silverkelt, the ones I'm talking about are not the lovely ones like yours but may be the species. My hybrids are no trouble; they're staying pretty small so far and are no trouble. No one sells those around here, and everyone sells the waterhogs that grow like weeds, and people buy them (including me obviously, but no more).

Ingrid

These are my hybrids, and are not named, though I keep getting closer to what I think are worthy ones. I consider myself a "serious" hobbiest, I usually start 5-600 seedlings a year.. then cull them after they fail to excite me, or the plants are not worthy to carry on.

One of my favorites for this year..

On a pink day..

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On a purlpe day.. this one is impacted by temp, not all of them are..

{{gwi:309255}}

This could be named now.. its big, flashy, vigorous, tall, dormant, emo (daylily stats would be like this, 7inch purple, with pink neon eye, 36 inch tall, 3-4 way branching 20-25 bud count, emo or early morning opener)

{{gwi:309256}}

My best toothy one to date, this too would be worthy of a name.

{{gwi:309257}}

My favorite pink of the year..

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I wont bore you with stats or parent names, I ramble on in the daylily forum enough about them.

Silverkelt

I am totally smitten by the 6th (blue on white) and a number of others. Congratulations on you impressive work.

Cath

Gorgeous daylilies Silverkelt. All beautiful, but the ones that set my heart pitter patter is the creamy one with the lavender eye and the berry colored picotee edge and the large pink with the yellow pictoee edge and of course the big flashy purple one...that one needs to be in my garden. :-) Will any of these daylilies be in commerce?

Also, I know we live in completely different climates, but I always wanted to ask a daylily person how come my daylilies leaves tend to flop after bloom and if there was anything I could do to discourage it? Generally I cut them down when they start doing this and then they come up lush and upright again, but would rather not have that "wait" if possible. Just wondering if there is something I am doing or not doing that causes the problem?

I always forget about the US fondness for hemerocallis and echinaceas - slowly creeping over here. Personally, although I do grow a few, I tend not to grow them with roses since I only grow the ones quite close to the species - but NOT the orange H.fulva ditchlilies which I consider a weed. However, even the tall yellows which are fragrant (Marion Vaughn, Whichford, Citrina) do not, to my mind, look good with roses. My absolute favourites, the early lilioasphodelus and Golden Chimes, suffer slightly in my gravel gardens (where I also have burnet roses). Before the angry refutations pour in, I am hugely impressed with Silverkelt's hybrids - have seen many pics of them in the past. However, although there are remonrant hemerocallis to be had in the UK, I still regard them as fairly ephemeral and grow them with panicum, rudbeckias, heleniums, stipa, molinia and so on, in a wetter part of the garden. Of course, my roses would simply swamp the daintier daylilies, nor would they look appropriate with the older reds such as Stafford and Mallard (I don't expect anyone to be familiar with these old, old daylilies since breeding has moved on so far in the US).
I would say that it was a good judgement call, Ingrid, since Spice (I think it is Hume's Blush or odorata, no?) is a dainty little rose and would look considerably better without ramping great daylilies. I suspect you are moving away from the cottagey style you seemed to favour, towards a more californian way of gardening - I loved the look of some of the books Tessiess recommended - especially festucas and echeverias.
Strawbs, I know you love fragrance but I honestly have to say that I have never smelt much of anything in the asiatic lilies. Martagons, species and of course, anything connected to the orientals, but the asiatics, although cheap and easy, are not, to my nose, scented - although I do grow scads of lilies in pots since once gone over, they can be stashed out of sight - have even placed discreet pots in the border, while lilies are in flower and moved them later - to the side of the greenhouse.
You might try agapanthus, Ingrid, which is astonishingly drought resistant, has the same strappy leaves but the flowers!

