I love this subject. Sun Bear is no beauty to me, and the others are not any I want in my garden. I hope I don't have rocks thrown at me but I saw one daylily at the local show that I thought looked like someone who had rolled around in the mud and had gotten a big bruise in their center. It was God Save the Queen. I'd show you a picture, but after seeing it in person, I'll pass on owning it. Definitely not my taste....Maryl

I guess the saying 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is so true because I think all 3 of your 'uglies' are not ugly at all. Gosh, even your 'uglies' are pretty...LOL. I live in a northern climate (New Hampshire) so if you want to send 'Northern Fancy' north, I will gladly take her off your hands...for postage of course. (and any other 'ugly ducklings' you need a home for!).

Celeste

I have had real dogs here. Lots of them in my garden but now after years I have gotten rid of them and no longer have examples to show. Not entirely a bad thing I guess. Trying to think of something truely hideous that is still here but just can't come up with anything.

I don't have a picture but Fine Indeed is my junk. It's a nice pink but even that doesn't help an ugly!! Ellie

I feel the same way about Northern Fancy. It hasn't started to bloom in my garden yet but if it doesn't look any better this year it's gone. Zahadoom is another one that won't have good blooms. Yesterday it had two FFO's, both ugly. Alexa Kathryn hadn't started to bloom yet either but she has always been ugly in my garden. Another one that is going south this year is Happy Apache, low bud count and what is there not so great.

I LOVE this thread! I don't have any pics of my uglies, because my uglies have been given away. I have a friend with a large farm and she will take anything to plant along the road/driveway so anything that doesn't perform for me gets "sent to the farm" LOL!

Alexa

I have a few, like Storm of the Century & Thundering Ovation, start the season splotchy & ugly, but do shape up after a few blooms. Awesome Blossom can be downright ugly too. Some of these may be due to thrips, I've never paid attention to thrips til the last couple of years. This year so far, every bloom has been lovely on Storm of the Century. Not sure what is different this year, we've had huge amounts of rain this year, but last year we had floods too.
Best picture I took last year of Storm of the Century
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This one was given to me as Eye Catching. This is the best bloom it has given me, the flowers are all down in the foliage, very few, & most misshapen & splotchy
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Gordon Biggs can be a pretty daylily, but just as often is splotchy mess. I got an old one, Purple Waters, years ago. Usually the old ones do well, this one certainly grows well, but every clump I have of this one are misshapen, with some petals skinny & almost missing. I have about 3 big clumps of this one, this is the best pic. IT is probably blooming now, I should go out & get a photo of a bad flower, 80% of the flowers are yucky.
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Of course, there is always Wildest Dreams, which I'm proud to say is consistently pure ugly. This is a "good" picture of it
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I have lots I just don't care for, like Pardon Me, Autumn Red, Eenie Fanfare, Frances Fay, Sammy Russell.

Saw this thread and thought of my U G L Y Bonnie Holley. Ran out to snap a pic only to find no blooms trying to open today, and most of the buds are turning yellow and falling off. I give up on this one it has got to go.

I have other uglies also I'll just have to remember to take pics of them.

So far, my Grateful Heart is splotchy and icky. Have had 3 open so far, and still no better.

Finally, the truth be told about some of these uglies. Keep posting them!

Celeste - Northern Fancy is yours. I'll email you about it, and some others that are not ugly, but need a new home.

Debra

Exotic Treasure has been in my garden since the spring of 2008, always blooms half open. Last year I said it was getting shovel pruned or my husband, the rescuer, could take it to the far back of the garden. LOL I went out today the FFO is opened, best bloom in three years. So talk tough to your daylilies, it may work. Now I'm going out to have a little visit with Wonder of It All. Judy

Sorry, no photos since most of our daylilies have bloomed out, but it's true, there are ugly daylilies. A few of ours are seedlings from a well-known hybridizer (who shall remain nameless). These should have done well here in our Zone 8a garden, but after a few years,they need to be consigned to the compost pile or the burn pile. So many of the daylilies we have are passalongs (wonder why---ugly?) and there's this guilt trip thing about getting rid of plants from friends. Going to have to toughen up. Actually, we do have an out here, because of the Master Gardeners. Every year, they have a fund raiser, so we can donate unwanted daylilies (even the ugly ones). Amazingly enough, they always seem to sell everything, probably because of the cheap prices, a dollar or two per plant. I love this thread, hope to read many more posts on the subject, maybe will keep me from spending money on the "Uglies". Avedon

There are ugly daylilies??? Who knew!
;-)
I'm like Rita...all my uglies are gone and I don't keep pics of bad memories. But I see some familiar faces here...Storm of the Century used to live here - gone now. Awesome Blossom was never awesome to me - gone. Spacecoast Starbust and Spacecoast Surprise Purple both got the boot. I think Bat Signal was probably the ugliest - I never liked the color - it always looked dirty to me.
Kathy

Thanks, Debra. I'm still in the infatuation stage of daylilies and ordering them by the tons this year so I don't yet know what the 'dogs' are. From all my years of growing roses, though, its been my experience that some of the 'dogs' were really quite good here (and the good ones sometimes 'dogs'). I am happy to give your unwanteds a good home and see how they like it here. I have planted over 60 different daylilies so far this spring and some are blooming already (on southern or California time) and so far have been pleased. Wonder of It All had trouble opening its first bloom because its been rainy and cold here, but yesterday even in the rain it opened all the way and was gorgeous, as was Annabelle's Blush, which I thought couldn't open because of all the rain and cold. After drooling over your photos (and everyone else's!) I am soon going to post some of mine....YAY!
I'm heading out now to plant the latest order from Maryott....

