get to that total. That means I am down almost a hundred of them; I never thought I would make it.

kay

Purple Riot is stunning with that clump!! Although I fought bugs and deer this season, my lilies really overall performed well. I had a terrifically long season-6 weeks counting the instant rebloom- with Thomas Tew although it did not bouquet bloom (only second year for it) but that was fine. By contrast, as much as I flower love Entwined in the Vine, it does bouquet bloom in my garden and I only have a couple of weeks with it. I think because I have so many, I am not quite as observant about that, Brad. There are always some blooming. Some do not have many buds but throw great beautiful blooms-I have the room so I keep them. Others bloom forever but I don't particularly care for them-I have the room so I keep them but I am not sad if they don't make it (those, however, are NEVER the ones that don't make it!!). If I had limited space, I would most definitely be more into the stats of a lily when I bought it and yes, I would definitely be looking at more than 5-7 buds!

Kate

Thanks for the feedback. What you have said is what I've been thinking more or less. I do keep a few less performers-Brave World being one, Nancy, though this year it is doing well! I do take into account the weather and look for long term patterns, not just one year performance. While I've been able to get rid of poor performers and replace them with better ones, I hoped that I wasn't getting to demanding and set up for disappointment.

If you read the stats on some daylilies, 45 bud per scape sometimes, I get nothing approaching that here, and if you go by that you are in for disappointment I think. Maybe if perfect weather, you fertilize them and water them regularly, which I do not. I do have a few that get quite good bud counts. Oddly one is I'm an Angel. The first couple of years I had it, it barely reached its height, and not many buds. I moved it, not to an obviously better spot. It is supposed to get 24" tall about 15 buds. Since I moved it 3 or 4 years ago, 15 is the minimum number of buds it has, most going well into the 20s, and easily 36" tall now. I got it from a reliable source, and the bloom is exactly what it should be. Strangely enough, my seedlings get even worse treatment, but I have 3 or 4 that get the best bud counts of any named. I guess they want to stay. I have an El Desperado seedling that has had 32 to 39 bud. Better than its parent, problem is, it looks exactly like it's parent

Nancy , I have heard that whatever zone a daylily is hybridized in ....lets say Augusta Georgia for example Zone 8b . If I am bringing a daylily with 40 buds into my zone 6a that originated in Augusta , they say to calculate a possible loss of 5 blooms per zone . Another spot says 6 to 8 buds lost for every zone moving north . I am in 6a. so I would lose 20 to 25 buds per scape . Meaning I would only see possibly 15 to 20 buds per scape in my zone .

Interesting, I had heard lots of people saying they did not get the same bud count, but never a figure. So I really should look at those and place in a more conducive location. I have not been buying so many much southerly daylilies, but sometimes I just can't help myself.

signet - I've heard those bud count reduction theories before. I don't know if they're true. But I do know I sometimes get higher bud counts on northern daylilies than registered stats. So there may be something to it.

I am not quite as demanding. * is my minimum.

kay

Right now I'm not demanding at all; if it blooms I am ecstatic! Give me a few years...:) Interestingly enough, when I went to check on Purple Riot at the AHS, it said "5 branches and 5 buds" - that's quite a few less than yours!

Alex

Alex, Yes I've seen that description for Purple Riot, and the NGA website [garden.org] says 5 branches, under 10. The description is in error for both. Could you imagine 5 branches, each with one bud on it? Doesn't fit the name nor could I imagine someone registering something that looked like that. Maybe it should have read "5 per branch".