I have to agree with Silverkelt. I have just as many daylilies as I do roses (around 70ish) and they live happily together. Ingrid, I really think that the most likely reason that your Spice has done nothing for a while is that it was too darn hot and dry. Is the plant young, perhaps? This has just been a difficult Summer for your garden in general, I think. It'll get better when temps go down and rain returns. Chin up, chickee. :)

Far as daylilies go.. mine (evergreen & semi-evergreen, which are best for my area) have never turned into brown haystacks, not even during our drought last year when we had no rain for months on end, water restrictions as well as 109 degree temperatures. There are three cultivars in my backyard right now that are still blooming this year (been going since May). Daylilies are the easiest perennials that I grow.

When I designed my northern slope, I ordered iris from Schreiners from Oregon and daylilies from a place in Cali called 'Flourishing Daylilies'. The iris burst into bloom in early May, giving me some much-needed dose of color after a long gray winter. And when the daylilies send up their blooms, it's just pure enchantment to see their different shapes and colors on long and short scapes rising in the garden. I believe there's room in the garden for all kinds of different plants; just having roses is too boring and monochronomatic.

Ingrid, check out the Lily Auction on the web if you are interested in purchasing some gorgeous lilies. You might find some lilies that would lend themselves to your garden's style.

Beautiful work, Silver. I love the ones with the curly edge. Is that what you're calling toothy?

I Love your daylilies!

I discovered that their is a family that sells them just up the coast an hour and a half away. I would love to visit and take a few home with me!

Oh Silver...stunning. Simply stunning. By chance I purchased my first this week. If it grows one tenth as gorgeous as yours...well I'll go straight to heaven.
On the subject of Daylillies squeezing out Spice, in my yard it goes like this: Planted Maggie, cl Devonensis, and Fellemberg. Underplanted them with strawberries two years ago. They all got a heavy layer of horse doo. We've been giving away strawberries all summer. They have become invasive and will have to be moved this fall. Maggie is not thriving this year and Fellemberg is showing signs of lack of some nutrient. cl Devonensis could care less. I think...could be wrong for sure...it's a water issue since the root level for all are at about the same level. This has been the second driest summer, no rain for 49 days. we'll see.
Jeannie

As I mentioned I do have some of the pretty day lily hybrids which don't get huge, but I suspect it's a little too hot and dry for them to do well here. There were a few weeks when different ones bloomed but when the summer heat came they pretty well shut down. I actually have more success with the remontant irises of which several have bloomed in the heat. Sea lavender, pelargoniums, marjoram and some lavenders seem to do best here, and rosemary which I don't plant near the roses. For larger plants it's crape myrtle, butterfly bushes and cedars. It's not a great variety but enough to give interest. I've spent a lot of money trying out different plants, much of which looked well for a season and then declined. It's probably my fault as much as the harsh conditions, but it's a little late for me to turn into a master gardener now. Still I have large antique roses that no one has around here so that's something to feel very good about.

Ingrid

I'm coming in late to this conversation...so this may already have been mentioned, but maybe this is a better combination where it's more humid?

We have very warm, dry summers, too. Although I water a lot, I think the roses take more water than anything else I have planted with them, unless it's a garden bed with afternoon shade.

The other problem (at least in our area) would be that the daylilies are deer food, which would lead my 'little neighbors' right to the roses!

Beautiful pictures, though :)

"maybe this is a better combination where it's more humid? "

That could totally be the case. I really think every garden has its own climate, lol. I've planted lavender eight times in the past couple of years, and every single one of them died! Different kinds! Blah on that, but hey, the trying is what's fun.

Ingrid, I love butterfly bushes. They drive my allergies CRAZY, but I pop a Claritin and go outside to visit because I love them anyway. Haha.

This thread had me out looking at my daylilies. Some are well behaved and spread only slowly, while others are aggressive thugs. None of them are orange.

Actually what is really aggressive for me are tall bearded irises. I only grow a couple of varieties, but they are so happy in my garden that here they need to be divided every year! Too much for me. I keep taking them out, then leaving just a couple because when they bloom, they are very pretty. So next year I have exactly the same problem. Well, no one to blame but myself.

