My #1 Bud King this year is the mighty mini Little Mystic Moon with 40-44 buds to scape and 5-6 way branching. There have been bouquets like this on many days during the month of June. Little Mystic Moon, a semievergreen by Liz Salter, was high on my bud count list last year too with 30-33 buds.

There's a tie for #2. Each of these fine cultivars has a bud count of 34 in my garden.

I REMEMBER YOU, a Frank Smith semievergreen, exceeded the registration stats here this year with 34 buds and 6-way branching.

TECHNY PEACH LACE, a dormant late-blooming Reckamp, had one scape with 34 buds and 5-way branching. The other scapes had 28-33 buds. The most this one has shown in previous years was 28.
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The #3 spot was also a tie between Pat Stamile's late-blooming SILVER RINGS and Jim Murphy's spidery THANKS MISTER WIZARD, who both had 31 buds per scape.

SILVER RINGS, supposedly a dormant but not dormant here, has 31 buds on 5 nicely spaced branches. This is only its second year in my garden. It did not bloom last year. This is a vibrant violet purple that holds up to brutal heat.

THANKS MISTER WIZARD, a semievergreen exotic, far exceeded the hybridizers stats here this season. In fact, it seems to be bud building for the first time in three years. It has far surpassed any other spidery cultivar for bud count in my garden. It has 31 buds and 6-way branching on its best scape. Photo is from last year.
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My countdown will continue tomorrow.

Debra

Wow,DEBRA: these are breathtaking,,they are all so beautiful. well, this leaves me out on this subject.I was too busy looking at all the blooms and watering to even think about BUD COUNT, and BRANCHING. I AM pretty new to the daylilies,and my interest was the blooms and how pretty they were.Altho,I was pretty upset when I seen buds turning brown and drying up in this heat we been having.I never seen any of that last year

Jean

Jean - Thanks! You can count the bud scars on the empty scapes. Really that's the best way to do it.

Debra

Hi Debra, Beautiful!!All of them, but Silver Rings would really fit into my garden and My pollen dabbing plans. Is it fertile and will it set a pod?? They are all wonderful, do you know these answers on them all? I'd love to have them, did you get yours from the auction?

I've been out of action for the last two years due to health problems. I had surgery last week that is supposed to fix my problems and hopefully give me the magic energy to get back into life again. The Dr says I'll start to be better in just a few weeks. Atleast I'm beginning to get interested in my daylilies again! That's a vast improvement. I'd lost my addiction and I didn't think that was possible!!!! Heaven help me if it comes back. I have about 3 years of work that needs to be done. I guess as the old saying goes, one day at a time.

I look forward to hearing about your babies.

Blessings Mona

Hi Mona,
Good to see you posting again. I hope the surgery solves your health problems. Silver Rings has set a pod for me in full sun on a 94-degree day. Whether the pod will make it is another question. I'm having serious pod drop in this heat. I Remember You and Thanks Mister Wizard are also pod fertile. I've never tried to hybridize with Little Mystic Moon, but I know it produced Spacecoast Sweetness.

Debra

well you might get tired of hearing me mention siloam daylilies, but that's the majority of what I grow and still making room for the new different ones! ha..
anyway, Siloam Headlight has crazy branching, it's like a tree!
Siloam Pink Cloud has lots and lots of buds! there's my two cents. :)

Debra,
Emmerich wins hands down in my garden even though I have officially counted only the buds on Count it all Joy. I have had 98 on this one. This on a single fan purchased and planted last year. I have posted several clump shots, including this is one taken Saturday:
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I will count Little Light of Mine, Flying Trapeze and Clown Parade tmorrow.

kay

I have 2 that I really noticed for bud counts. My Melinda is not a fancy daylily & not a big flower, but it always flowers well. I counted from 35-49 buds per scape.

This is a seedling that was given to me last fall, 2 scapes have 32 buds ea, one has 50. I'm so pleased with it, & it is already sending up a rebloom scape. This should really make a show in a year or 2.

Kay - Wow! Emmerich only has Count It All Joy registered at 30 buds per scape. Could you check the bug scars and tell us how many buds on the ONE most bud laden scape?

ngraham - I'm impressed at your My Melinda. I have that one. too. It had impressive 4-5 way branching, but only 25 buds on a single scape here.

Debra

These are awesome stats. Silver Rings sounds and looks like an all around winner:)

I am afraid I am not going to get a very good bud count this year. Thrips and heat caused many blooms to drop off. Counting bud scars will include the ones I didn't even get to see. I am so far behind on everything this year, but still plan on trying to get pictures and stats.

