I'm getting more in to the small flower and mini's. When I first started out I went crazy and just bought what was inexpensive and really liked the blues and lavenders. I still do like the blues and lavenders but I try to get the small or minis now. I also have started looking for DL's with patterns in the eyes.
Linda

Mine has changed and grown in the past few years. I used to like just the plain daylilies, like Stella, but now I like the ones with eyes and applique patterns but am on the edge about the speckles/streaking (I think that is what it's called). I still don't like the heavy gold braid or the heavy ruffles but the lighter edge and ruffles are nice. I've grown to like the spiders and unusual forms, in fact I just bought 2 of Gossards unusual forms. I now have daylilies from early summer to fall and am adding ones for height. Marg

I think I may have "devolved". I started with the escaped Hemerocallis fulva, Europa, because that and the Lemon Lily were the first I saw growing in farm flower gardens. One of my aunts had a ninety six acre patch of largely abandoned farm land that they bought back around the depression (you don't hear people talking about that one these days like they had experienced it) and around the old house (post and beam) were lilacs and huge patches of wild daylilies, wild single roses and old blue flag iris. A huge old yellow "briar" rose grew at the corner of the yard--passed every time someone dashed for the privy down the hill. I began to look for the daylilies around every abandoned cellar and never have acquired much of a taste for the newest "introductions"--a bit snobbish of me when you think of it- I'm wondering about my getting too activist about native plants as well! But I did find Stout's book, sometime around 1980 when it may have been out of print and I had to get it through an inter library loan--from the state yet! Then I started finding the oldies, often at a farmers market and then acquired a few catalogs, Saxton, among others, and I started finding species, rosea I think I bought from Saxton. I didn't think much of the "repeaters"---"They don't,not up here" said my favorite nursery owner at the time---I had also tracked down a few places with a large selection of old standards--one with 800 plus varieties where I still lurk in the daylily beds. I started casually crossing and planting seed right outside early on and am still at it though it's decreased from a couple of hundred a year to a couple of dozen. Every time I'm tempted to just chuck it because of arthritic back pain-up pops temptation! Over two hundred rosea X unknown early rosea variety planted fall 2009 and crowded and never lined out have sent up scapes, a chance self sown seedling has petals quilled like a mixer blade before they open and I just could not let it go by without dabbing some Orchid Corsage pollen on it, and, I finally got seeds from Ed Murray and a big dark red, so I am at it again--will probably try to start some seeds yet this year as late as it is!------------------Weedy

Originally I was crazy for pinks and purples. Then I collected as many Munsons as I could find.

Then the eye craze..and I found out most purples are n ot purple here...so on to reds and oranges. Still like pinks and purples...like a lot of spiders, but not all. Do not really like thick yellow or generally most really thick edges. Have learned to appreciate yellows.

But my taste still changes. I love big blooms...but I love some of the really small one too. eclectic tastes.
kay

I still like all of them. I have become especially fond of Luddy Lambertson's daylilies, but still appreciate the rest, too. I really like the daylilies that form large clumps and don't seem to know what a "season" is - they just keep on blooming non-stop, whether they are tets or dips.

Kay, I had Vatican City bloom for the first time this year, and it is truly a deep rich purple with no hint of red.

Nancy

I think my taste deffinately has. When I started I only liked perfectly round and full forms and frilly. I didn't even like pointy petals. Now things are different.

Not really,after finding out a few things over the years. Like Kay did about purple. When I found out that some colors just weren't to my liking or didn't live up to their descriptions, I went back to my original color choices - what daylilies do best IMO -yellows and oranges (and shades thereof). I have some of the other colors of course for balance, but a good yellow/orange daylily still catches my eye first. Still like the same shape I did orginally (rounded) and size never mattered to me, and still doesn't.....Maryl

In the beginning I was really taken with miniatures. Now I've gotten ride of most them in favor daylilies with very large blooms. Initially, I hated spiders, and now I like them a lot. I didn't care for hot colors in the beginning, but now I'm starting to add a lot of reds and oranges.

Debra

I feel like I have abandoned my original DL's but I guess
not, they are all still growing in my gardens.

I then started liking spiders,some of the newer designs and
oh heck--all of them.

I could happpily go through all the beauties you all have
posted and gather them all into my arms and LOVE them.

Kay/phal

Kay/phal, I suspect that all those daylilies gathered in your arms would love you right back. What a sweetheart.

I know I bought a bunch of minis and have now decided I don't like several of them, mainly just mini in height with mini blooms i.e Small Gesture. I also went to the opposite extreme and bought some just because of the large bloom size. Now I am gradually weaning those out and buying ones I really like. I like bright colors, rufflies, two tones (eyes or edged), big puffy doubles. I don't like most spiders but do like UF's. I am seriously trying to buy more deep purples-but always find myself drawn to fall tones every time.