As fr agapanthus, it is a thug here, too. Pretty, but so common I can't see the prettiness. And such an aggressive grower. Now that really will take over the roses.

agapanthus - a common thug! Blow me down! Over here, it is the epitome of refinement, seen in large stone urns in famous mansions. 'So common I can't see the prettiness' - I am speechless. Just goes to show the difference in climate and style hey? Along with nerines and crinum, they are absolutely aspirational, redolent of a mediterranean lifestyle totally removed from workaday, grey english skies. Cultural ideals affect our aesthetic preferences so often which is often why we denigrate the easy and ubiquitous in favour of the rare and difficult.

I dont know if humidity has anything to do with it, but they are going to want about a inch of water a week, same as roses. If you want more drought tolerant plants, daylilies probably are not exactly the best. They will survive drought condition by sacrificing thier blooms and even the foilage, but thats probably not going to look pretty in the garden.

There are daylily hyridizers for all parts of the country, including texas and california (look up stamiles, carpenter, kinnebrew)

My dayliles are about 50% dormants, 30% semi evergreens and the rest evergreens. Being in my climate, I actually can grow every type(IE they all act dormant anyways here, but sometimes the ones bred for the deep south and the heat act slow here, sometimes they dont, its all in the genes, which is why I love to play around with them.

campanula, here is why I love daylilies (about 15 years ago, I thought like many did, that they were just those weed things by the side of the road, I took a DRAMATIC shift once I learned about the vast hybridizing efforts the past 30 years or so, new ones are so dramatic, with oodles of shapes, sizes, edges, ect, this is the golden age of the daylily, just like there once was with roses and tulips)

My garden is best between June 15 and August 15th.. Early part of summer for me is my antique roses, the once bloomers I hold so dear, by the time they start to dwindle, the daylilies pick up, they are fairly easy to grow and provide so much , for so little. Around July 15th, you get peek bloom here, each day is so exiting to go visit with them.

Becuase Im blessed to live in a area that is a convergent weather zone, I get about 1 inch of rain water a week, I almost never water.. even when its dry, I let my garden suffer, I know the rain will come back (Jet Stream, Gulf Stream, Canadian cold air all have impact on my weather)

In regards to daylily foiliage, its not like Japanese Iris Sword like, it should have a natural curve to it, but if you mean floppy, I wouldnt call it that exactly, they may be suffering from too little water, is the foilage staying green? If so , just perk them up a little.

A Toothy Cultivator describes anything with knobs, twists, ect, it really came from some earlier ones with straight triangular growth, they looked like sharks teeth early, but now there is so many of them, people call them Teeth, or tooth or toothy cultivators.

{{gwi:309261}}

{{gwi:309262}}

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Below is a example of a Unusual Form, usually considered such becuase they have narrow sepals and tepals, sometimes they poly, creating a spider effect as well. This would be labeled under regular UF though..

{{gwi:309264}}

Like roses, dayliles never had blue, but with decades and decades of work.. its starting to change and there are plenty of "blue" eyes out there that truly look blue.

{{gwi:309265}}

Silver, all your daylilies are gorgeous. This last one you posted is my favorite. Hope you market it in some way that I can buy it. Lou

Ah...*toothy*, not picotee. Obviously, I don't know the correct terms, but I'm sure you knew which ones I meant. :-) I *love* that toothy look. Of course again, all your daylilies are gorgeous, but that red with the yellow toothy edge and the cream with the blue and purple eye zone are really calling out to me.

More water...I bet that is my problem because the leaves do still stay green, they just get very floppy. I rarely supplement with water in the garden; only in extremely droughty conditions or for new plants that need to settle in. Next year I'll try to be a little more generous with the daylilies when things get dry.

I was surprised to read that you grow the evergreen types as well. I didn't know they would grow well in cold zones, thought they were only meant for warm climes. So, the evergreen types will just die back and come back again in the spring, with no detriment to their health? Good to know.

Thanks Silverkelt.

Silver, I love your "toothy" Day Lilies (now I know what to ask for!

