'Lady Betty Fritz' |
Yet, I cannot resist some naive impulse that allows me to believe the fantastically colored pictures on daylily plant tags. Yesterday, Hemerocallis 'Lady Betty Fritz', pictured at the upper right, bloomed for the first time in my garden.. Although admittedly it is a first bloom on a small plant, it bears little resemblance to the fantastic coloring on the plant tag, as reproduced to the left, nor to pictures one the web. Nor to the description on the back of the tag; "flowers ivory with a red eye and double-red gold edge above a green throat." Now, I don't know about you, but I would call the eye "maroon" or "deep purple-rust", not "red." And the "double red-gold" edge is barely present. And there is no ivory that I can see. I purchased this one at a reputable nursery, so I don't think it is merely mislabeled. And I don't think that I've misplaced the plant; it is one of only three new daylilies I've planted this year. The bloom size WAS very large. But I can only conclude that daylily describers are all just imaginative Lucy's.
I've been taken in again and again, long enough that I suppose I'm beyond hope for learning the lesson. At least the local annual Hemerocallis Society sale, where I buy most of my daylilies at cut-rate prices, throws the fans on tables labeled "orange", "yellow" and "pink", and so I'm less likely to be disappointed. I just need to stay away from catalogues and fanciful plant tags. Perhaps a local Daylilies Anonymous would be helpful. Anyone else care to join?
Lady Betty Fritz may not wind up being exactly as billed (I have a Blueberry Frost that's nowhere near blue whereas her photo was), but I'm sure you'll end up liking her. Daylilies have a way of weedling themselves into our hearts no matter how great the initial disappointment. At least for me they do. Take heart, she'll be a beautiful something.
ReplyDeleteThis is by far my biggest pet peeve with almost all the flowering plants advertised via the internet. It sometimes makes you wonder if people are colourblind who describe these things, never mind the more understandable multiple difficulties with colour matching the pictures. I have become quite cynical and won't buy something until I can see the colour with my own eyes. I can't afford to fill my garden with "maybe" plants.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with "Unknown" above as probably do many, if not most garden collectors. It happens with other plants but for some reason the colour description issue seems far worse with daylilies. I want to see that sucker in bloom before I put down my money and invest my time...or at least see a description from a private grower rather than some highly imaginative marketer who has apparently never actually laid eyes on the flower being described. Very frustrating.
ReplyDelete