We Don't Need No Ed U K shun

Hemerocallis "Orange Tawny" aka Ditch Lily

Even though I was a young adult during the 60's and 70's, I never quite got the point of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" lyrics.  Unless it was tongue in cheek, education whether in school or in life can make things easier down the road.  

As gardeners, we seek more knowledge because it enhances our understanding of the garden world we love.  Not just the practical side of "how to", but, the understanding of how things work, why and the history.

As a daylily crazed gardener, I enjoy the fine points of daylily everything.  Yes, pretty much everything.  The following is from the American Hemerocallis Association.  This little bit of information refers to Color Range.

Hemerocallis "Lemon Lily"

Modern hybrid daylilies have a remarkably diverse color range, especially considering that the wild types from which they have been bred were only in shades of yellow, orange, fulvous (i.e., dull reddish yellow), and rosy-fulvous. Today, the only colors notably lacking are pure white and pure blue. Needless to say, hybridizers are avidly pursuing these two colors.

Basic Flower Color

The outer portion of the daylily flower is considered to be the basic color of the flower. The present daylily color range includes:

·      Yellow:  All shades from the palest lemon, through bright yellow and gold, to orange.

·      Red:  Diverse shades of scarlet, carmine, tomato-red, maroon, wine-reds, and blackish-reds.

·      Pink:  From pale pink through rose-pink to rose-red.

·      Purple:  From pale lavender and lilac to deep grape or violet.

·      Melon or Cream-Pink:  From palest cream shades to deep cantaloupe shades.

Notes: Buff, Brown, Apricot, and Peach are thought to be variations of pink plus yellow. Near-whites are found among the palest tints of yellow, pink, lavender, or melon.

Throat Color

The center area of the daylily flower is called the throat. In most daylilies, the throat color differs from the rest of the flower. Usually it is a shade of green, yellow, gold, orange, apricot, or melon.

Stamen Color

Like the throat, the stamens may be a different color from the basic flower color and the throat color. Or, the stamens may be of matching color. Usually they are light yellow to greenish. The anthers at the tips of the stamens are often darker in colorsometimes black. 

The two pictured daylilies are the old "wild types" and are still available today.