I know what Rosefolly means about Agapanthus, I use them at the rental properties because they are so low care, get no bugs, etc, and pretty much don't need much water. They are everywhere here. They are hard to kill and yet are pretty easy to remove with a shovel. Beats a bunch of weeds too.

At my moms, I have been picking up free agapanthus to use to line the fences-I hear the gophers don't like them. I also use to make the terraces easier for mom to see. They will be green year round with next to no care so very easy

I grow daylilies with some of my roses. They are simply gorgeous in spring - I love getting out early to see whats in bloom that day. I just purchased some from Flourishing Daylilies - Subhana Ansari is so nice - sends bonus plants and I got some real beauties. I bought from the Daylily Auction - which is more addictive than Las Vegas. You can buy seeds from there also. I am having fun starting the seeds I hybridized this spring - already got some tiny daylilies growing. There are SO many colors.....and I find they do well with my roses. I am putting in a new bed that will have a mixture of roses, daylilies and other perennials/annuals. Its a bit of work, but I enjoy trimming my daylilies' folliage to make it look neater after blooming. A friend who has huge daylily gardens takes his weedeater every January and mows them down. He has one of the most beautiful dayliliy gardens I have ever seen. I go to Carpenters' Lily Farm at least once every spring - 5 acres of blooming lilies - just heaven! They are great fun and a really nice compliment to roses. Fair warning...they are addictive! Silverkelt's are gorgeous - and his photos are just the tip of the iceberg - there are so many gorgeous ones being offered. Hope he registers some of those he had pictured......

Alameda, it kills me when I see them mow them here, but they come back amazing.

I want to visit DaylilyWest But I think I need to leave my wallet at home

Kippy, dont bother leaving your wallet at home. You will just have to return to get it - when you see fields full of blooming daylilies....you will have to have some! The Daylily Auction is like a siren's song. And my newest craze is clematis. They are so beautiful when they bloom - dont take up alot of room, you can put a pretty trellis among the roses, daylilies - anywhere there is good sun. I just ordered from Garden Crossings, Joy Creek Nursery and Brushwood Gardens - all are beautiful plants, great root systems. Got another order from Brushwood coming Friday, along with an order from Bill Maryott Daylilies - he is having a great sale!! Nice thing about dayiliy people - they send bonus plants! This can become rather like a feeding frenzy......
Judith

^ Everytime I order three or four daylilies, I end up with three or four free. I'm always like, "YAY! But where will they GO?" lol

SilverK, nowhere have I claimed any dislike of daylilies apart from the horrid H.fulva - go on, try and tell me this is NOT a rampant weed. However, I have been quite clear that hemerocallis hybridising in the UK has nothing like reached the levels of breeding found in the US. Fair enough - I do even have quite a few myself but just don't, as a rule, grow them with roses because
A) my roses are not remotely appropriate companions for daylilies
B) the ones I do have are placed in damper parts of the garden.
I get away with little or no irrigation for the roses because I grow hardly any refined blooms - they are all rather shrubby plants which thrive with a regime of a bit of neglect....and my daylilies need more intensive management than the roses. They edge my blackcurrants rather nicely though.
So, should any of the remontant daylilies be widely available in the UK, I may well consider getting more but, because I am besotted with the very simple and fragrant yellows such as Golden Chimes and Corky, along with the species, I suspect I have enough to keep me going with the regular division I practice (at least every other year, along with heleniums and asters).
Of course, there are many gaps in my garden plantings - I have never owned so much as a single chrysanthemum, for example, and the wave of sub-tropical planting which took the UK by storm has wafted over my head without so much as considering even the tiniest palm or banana.

Im so far removed from a sub tropical plant! I remember being over there about 11 years ago (spent 3 weeks in the isles, but mostly in Southern Ireland) and talking with people, who basically said 3-4 inches of snow is pretty much the norm. I was pretty aghast, 3-4 inches of snow here isnt even considered a "storm" it would be a non thought almost. About 8 years ago, we had a inch or more of snow every day for 36 days straight, but we also had 170 inches of snow that year.. thats more then average, even when I lived in the foothills of maine. The average here is about 75 inches, in my more "southern" maine location.