Vickie

Wow.....I am in love with Silver Rings. And Thanks Mister Wizard is gorgeous. Those are definitely going on my list along with Count It All Joy.
I really don't keep up with bud count. I have mostly been concentrating on getting pictures of the ones I didn't have already and watering and weeding. And I've also been looking for rebloom scapes. I would say between the last two years my best bloomers have been Dark Reflection and Orchid Ice. And Autumn Wood has been a bud builder here for the last 2 years.
Michelle

Woops! The #3 bud king should be a three-way tie with I Remember You, Techny Peach Lace and El Desperado.

EL DESPERADO, a Stamile dormant, has 30-34 buds per scape this time with 4-5 way branching.

In the #4 spot is the frosty white ARCTIC LACE with 30 buds and 6-way branching. Here's a photo of it on rebloom today. Stamile's Arctic Lace is a semievergreen.

Here's the ARCTC LACE scape back on June 1

Coming in 5th in my bud countdown is the evergreen BLUEBERRIES AND CREAM by Tim Bell with 29 buds and 4-way branching.

More to come later as I count down the Top 10 bud kings. Please add your info. It aids in making future purchases.

Debra

Tied with BLUEBERRIES AND CREAM is a late-blooming Isabel Hibbard intro called AMBER FINALE. Previously, when planted in part-shade, this semievergreen eeked out only 10-12 buds per scape. Now growing happily in my late bloomers raised bed, it has 29 buds per scape and wonderful 5-way branching.

AMBER FINALE

BELA LUGOSI, Cur Hanson's wonderful dark purple semievergreen, comes in 6th with 27-28 buds per scape and 4-way branching.

I've got to do some double checking before I post #7-10. A couple of late ones may be building buds!

Debra

Debra,
One scape had 33 buds! One scape! I couldn't believe it. It is a bud builder, so it just goes on and on. It actually still has buds, with 3 blooms today.

I cannot yet count bud counts on some of hers because of rebloom scapes and bud building. Currently Filled To overflowing has rebloom scapes and the current scapes are adding buds. It is unprecedented in my garden.

Surprisingly, Pacific Garden Beauty has been a tremendous bloomer this year. It is almost tied with Little Light of Mine, another Emmerich for second place presently.

You can understand why I am so "high" on Emmerich introductions. I only found them because Rita posted her beautiful photographs, and I have had such tremendous success form the introductions of a grower who breeds for northern gardens.

You can look at the pictures on her website and know how the blooms will look in your garden. There is no "photoshopping" or other alteration to the photos on the website.e
kay

Kay - Count It All Joy sounds like a super performer. The only Emmerich I have, Open Door, did pretty well for its first full year in the garden. It had 4-way branching with 25 buds. I think if it were not so crowded by other daylilies, it would have done much better.

Debra

Number 7 on my Best Buds list is another tie - this time between two near-white Northern bred daylilies. Both of these beauties had 27 buds per scape with 4-5 way branching this year.

MUTTON JADE is a semievergreen late-season bloomer by Steve Moldovan. It is a very light peach, which bleaches white during the course of the day. Great plant that sets seeds in full sun on 93-degree days.

TUXEDO JUNCTION, a dormant midseason bloomer from Bob Schwarz, is parchment colored and wonderful!

Debra

Debra,
Tuxedo Junction is such a beautiful bloom!
kay

Okay, explain, pics if possible, how to branch count, please!! You guys have some gorgeous lilies! Judy

Judy - Here is a link to the AHS page on branching. It has some photos.

Debra

Here is a link that might be useful: AHS definition of branching

Duh.... How dumb I feel. Thats kinda what I thought but just wanted to clarify. I didn't even think of going to the AHS to look around. Thanks again, Judy

Kay - Thank! Tuxedo Junction looks great planted with dark narrow petaled cultivars. I have mine next to Cameroon Night.

Judy - I wish the AHS Dictionary would show examples of higher branching counts than 4-way.

Everyone else - Don't forget to check in with your best bud counts!

Debra

Elegant Candy looks like it's going for a record year here. I like the idea of counting the bud scars of the scape afterwards. Never would have thought of that. I'll do that this year.

Magic Carpet Ride

Porcelain Ruffles

Palladian Pink

Well, mine are in their peak now so I'll have to answer in a few weeks.

I don't usually count buds, but remembered Voila Francois was loaded, so I went out and counted. One scape had 29 buds.

Dot

Voila Francois looking really fancy on this day

Dot - Thanks for letting us know about Voila Francois. What a beautiful near white!

