And being much further south having some rains, particularly early, even though we had repeated short freezes, no prolonged ones and crazy periods much warmer than normal in Winter, the daylilies here liked it. This was one of the best seasons I have had with tall plants and decent bloom...I will give it a 9.5 (my spouse who was never a big fan of daylilies before said it was an 11). I am still pinching off scapes on plants that I got this summer and put in pots..so far I have pinched. Whats Up down South, Jazz After Five, Lillian's White Lies and today, The Dark Side. Mantis, I was reading a book either the AHS or Billingsley and it said that you can't go by ploidy to determine if a plant will do well in your location...which I think is what you are sayiing.

kay

A season like no other. I too am in Ohio but we received a lot of rain throughout most of the season and bloom was best ever. We are getting a lot of rebloom on plants that have never rebloomed before. It is dry now but rain promised for the next two days.

What a crazy year it has been here--a range of extremes. First we had a long cold winter. Amazingly the southern evergreens seems to prefer that to the mild winter a year ago. Then we had a couple of late frosts after the temperatures started to warm up. Then we went straight into July temperature. We had prolonged periods of dryness too. The seedlings seemed to be unaffected. They were the best budded and branched plants in the garden. Many of the named varieties had short scapes and few buds, but some did just fine. The bunch that seemed most affected was the late bloomers. The scapes were short, flowers small, and buds few. And yet, as Dick has observed, we too are getting rebloom on plants that have never done so before.

Seed harvest has not yet begun here, but I am not too hopeful. The pods I have already picked dried before the seeds were ripe. That was what we observed in 2012. The pods seem to dry and crack open at about a month on the plant and the seeds are soft. I guess it is all good since we are running out of room to plant seedlings.

We finally got some rain--2 and a half inches on Sunday and Monday. We really needed it.

Nancy

Although I was frustrated by short scapes and some very low bud counts on previous star plants, overall it was a pretty good season - and a longer one than normal. The ample rain here kept the foliage looking good and promoted lots of rebloom. There were gorgeous flowers, nice clumps, and some plants that laughed at the temperature extremes. My laundry supplies thwarted the deer herd in the area, and I'm thankful for that. Now I'm looking forward to quite a bit of August rebloom - more than ever. So I would give this season a 7.5.

Debra

It's good to know that I'm not the only one! Ohio's insane weather led to shorter scapes and smaller, faded blooms, generally (though, for some reason, Beautiful Edgings is about 4-ft. tall, and has been blooming for weeks!) Even my Omega Red only reached about 3 ft.

There's a daylily farm I love in Findlay, Perennial Plant Pedder; they are a favorite of mine because their daylilies are huge, beautiful, and healthy. My visit there this year made me feel better about my own gardens, as their daylilies are definitely on the short side as well.

If I were to give this season a letter grade, it would be C-.

Haven't been doing this long enough to give any grade, but I can confirm that our season is very similar to hoosier Nancy's. The majority of the plants I put in the ground last fall have or are blooming with multiple healthy strong scapes, though I suspect shorter than what they would normally be. Almost all of my seedlings, including the newly planted babies are doing great, but I have been watering like crazy since it's been so dry. I've got the sprinkler going right now; need to go turn it off so things can dry in case I want to make crosses.

Question: if something was planted this spring, looks really big (multiple healthy fans), but hasn't bloomed yet - is there any chance that it might still bloom - sort of like it's in rebloom mode? There are a few of these I really wanted the chance to hybridize with.

Alex

Had to go edit that since I accidentally wrote multiple healthy scapes instead of fans.

Upstate NY we are known for hard winters where temps can fall below zero overnight but here we've only experienced temps at zero (very few nights) or in the teens overnight. We had plenty of snowfall but the wind tend to push the snow off some areas and piles it on other parts creating high drifts. Spring came late this year and then summer ramped up. We had good rainfall and the foliage was lush until we hit temps in the high 80's to 90's and no rain. Some cultivars had regular scape height while others were short. Over the past 2 weeks we have gotten more rain and the benefit is obvious in bloom size. I do not supplement watering and rely solely on Mother Nature. We've had droughts and gone through the yo-yo weather pattern before and I just hope for better next season.

Since the season here has not ended yet, I'll just put in a tentative B- or a 7.