I think I mistyped what I meant to say actually, what I was trying to say was I enjoy daylilies so much , becuase they come directly after my once blooming rose season, so right after they bloom, the daylilies pick up. Typing a conversation, doesnt always show what I mean! In my mixed border I have double scots, harrisons yellow, fruhlingsduft mixed in with gallicas, albas and cents, frankly I never had a thought on what they looked liked together. But im a plant collecter, not a garden designer, I know I would make a poor one, becuase, frankly, I grow to disdain the common used landscape plants (stella d'ora's, knockouts, junipers) all send chills of horror to my mind, I DO not mean to say if you grow them you shouldn't, go ahead, its for me personally, I figure any parking lot of america will have them, why put them in my garden.

Silverkelt

75 inches of snow!!! Yikes, we sometimes don't have any. Although we have days, weeks, months of grey dampness - I yearn for hot climates and sunlight. Huhhr, and when we do,(get a big freeze) the whole country grinds to a halt!
Daylilies are just beginning to filter in to the UK - we get the odd El Desperado and have had oldies such as Wild Horses and the Chicago hybrids for ages, but somehow, they have not really caught on to anything like the same extent. Dunno why as they are good plants - the first emergence of the fresh green daylily leaves is one of the truly great harbingers of spring (and one of my reasons for growing the ones I do....and nope, Stella d-Oro is not among them - it is the municiple favourite here too.
Course, if daylilies such as yours were freely for sale, I suspect we would see quite a large uptake.
Oh yeah, you can pay eye-watering amounts in the very few nurseries which specialise in them but, as a rule, most garden centres will have stellas and maybe Bonanza and Strawberry Candy or Pink Damask, Joan Senior and Catherine Woodberry. My favourite this year, has been Hyperion - true, it is a bit of a flopper but those long scented pale yellow flowers!!!

Yeah, I like Hyperion too, a bit wild looking, very tall and scented.

Cath

Have you posted views of your garden, Cath? We often seem to be in agreement about plants and planting styles. Are you photographically challenged like I am? If not, would like to see some pics.

Camp, Agapanthus is not a thug here and is quite lovely.

Awesome seedlings SilverKelt!

Hey, Silvery - would you mind giving us a brief summary of the seed sowing process? Most of my plants have come from seed (doing lilies and Tulipa sprengeri this year, amongst numerous others). Have never tried hemerocallis from seed though. What can I expect? Do they need stratification? Hypogeal or epigeal germination? You know the sort of info. Would you mind? Huge thanks. Suzy

Normal Practice is for at least 3 days after harvest allow to dry, then at least (sometimes mine get 4-5 months, 6 weeks of cold stratification, then allow to soak in a 1% hydrogen peroxide solution until germination, with around 70 degree tempature, continue to grow under lights and that tempature until you can harden off, they are not terrible to harden off and the process can start anytime you can avoid harsh frosts.

I plant in Pro Mix, but other soiless mixtures will work as well.

Fungas gnats may become a issue, use of larvea prohibitors may be necessary (I.E Mosquito dunks, broken into bits works fine, soaked and applied)

I have a 6 foot table, I made with two shelfs, then 4 two bulb lights, I mix and match spectrums to simulate as wide a range as I can get(but a package of cool/warm works as a easy guess). They are watered and after a few weeks get a small feeding. (diluted 10-15-15)

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Holy cow! Look at all those babies!

Thank you for sharing that photo, I seriously better not look at the daylilly auction. (at least not this year)

Campanula,

I am not only photographically challenged but also computer challenged, the greater stumbling block. I have a few photos from this Spring and Summer and someday I will learn how to post. Maybe this Winter when things are slow. Some are photos of unnamed antique roses. As to Hyperion: I loved it but haven't grown it for years, maybe someday again.

