FYI. Dallas is 100 degree highs most of the summer. Very little freezing temps (this year). Can be dry in the summer, no rain for month(s). But! Pretty nice lately!! ;)

Okay, "Lovemyroses", Yes, the sun will make many darks fade, but they are lovely in the mornings, and most of them will open early for you, and the frilly edged ones will open much better in the warmer climates.

So there are advantages. Look for other growers in your area to see what really does well. I live in zone 8, in central Alabama. I can grow the dormants as well as the semi and evergreens. You never really know what might do well for you.

Good luck and enjoy the new obsession...only downside, if it is one, is your roses and daylilies will be prettiest at pretty much the same time, although the roses will probably be a bit ahead.

kay

Welcome to the forum. I'm a rose lover from way back, but got hooked on daylilies too about 7 years ago. Just so many to choose from, just looking through the catalogs is a hobby in itself. A couple of things you need to know about only growing light colors. There is a term in daylilies called being colorfast - as in the color doesn't fade by the PM. I found out the hard way that even yellows can bleach out to white as the day goes on, so only growing light colors to begin with is no failsafe. It's not that much different with roses. However, since a daylily bloom lasts only a day, I have become rather insistant that it be colorfast to a good degree and not fade out to blah as the day goes along. Some colors may lighten a bit, but I don't want dark orange, for instance, turing into beige by 4 PM. Yes, they are harder to find, but I like to look at my daylilies in the cool of the evening after my work is done not just at dawn for an hour....I think there are some people in your zone that do grow dormants so I wouldn't rule them all out. There are hard dormants and not so hard dormants. I'm sure they will check in with you. If I were you I would start out with a few less expensive varieties to see what appeals to you rather then jumping in with both feet on a $200.00 daylily. Below is one of my favorite daylily nurseries. Her daylilies btw are rust free. This may be her last year in business, so you may find a good deal or two and she sends nice bonuses.
Maryl

Here is a link that might be useful: Earlybird Daylilies

I have relatives in Dallas, Allen, Plano and Frisco, that over the years I have given daylilies to; both evergreen and dormant. The dormants grow fine there, so don't be afraid to try them.
I agree, the lighter colors and pastels will retain their color much better in the heat, but expect all to fade some when it's hot and dry. They're still very attractive unless you get right up in their face. Try to plant the darker colors where they get morning sun and afternoon shade.
Good luck, Ed

Hi! I am currently in So Cal (zone 10) and about 40% of the daylilies I grow are dormants. In fact, this year, it was a dormant dl that had the most increase and an evergreen that had the least and we experienced a prolonged heatwave where the highs were above 115 degrees for 3 weeks straight.

I absolutely second the Earlybird recommendation. Robin is fantastic and every daylily that I purchased from her has been robust. She also is extremely generous!!

Good luck and happy shopping - some of the daylilies out there are truly remarkable.

I live in east central Georgia. We are probably not quite as hot as you are in the summer, but we have awful humidity to go with our 95 degree heat. Yes, I grow some dormants successfully, and have never had a problem with Semi-evergreens. There are a few dormants that struggle, and occasionally I have one that doesn't make it, but overall, the track record is pretty good. Probably the only thing I can add to the other suggestions is give your daylilies as much water as you can - at least every other day when you hit your summer temperatures. Depending on how many you have and whether your area is into water-restrictions, that can get to be a problem.
Good Luck! Remember, you don't have to buy the most expensive ones to enjoy them. However, if the addiction worsens, you will want those new ones that are so expensive.
Larry

Last year I was badly bitten by the daylily and iris bugs. I bought a bunch of these plants and before I know it, I was out a couple hundred$$. I hope they survive the winter up here in PA. Some of the daylilies look rather lifeless right now. Anyway, I hope that you can restrain yourself because it is really hard to not want every one of the daylilies whose beautiful photos you see in the daylilies forum. But if you really want to grow daylilies, spring is the best time to buy and plant because you will be able to see the flowers this growing season.

Spring is the best time to buy if you're in the north. If you're in the deep south, like me, fall is the best time to buy because the hot summer is the most challenging time for new plants, and the winter is mild. For Dallas I would think either spring or fall is fine.

Nate

And if you do get some in the spring, try potting them up and putting the pots in a bit of shade to allow them to grow a solid root base.

I didn't lose any of the ones I started like this last year. (thanks Debra)

kay