Better if you can order from a similar hardiness zone. Zone 8 probably is growing more evergreen daylilies, while semievergreen and dormant daylilies will probably do better for you. That is not to say you can't grow evergreens, but on the safe side it is better to know that someone in your zone or lower is growing that particular one well. Southern grown daylilies often arrive looking huge and gorgeous, more so than northern growers, but don't let that fool you. Check for reputable growers before ordering. You can ask here, or davesgarden has reviews

I agree with Nancy. Southern sellers often offer a completely different group of daylilies--southern bred, evergreen or semi-evergreen. Some of those might do fine in your climate and others might not survive the first winter. A northern grower is more apt to carry the ones that will thrive in your climate.

That being said, one factor to consider is snow cover in the winter. Here in Indiana, we don't have snow cover and have frequent freeze and thaw cycles. That is hard on southern grown daylilies so we try to stay away from them. If you have snow on the ground through the worst parts of winter, you may be able to grow those southern-bred plants.

Another factor to consider is rust. Southern growers spray for rust, so it may seem that the plants are rust-free when you get them. If rust is harbored in the tissues, you may see an outbreak in late summer. The rust won't overwinter in your climate, (and it won't kill the plants) but it might make the plants look unsightly for a while. If you buy field grown (not greenhouse grown) plants from a northern grower, you won't have to worry about that.

Nancy

Thanks, guys! was concerned about the hardiness difference but did not think about the rust issue.

that being said, any recommendations for a northern grower? does not have to be pickup, usps or other delivery is fine.

Here are some I have used.

Oak Hill Daylilies is a great one, but I don't believe she ships until August.

Roth Daylily Farm is a good source.

Oakes Daylilies has lots of daylilies are reasonable prices.

I have purchased many from The Lily Auction (www.daylily.com. It has lots of sellers and it does say where they are shipping from. It works a lot like ebay. Some of the daylilies are auctions and some are buy-it-now. I have been very happy with the sellers there.

There are Facebook pages devoted to selling, but it's not always easy to see where they are shipping from. I would suggest Daylilies & Seedlings Sales Page, A Dollop of Daylilies Auction Page, Daylily Hybridizers, Daylily Deals of the Day (but it's the pricey one),

Charlotte's Daylily Diary lists lots of sources (www.daylilydiary.com). It lists lots of hybridizers who sell their own intros including ours--Cherry Hill Garden.

I would avoid sellers like Brecks and Gilbert Wild. They are known for low quality, dried out plants.

If you are not familiar with American Daylily Society (www.daylilies.org), you should check out their website. They maintain a database with information about all registered daylilies. The National Gardening Association also has a database, which duplicates the info in the American Daylily Society datatbase, but it can also include additional photos.

There are lots of beautiful daylilies. I hope you find some nice ones.

Nancy

Thanks everyone. i'm a sucker for spiders so decided to purchase from Woodhenge

Good choice! You won't be disappointed.