Campanula, in my neighborhood just about everybody has agapanthus. We've been having 100+ degree weather, and agapanthus scorches here in full sun.

Here's my next door neighbor's agapanthus, western exposure in full sun, some roses in the background: {{gwi:309267}}From Agapanthus

Across the street, eastern exposure: {{gwi:309268}}From Agapanthus

Agapanthus wraps around the front of the house, under large shade trees: {{gwi:309269}}From Agapanthus

More, eastern exposure, lots of shade: {{gwi:309270}}From Agapanthus

Hey, look over there another house with agapanthus out front: {{gwi:309271}}From Agapanthus

Hey, what's under that jacaranda tree? Yep, more agapanthus, but one of the few still blooming: {{gwi:309272}}From Agapanthus

Just about every shade of blue that these are come in, somebody has one, from light blue all the way to sapphire, and don't forget agapanthus comes in white. Often they're paired with Iceberg, which is EVERYWHERE--at the grocery store, the shopping mall, the gas station, city plantings, etc. Oh gee, what a surprise, more ICEBERG!!!*g*

Melissa

Amazing how what is ubiquitous and 'common as muck' in one place is a choice rarity (agapanthus are expensive and somewhat 'posh' in the UK).
So, lemme see - what is the most overplayed use of landscape architectural plants in the UK. Fortunately, not bamboo but possible even nastier - PHORMIUM TENAX - New Zealand flax. It became de rigeur for absolutely every garden design and every municiple planting, to include whopping great swathes of this horrid strappy leaved indestructible (we thought, until a big freeze did for loads of them) mealybug ridden monstrosity.

Agapanthus must not.like hot DRY weather. We are very hot here but humid, and they're used in roadway median plantngs here. Can't get much hotter than that.

Yes, had the lovely agapanthus in a previous home and don't care if I never see another one. Good luck on that, suburban areas are chock full of them, just as in Melissa's neighborhood. They're one of the "go to" plants for landscapers, along with juniper, bottlebrush and nandina domestica. Mustn't forget the oleanders either, poisonous from stem to stern but every second yard has them here. Suzy, I'm rather fond of phormium tenax, which you also see quite a bit of here, and of course they don't freeze, but I didn't know about the mealybugs. I shall resolve not to have one.

Ingrid

Did you see this article?

http://www.ediblecommunities.com/santabarbara/summer-2012/the-edible-daylily.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Edible Day Lilies

I had no idea they were edible. I might just have to try them.

That was an interesting and charming article about the daylilies. The idea of sauteeing the unopened buds sounds very interesting. I hope I can remember this until next year when the ones I have left have started to bloom. I actually have one plant, partially under Mutabilis, that is blooming now!

Ingrid

I have a copy of the American Horticultural Society's Encyclopedia of Perennials (and I highly recommend others get a copy...see link below), and it mentions that daylilies are edible. The triploid cultivar of Hemerocallis fulva "Flore Pleno" (double-flowered version of the typical wild orange daylily) is listed as "the best for eating." Red-flowered cultivars are said to have more of a peppery flavor. I haven't tried them myself, but I often pick edible flowers and buds for Sammy, my dyh amazon parrot, to tear apart and eat. He loves the daylilies.

:-)

~Christopher

Here is a link that might be useful: Encyclopedia of Perennials (American Horticultural Society) at amazon

I served them to my family long ago when I was doing that kind of experimenting; dandelion wine, Jerusalem artichokes, Spring Beauty tubers, chive blossoms floating on sorrel soup. I never quite made it to Sumac lemonade but I still developed quite a reputation. "Oh no! She's poisoning us again!" As I remember (30+ years ago) that although the day lilies were better than most of the experiments, they were not spectacular.

Cath

I live and grow in California. I have no agapanthus, but my MIL had a few large and aged clusters. Snail magnets! She had snails everywhere, but if you went and looked at the agapanthus mounds, you could pick dozens of big healthy looking snails off leaves that looked untouched by snails. It was both awesome and horrific. You could probably fill a 5 gallon bucket from her agapanthus mounds, and materially protect the rest of the garden!

