John Bowers DAYLILIES
© 2006 John Bowers Daylilies site is best viewed at a screen resolution of 800x600 pixels	Glossary Of Terms The following guide to characteristics precedes the descriptive reference to each variety. Bloom Size. Measured in inches across the face of the flower. After lengthy debate I have decided not to list small flowered and miniatures separate to the large flowered varieties. For reference, any with blooms of less than 4 and a half inches are classed as small flowered, miniatures are less than 3". Height of the flowering stem. The foliage is usually lower. Diploid/Tetraploid. This is really of use to the breeder or specialist rather than casual grower and refers to the number of chromosomes a variety has. There are slight differences in appearance but they are not apparent to the casual observer. It is sometimes said that the Tetraploids have better substance and more intense colours, are more vigorous and weather resistant, but are sometimes coarser and less refined; Diploids are more graceful, more subtle in colour, open better in poor conditions and have better foliage, but with poorer flower colour saturation. In reality the differences are becoming rather blurred and are often so slight as not to affect the choice of the average gardener. Raiser and date of introduction. It is nice to know how old a variety is and give recognition to the person who bred it. Many like to concentrate on a certain era and there is always a debate over which are nicer - the new ones or the old! Personally I like them all and thus you will find offered the best new ones and many of the finer old ones too. Generally the newer cultivars have brighter colours and flowers of better substance, also the invaluable reblooming trait in some; but the older cultivars have their own more subtle charm and grace and are generally vigorous and quick to multiply and grow. Season (of bloom). Early in season is generally from mid June (although a few start even earlier). Mid season flowerers start from late June. Late season is from July/August or longer. Re-bloom is mentioned ONLY with those varieties which have thrown secondary flowering stems after the first flush is over, with us, here. This is opposed to official registration details which often list a variety as having re-bloom trait, but based on trials performed in America or other countries other than our own. Much depends on the length of our growing season and warmth of the Autumn. Quite simply some seasons are better for re-bloom than others. Dormant - Semi Evergreen - Evergreen. Refers to the foliage type. Dormant cultivars generally die away completely in Winter. Evergreens retain much of their foliage. Semi Evergreens are generally somewhere between the two. The classes often become difficult to tell apart as this is to a certain extent governed by the severity or otherwise of the Winter. Spider or Spider variants. A few of the varieties will be described as belonging to the Spider group of Daylilies. This has only relatively recently been recognised as being a distinct group. The flowers have very long and slender petals, which to qualify for being a true Spider must be no more than 1" in petal width, and with petals of at least 5" in length. This leads to a very long and slender flower which is very different to the majority of varieties of fatter, rounder shape. Spider variants are those varieties which have this basic shape but whose measurements fall just outside the strict criteria for a true Spider. Spider type Daylilies really are quite beautiful and elegant and increasing in popularity; the range of varieties available is lamentably small by comparison to the total number of varieties bred but I am seeking as many different kinds of Spider as I can to grow and trial as they are personal favourites of mine. MICROPROPOGATED OR 'TISSUE CULTURE' DAYLILIES. The last year or two has seen a marked rise in the quantity of Daylily plants being mass produced and sold in Garden Centres. These are to be treated with caution as the very process of producing a plant in a laboratory cannot entirely predict the results and some specialist Daylily collectors who have grown on these plants report rather varied findings. At best these plants can resemble the varieties they were cloned from, at worst they are pale and wan imitations. Sometimes distinct variations can occur within the very same batch! As one specialist put in 'they were Strawberry Candy - but they weren't if you know what I mean?' Usually it is the plants length of bloom season and flower size which are affected but the colour pigmentation and foliage can also be inferior. One mail order nursery is already offering plants of this origination and that's fine. If you know what you are getting and willing to take the chance on receiving inferior stock then at least you know where you are. But usually the Garden Centres selling them do not make it clear. The worst part is the price is usually far lower and I have already had customers reporting to me that my plants carry over inflated prices. This is not true as we never knowingly supply from micro stock. All plants are propagated here the old fashioned way, divided by hand and grown on from the original stock plants. I try to keep prices down in line with how much the originals cost me. The new varieties do seem expensive but they are generally a little cheaper than if purchased in the country of origination - i.e. America, Australia etc. so I think you are receiving a good price. Of course many of the older varieties are very reasonable. FINALLY ... A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF SOME TECHNICAL TERMS WHICH WILL CROP UP IN DESCRIPTIONS SCAPES Is the term used to describe the flowering stem. BRANCHING The side shoots of the flowering stem. A variety described as having good branching will have better presentation. SEPALS Although to the casual observer the Daylily bloom consists simply of 6 main petals, 3 of them, the 3 which are placed just slightly behind the main petals, are in fact sepals. To describe accurately bi-coloured forms it is necessary to differentiate the colour of the true petals and the sepals. DIAMOND-DUSTING This is a strange and rather beautiful phenomenon in which some varieties display what appears to be a fine dusting of gold which glitters when it catches the sun. FANS A fan is the term used to describe one growing shoot of the plant, a mature clump of Daylily will consist of several 'fans' growing together. SPACING - 2-3ft between plants of most large flowered varieties is ideal. Dwarf/Miniatures can be planted 2ft apart or closer.