My experience with Daylilies began for me in my West Virginia garden. Although there had been gardening of the most delightful nature during the ten years we lived in Chile, South America, there had been no daylilies. When we returned to West Virginia the only daylilies I found at that time were the common roadside one and the sweet old lemon lily treasured for very early flowers. Each year they were among the first to bloom and will mingle sweet scented, light yellow flowers among nodding bells of snowflakes, spikes of white fraxinella and blue-starred spikes of camassia.

Then a friend who lived in their backyard landscape and garden selected for me a number to give successive bloom. That was a revelation, for previously Id thought the daylily bloomed only in late June and for only a short time.

One of those selected was a good old-time variety cherished because it is in flower long before any of the so-called “early” ones of more recent introduction. This was the first to open of the list selected. It added so much interest among self-sown drifts of white sweet rocket.