To the "Ubiquitous List", you must add Pittosporum "Wheeler's Dwarf", used extensively as ground cover, to the absolute delight of mice who adore eating the cambium layer and girdling the stems so large chunks die out of the centers; Euonymous in every mildewy shade and shape; Escalonia, virtually always kept sheared within an inch of its life so you never know what color the blamed things FLOWER; and my all time "hate with a purple passion plant", Dietes grandiflora. Guaranteed to always look ratty and nasty, much worse and more of an eyesore than any type of out of place Liriope or Lily Turf. Dietes are made even more obscene when sheared and pruned into cubes by City "gardeners". At least the agapanthus don't self seed everywhere like the bloody Dietes do. An elderly friend had spent time in South Africa and Australia and had become enchanted with the "most exotic looking tropical" he encountered everywhere. He tried describing it (NOT a plant person), but I figured the best way was to take him to the nursery so he could see if he could point it out. Yup, Dietes grandiflora! He wanted his front planters "updated", and it thrilled him immensely when I produced gallon after gallon of the awful things from the local Home Depot for $3 a piece. At least they are something he CAN'T kill! But, then, that is why ALL of these things are ubiquitous, NO ONE can kill them.

Have you other Southern Californians noticed how the huge stands of Bird of Paradise which used to grow in every yard have seemed to disappear? I see them in older areas, but they are conspicuous in their absence in many neighborhoods. Kim

I second Kims feelings on Dietes grandiflora. I thought I had dug up every bit of ours several years ago. But I find little sprouts weekly years later.

The neighbor offered me a few of his "free Daylily" plants....ha! I know what those are and sure hope he is planting them far far away.

My dad used to love those birds of paradise, thankfully he never planted those. I see people trying to get others to dig them out of their yards for them on craigslist.

Birds of Paradise, Dietes grandiflora! I have longed for Dietes and adore the paddle shaped leaves of Strelitzia. Funny how euonymous crops up on everyone's ubiquitous list - it is still recommended as a go to plant for easy maintenace and is beloved of car park designers (along with some of the nastier hebes)
Our version of Bird of Paradise must be pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana). Many enormous specimens used to proudly stand, centre of the lawn....and quite a few of these are still alive from their heyday in the 50s and 60s. Removing a giant, vicious pampas is a job i would be charging massive sums of money to attempt.

Camp, Cortaderia selloana is horrible!

There are programs to remove it from hillsides here where it is choking out native plants. I have heard of student groups coming from as far away as Australia volunteering to help remove it from hwy 1 in the Big Sur area. Talk about not only a horrible plant to remove but in challenging conditions. I think growing up dreading the driveway row of them at the old mansion next door has me still leery of any ornamental grass. I can enjoy them in other peoples yards, but they hit that too close to pampas grass for me to plant in our own garden.

Camp, pampas grass used to be on that list in these parts. It was outlawed some years ago because of rodent and fire issues. Thank heavens! They still sell the dwarf versions which don't get umpteen feet tall nor spread as easily from seed, but both sizes are simply nasty. Would you believe I have Giant Bird of Paradise here which germinated from either wind or birds? I've never planted it. I don't like them, but they did volunteer. Kim

This is a fascinating discussion! It's spring 2019 now. I've just planted 'Red Hot Returns' dayliles at the front edge of my rose bed. I don't know how that is going to work. Am willing to give it a try. I will agree with everyone who says large growing daylilies is not appropriate beside roses. I'm thinking the wild copper ones and modern 'South Seas'. South Seas is so huge, I don't consider it appropriate to plant anywhere! Got rid of mine. But well mannered daylilies should be fine. I hope. This haystack syndrome mentioned...I've had problems with that too while growing daylilies. They take so much grooming. If you have trouble bending over for any reason, doing so for hours to groom daylilies is likely too much work. Which is why I don't feature daylilies anymore in my garden. But still love them and will use a few here an there.