Julia

We had the same crazy spring weather, plus I ran into some insects that destroyed a lot of buds on early bloomers before I sprayed and got rid of them. I have not had much problems with short scapes though, except for some new plants that were put out this spring. I can only think of 1 that had shorter scapes, I think it was Feliz Navidad, but I have another red with a holiday name and i always confuse them. It has been a decent year for rebloom, but I mentioned to Debra earlier, different plants than usual are reblooming right now. Several of my normal dependable reblooming have not yet done anything. Still time though. I would say this has been an above average year, would have been much better if those bugs had left my plants alone.

If I had to rate this season here in S.W. Ontario Canada, it would be a D for disappointing (translated maybe a 5 out of 10) .

The freeze/thaw, freeze/thaw cycles in April took its toll. All told I probably had to dig up 23 or 24 daylilies to rescue them. They had either succumbed to the miserable weather and water logged ground which froze over and over again or were shadows of their former selves. Not all survived but many did although they are pretty much blades of grass size now which I have under lights to try to bring them back .

Then we moved into May ........and not a drop of rain .Temps soared up into the 90's plus and the poor plants didn't know what hit them . The plants were stunted some/many only half their regular height and although it didnt seem to diminish the blooms the blooms were smaller . It was almost like the plants chose to put their energy into blooms which could possibly translate into seeds. ( self preservation).

June was pretty much the same really high temps with one rain event at the beginning of the month which was so pathetic in volume you might as well say no rain.

We were 3/4 of the way through July when we finally got some decent rain and several heavy downpours . A blessing out of nowhere. I am sure I would have lost more daylilies had we continued into August with no rain.

As it was/is the plants have been given a reprieve and me too , thank goodness. Watering here is impossible on a well. I have in the past run the well dry trying to water gardens, a feat in itself and much frowned upon by my husband who of course is the one who has to try to re-prime the well (thank goodness for the water in the hot water tank that made the priming possible ) or I would have really been on the s--t list. I don't do that anymore .

Weeding was near impossible this year , the plants just wouldn't let go and the heavy clay ground was like cement , although I made sure flower heads and seed heads came off so I didn't end up with more. I sure don't need more weeds.

I am hopeful that from here on out to October we get the rain we need , the stinkin' high temps can drift back down to the Gulf Coast where they belong and we can maybe catch up on all sorts that needed doing but didn't get done because it was too dreadful to be outside. I feel like I only saw 1/2 the summer this year as staying inside in air conditioning was more than a good idea , it was necessary .

My season has been much like Hoosier Nan with one exception, we’ve only had 1/2 of rain in July. Storms have just missed the area. I’ve done rescue watering the past week in all the gardens and taking care to make sure my newly added daylilies do well. Early bloomers had initially short scapes but all seemed to shape up on about third scape to emerge. A plant or two had extremely pale blooms all season. Had some plants with smaller blooms all season. The late bloomers here are doing great! It’s hard to put a number on the season, late blooming gets a 9, mid bloom gets a 6 and early bloom gets a 3.

Sherry

Sherry - The early bloomers were the most adversely affected here on bud counts.

Same here, coldest April in years, with snow and all that, and the hottest May, it was also too hot for too long in June. There are some shorter scapes but not really a problem, low bud count - yes, I'd usually get a month of bloom but this year 2 weeks on most of them. Almost no rebloom, although it is usually instant rebloom with not a lot of buds.

I didn't lose any that's a plus. I've had worse seasons, especially the 2012 drought one that was so awful, and that one year when I lost a lot of new plants. So I'd give it a 7.

Signet, if all those problems still warranted a "5," one shudders to think what a "2" would be like. Noah's flood? Pestilence? Swarms of locusts? No rain at all?

Mantis , compared to last year this year has been heaven . We had your last scenerio last year. Noah's flood in April ( same as this year ) . No locusts, b ut we had no rain at all to speak of from end of May to beginning of October last year . So I am not surprised at all that this years blooms and plants are stunted but the saving grace this year has been the last 10 days with rain several times even in the same day. So I would say last year was a 2 this year yup, a 5 .

