Trahlyta la la la la la

It's almost Christmas, what am I doing in "Daylily Madness" again??? It happens that the 2009 American Hemerocallis Society cultivar award winners are announced and featured in The Daylily Journal - Winter 2009 edition!

The pictured daylily from my garden, Hemerocallis "Trahlyta" won the Lenington All-American Award. The Lenington Award is given to to a single cultivar annually which is recognized to be the best performer over a wide geographic area. (Trahyta had previously won an Award of Merit in 2004 and Honorable Mention in 2001.)

Best performer of a wide geographic area always means good news for those of us who garden in Zone 5 or colder. It guarantees the daylily is no "wimp" in our cold winters and hot damp summers and will also survive drought.

Introduced by the late Frank Childs in 1982, it became a resident of my garden in October of 2008.

This is one of those daylilies that no picture can do it justice. It may become my favorite as the plant matures.

Here are the qualities of Trahlyta (other than the happy Christmas carol kind of name):

6 1/2 inch silver/gray lavender soft violet/purple with a dark ruby/purple eyezone and yellow/green throat. It is a single bloom with slightly ruffled edges. At maturity, it stands on a 30 inch stalk and blooms early to mid season. It is said to rebloom but probably won't in our area. It is a Dormant variety and very fragrant. It divides and spreads and is a Diploid.

The reason for the many variations of colors describing the blooms is because it can look different in different weather, times of the day, light, and maturity. All looks are beautiful but let me describe what the camera can't capture.

The petals remind me of gun metal but more lavender/purple and totally dusted with pearlizing. It is so different from other colors of daylilies (or other perennials) it stops you in your tracks when in bloom. Each day it offers up a big beautiful flower that you swear can not get any better - until tomorrow. I often pick it just to observe the beauty and fragrance all day long in the house.

It doesn't have a downside for me. It doesn't spot in the rain, is sturdy enough to withstand storms, the changes in color are not a negative or lessening of beauty, and it doesn't clash with most other colors. I would advise putting it where it can be the center of attention. Mine is surrounded by light lavender and dark colors. It takes time to produce the 30 inch stalks and should be planted near the front of your beds.

For it's age (almost 30 years), it remains a favorite of daylily gardeners everywhere. It would make a very nice Christmas present for someone who has Daylily Madness!