I like all of them, except the spider type.Those ,I just dont like much.some I like the color of them, but not the form.I love the ruffles.

jean

I don't think my taste has changed much. Still prefer round, still like ruffles, color - purple, and watermarks :) And when the eyes and thicker edges are the same color. Oh, bicolors and bitones!

Yes! In the beginning I got everything that was cheap. Now I want ones that are rich in color or great performers. I got rid of 200 last year....just gave them away at the cities yard sale weekend. I don't have time to take care of everything, so the bad performers or dirty ones had to go.

I think that now I am way more inclined to give consideration to the oldies but goodies as well as the wonderful new introductions, and like Maryl, (even though I amn not necessiarily a fan of orange and yellow) this seems to be what daylilies do best and in the future some orange and yellow ones will find their way into my yard to replace a few underperforming purples and reds. Also I am now more likely to add a new one based on an emotional, rather than intellectual response, if that makes any sense.
Christine

When I just started, anything would go - whatever was on sale to fill the available space. I used to stay away from oranges.
Now - I gravitate toward vibrant colors and tall plants, mostly red, yellow, orange. Very dark ones - nearly black - are my latest obsession. Finding every opportunity and excuse to go outside to take another look at my gorgeous beauties :).
I also like to adopt daylilies with particular names, even if I am not crazy about flower.
~Natalie

Early on, about 1987 I think, I started buying the altissmas too. Bought a collection from WFF, Statuesque, Challenger, Autumn Minaret, Red Sentinel from Saxton, Purity from somewhere, then I started raising a few seedling. Since the seedlings had a habit of falling on the ground I wasn't very happy with them. Finding a bud higher than your head flat on the ground after it opened because the flower was just too large for the scape was frustrating, and if it rained I was walking on the scapes. But I still grow the originals and like them and there are some registered that hit seven or eight feet but no one seems to be able to find them----can't remember the Hybridizer, but I think he used old Hyperion and an altissima. I'm still tempted to try it, maybe Challenger and Hyperion. Of course I'm really trying to get away from daylily obsession and since I'm 75 how old would I be when the seedlings bloomed with my method of planting seeds outside in the fall. Who wants a six foot daylily anyway???----------------------------------Weedy

It seems that Debra and I have started out alike. I had tons of Siloams and only have three or four now. I love the big round forms with or without eyes, and spiders and unusual forms. I started out just hating spiders and now I think they may be my favorites...Ellie

Hi Weedy, I would love to see some photos of your gardens.
Christine

The daylily obsession is a new one so I like them ALL. All the many orders I've made since last year and all the new raised beds I've made to grow them reflect the fact that I've gone nuts over them. Big ones, little ones, all colors, all forms, ruffled, smooth, chicken-fat, spider, UF's, older varieties, new cultivars, seedlings that aren't registered, plain-looking lates...and anything I left out.

And by the way, if anyone is looking to get rid of some you've grown tired of or fallen out of love with
I am currently making another raised bed and will take your unloveables (will pay postage). The only ones I don't want would be the orange ditch lily because they used to grow in my yard years ago but took over. They're too pushy for my taste...LOL.

Celeste

When I first started growing daylilies most of them were round and most of them were pastels. I still like those, but I like the more vibrant colors and more open forms. I also pay way more attention to,performance than I did initially. I don't have enough room for daylilies that have 8 buds or bloom for only 2 weeks,
Val

My daylily taste has gone over the edge to the exotic, as well as studying and working on extensions in bloom time with color variation, i.e., ee's to vl's to extra vl's. Much more interested in performance levels and how the bloom holds up in weather variations. Always in search of the perfect purple! Andrea

My daylily taste has gone over the edge to the exotic, as well as studying and working on extensions in bloom time with color variation, i.e., ee's to vl's to extra vl's. Much more interested in performance levels and how the bloom holds up in weather variations. Always in search of the perfect purple! Andrea

Like Weedy, a lot of my current daylilies came mailorder from White Flower Farm in Connecticut many years ago just because they were so pretty in the catalog. I still have them but only this month got hit by the obsession and now I want to take better care of them and add whites and blues to my garden. I too am in my 70s and want mostly whites so that i can SEE them for cryiingoutloud!!! This Forum is pushing me over the edge and now I want more. I love how you people are kind enough to share your pictures and thoughts.
Pat

Pat, I guess the most visible are oranges :) I certainly see them looking out the window Without my glasses!