For the gardener I'd rate it a "D". The only thing we lacked was a spring freeze and a tornado or two. We went from cold winter to hot summer with no time out. As for the daylilies, for me they are pretty consistent from year to year. Maybe it's the pots that keep things so steady. Don't know. These last few days we've had cooler temperatures in the 80's and light rain. It was God's blessing as we had doctor appointments we had to keep and who wants to come home from those and lug a hose around watering plants in 100 degree temperatures. Tomorrow the heat returns so that's that. I've got one bud left on Reindeer Antlers and then it's over for the year...........Maryl

The weather seems to control our gardens all the time...The third week in March in our state (but we didn't get the worst of it) there was a historical hail storm with baseball sized hair, snow, a tornado, rain, the only thing we lacked was a hurricane. I have done the least gardening this summer ever...true, I yank weeds every time I am out, but no full days as usual it got too hot too fast...bu the daylillys have been wonderful. I have been snapping re-boom scapes for the last two weeks. I snapped one off of the lazy Hyacinth Macaw that I will be moving, and it has put another one up. even the new plants have gotten into the act...I have snapped scapes on four of them. My season stared in mid April. I needs to end. It has been a wonderful season, but it should be over here.

kay

Kay, have you ever left the daylilies do their own thing, not snapping off those rebloom scapes? I’m just wondering what the following season would be like if you didn’t remove the last batch of rebloom scapes.

Sherry

Sherry, I have, but I am just interested in these plants groeing strong root systems. most of what I am removing are either on plants that have already re-bloomed twice, or on brand new plants I am groeing roots on in the posts. Admittedly, I pinched Hyacinth Macaw because I am disgusted with the poor performance including one mis-shaped bloom this year, but left the second spike and it should bloom soon. It has such a gorgeous bloom I hate to get rid of it. Lillians white Lies had been in the pot only two weeks, and The Dark Side about a month. Jazz after Five is my third (and last ) try. I ama just ready for the season to end and get started on the huge re-oganization (yet again) in the garden.

kay

Aaahhh, reorganization and planning..........I’m wondering if I’ll ever be happy with what I see in the garden. I remember thinking,” next season I’ll just be able to sit and enjoy it”. That was more years ago than I can remember. Now I’m wondering if I’ll ever be “done”. I was looking forward to just maintaining the gardens.

Sherry

Geez, Sherry - don't tell me that. I've just starting putting in the daylilies, and I was telling myself "this is going to be less work than the mix of veggies and flowers I had before" - ha ha!

Alex

I think as gardeners we'll always want to change things, add new plants, and improve things. My problem has been the encroaching shade that just gets worse every year. I continually have to move things because of that. And I'm always trying to find more room to grow my seedlings, so older plants are given away to neighbors or sold.

Debra

I think what Debra/Kay said hits home with me. I love to try new things every year. If I don't then it's down to only garden maintenance. How boring is that!? No surprises to keep me interested in what's next. Right now my Naked Ladies (Lycoris Squamigera) just popped up and a welcome addition to the garden they are. Especially since I don't have to do anything to them other then cut them down after they finish flowering. Then I start looking forward to Pansy season........Maryl

Of course, you're all right - it's the adventure of the unknown that lies ahead that keeps us coming back to the garden. If it was only maintenance, then it would feel like just work.

I too had the crazy spring, warm March, icy April, hot May. I thought that April would really wreck the season, and some of the plants were a bit slow to start. However, we've had an amazing amount of rain all summer that compensated. I think I had a normal season overall but a bit on the light side on buds & therefore short blooming season for a number of the varieties mainly due to my massive thinning and rearranging last fall. Most of those I didn't move did excellently.

Reblooms were limited to just 3 or 4, which happens here a lot. I'd give the season a 6 or so.

Getting back to rating the season, the only measure I have is bloom counts. I have been diligently counting blooms on a daily basis for the last three years, and putting those counts into a spread sheet. This year I decided to add a column to compare this years counts to last years. My numbers are small - I live on a 1/4 acre suburban lot, complete with house and large deck - so space is quite limited. Of the 37 cultivars that bloomed both years, the average difference in bloom count is +14. That's an average of 14 more blooms per cultivar this year than last. I guess that means I've had a good year so far. My season is not over yet - a few cultivars in that count are still blooming, so that average will be changing.