Debra

Count It All Joy has five scapes! That's why there are so many blooms. It is possible it will put up another, because it is still blooming, who knows with Emmerich?
kay

wow that voilla francois might fit right into the post wanting "elegant" daylilies , or something like that I don't remember. anyway, very nice if you like crazy ruffles.

I'd be interested to see a post about bud-builders. I've noticed a few in my yard that don't start out looking like much and then they just keep pushing buds out and before I realize it I'm thinking, wait that was a lot of blooms from when it started with 4 buds on a stem....etc. yay for bud builders
what I like about bud builders also is the spacing of blooms. some with over the top bud count might get in the way of others opening etc... I notice it this summer with SIloam Pink Cloud, but only a little bit.

I also noticed at the COHS daylily show how the judges would really inspect for interference of buds and blooms...

Dean - A thread on bud builders is a good idea. I'll be gone over the holiday weekend, but if no one else starts one, I'll do it next week.

In fact, because of bud building, OLD KING COLE needs to be higher than I thought on the Bud King list. When I first checked the best scape a week ago there were 26 buds. Now there are 29. That puts it tied with BELA LUGOSI in 6th place here.

OLD KING COLE

Debra

Hangs head .. I don't use a picture storing service. But I do have some high bud-count daylilies! All evergreen as required in my garden. I'm in the process of removing scapes and counting buds, so some of the biggies haven't been counted yet cause they are still blooming. Here are the current crop:

Insider Trading has 25-30 buds
Sanford Eyecatcher has 25-30 also
Missouri Memories has 30-32
Painting the Roses Red has 24-26
Laughing Feather topped out at 46 buds! Ranges from 40-46
Sanford Toad Hall has 30-32
Spacecoast Gold Bonanza has 25-28
Magnificent Hummingbird has a scade of scapes with budcounts of 32-35
Linda Lubitz has been great too with 24-28 buds

Looking at this list just makes me fume about the slackers. Hope next year is better!

Oh Dot where did you get that one? I love it. Do those kind of lilies have a special name to them? Judy

Love threads like this since performance is so important to me. Too early for me to really weigh in, but I have three that I already think will make my list and only one would have been on it last year. Don't know if it's the weather or the 3rd year leap. Haven't counted, but the scapes are impressive on
Bedouin Tattoo
Enchanting Esmerelda
Voices of Spring.

Val

Beachlily - Thanks for sharing your bud counts. It's interesting to see bud counts from someone in Florida. I guess I expected you all would have bud counts in 40-70s like Stamile. It's good to know Magnificent Hummingbird does well for somebody. It only has 8-12 buds per scape here. I'm thinking about moving it next year to a different location. The scapes are still very short and the flowers are much smaller than they should be. There may be tree roots interfering with mine.

Nancy Graham and all - I happened to count the bud scars on My Melinda the other day. Surprise, surprise! She was building buds on theose impressive branches. She ended up having 36-38 buds per scape. That sends her to Number 2 on my Bud King list. An oldie but goodie in the bud count department! I didn't even photograph that one this season. In fact I have tried to give it away, but my huband has a fondness for it.

Debra

well, Debra,I can not count the way you said either on most of mine,as I have pulled the dried up scapes off them and in the trash pile.They look better with the old dried up scapes off, to me..

Jean

Well, Royal Jester has been bud building this week and has messed up my countdown with its high bud count. It moves to #4 on the bud countdown with 31 buds and building!

ROYAL JESTER

Here is the revised Bud Count list:

1. Little Mystic Moon 44 buds
2. My Melinda 38 buds
3. I Remember You, Techny Peach Lace El Desperado all 34 buds
4. Royal Jester, Silver Rings and Thanks Mister Wizard all 31 buds
5. Arctic Lace 31 buds
6. Blueberries and Cream and Amber Finale with 29 buds each
7. Bela Lugosi 28 buds
8. Mutton Jade and Tuxedo Junction 27 buds
9. Siloam Double Classic with 26 buds

10. Zephyr's Song, Crazy Ivan, Open Door and Better Than Ever with 25 buds per scape.

Debra

I wanted to show you this Emmerich: This Filled to Overflowing. I took this at 4:00 PM today. It currently has 7 scapes. I have posted several photos of it, and it just continues to build buds too.
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kay

Kay - Filled To Overflowing looks like a great one! Thanks for sharing that one with us.

Debra

I have 2 that have the same bud count, Supreme Apricot Ruffles and Betty Warren Woods. Supreme Apricot Ruffles so far has the best branching, 4 way. Marg

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