Celeste

Wild Child and Wildest Dreams are not as good looking as other cultivars.

Some will take a few years to get established. Grateful Heart and Jamaican Me Crazy are finally blooming nicely, after 3 years. I used to wonder about Captain Blue not looking as pretty as the promo photo, until it wowed me this season.

After a couple of years, the wait is still on for Red Corvette, Zahadoom and Lavender Infusion.

will always love Wonder Of It All, and will have to live with the occasional unopened blooms. It is just perfect, when it's perfect!

Ben

I think my ugliest is S.Merle Kent, maybe it gets better but I just remember seeing too many splotchy flowers. Of course it's cold here, plus we too have dew every morning, so most of the flowers can look ugly.
I wish I had a way of sending south or 'to the farm'.
I have the ugliest foliage though! This is a month ago and it still looks bad, even worse
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Oh, Celeste, over 60 new ones, wow! Please start posting your pictures!

Here's my candidate from today... I don't even remember the name, but every bloom is at least partially fused and when I separate the petals tear

As I was reading I noticed Siloam Merle Kent mentioned, it does nicely in my garden, hope I don't jinx it, but it is never splotchy. Did take a couple of years to settle in though. Jamaican Me Crazy is in its 3rd year here. I got it as a single fan, hoping but not counting on it to bloom the 1st year. Still single fan next year, no bloom. Still a single fan this year, but it did put out a scape. Which every bud but 1 has blasted, what are the bets that if that one doesn't disappear, it will look like anything? I can be patient, but this is getting rediculous.

Here's a few of my uglies

Prince of Midnight

FFO of seedling

Being a daylily novice it's nice to see that I'm not the only one with ugly ones, there may be hope for me yet.
Linda

I'm sure I'll have some but our season is just starting.

So unfortunate that NORTHERN FANCY is not so fancy. It was on my list but since both shive and jkayd_il who are in similar zones to me, I'd better take it off the list.:-(.

Julia

Really appreciate this post. I wish more contributors would share negative experiences. If others have had positive results from the same cultivar, they can note. There are so many daylilies on the market that have serious flaws, or worse, should never have been introduced. Others are really breeders' flowers that the non-hybridizer should avoid.

NORTHERN FANCY consistently knocks my socks off when I see it at the nearby AHS display garden. I still recall the first time I saw it: I was still focusing on oldies and tailored looks, but this thing was so gorgeous that I literally fell to my knees in awe.

My ugliest daylily is, hands down, PRECIOUS CANDY. When it bloomed Dirt Mauve a couple of years ago, I thought it couldn't get any worse. Yesterday's two blooms were charming in Even Dirtier Mauve, and the blooms were so crumpled up that I actually thought they were going to open today. Today, of course, the blossoms were spent, which is to say, they couldn't even open properly yesterday. Reminds me of the Catskills joke: "This food is terrible." "Yes, and the portions are so small."

Another one I don't like is VERA BIAGLOW, as I have never had a single bloom on it open fully.

Lynxe - Your info on Northern Fancy bodes well for Celeste, it's new owner. Precious Candy needs heat to do its thing. When temps are in the 90s, it's one of the prettiest daylilies around. I will be offering Sun Bear others, for sale soon. If interested, email me for the list.

Debra

One of my ugliest is Wise Woman. It is also gone after this year.

kay

Catered Affair.

I think it will be coming out this year.

Today my first flowers of the season opened on Trial By Fire. Splotchy again for the third year in a row in spite of the fact that I already treated once for thrips. I do plan to spray again this coming week. But this is rediculous. I will wait and see how the next few flowers go but honestly unless they are clear that one is outta here.

I don't know if I should share because I am sure lots will disagree, but I have seen the heralded Lavender Blue Baby growing in three separate nurseries on four separate occasions, and it has ALWAYS been underwhelming to me, terribly washed out: perhaps I'm seeing it after it's been in the sun too long? But a couple of those visits have been aroudn 11 or 12 in the morning. I've never bought it just because of this.

Lori Goldston for me is beautiful when it isn't blotchy, but that is about a 50/50 proposition.

Roses in Snow is another I gave away quickly. It was never attractive.

Mike

Another candidate here. This is the FFO on a John Peat seedling. It only had 2 blooms last year, both looked like this. If it doesn;t improve a LOT it will be "sent to the farm".

"Precious Candy needs heat to do its thing. When temps are in the 90s, it's one of the prettiest daylilies around."

I have to bow to your greater experience, Debra! Today, it's still too cool for blooms to open fully, and quite a few aren't showing their best forms. But you are so right about PRECIOUS CANDY's color! I have two open today, and they are gorgeous!

DOUBLE FIRECRACKER. Look at the way the scape is twisting. 12 inches tall and only a few small blooms with the scape misformed.

BORN TO RUN. Very short, and all blooms are somewhat blotchy. What a shame. I think it would be beautiful if only it were beautiful.

And then there is this breathtaking one! If I had only one it would be BEAUTIFUL EDGINGS.

Christine

Christine - That is a weird scape on Double Firecracker, but I doubt that twisty curvy scapes are a permanent affliction. Next year it will likely be just fine. The bloom is a lovely, sparkling color.

Born To Run still has short scapes in my garden after three years. The bloom in your photo looks pretty good to me. Believe me, I've seen far worse. I'm going to try moving my BTR and putting the systemic on it earlier next year to see if it can improve. It is a wonderful pod setter. So from a hybridizing standpoint, it's earned another year in my garden.

Debra

This has NOID,It has been ugly all this bloom season.
Pat

Poor old NOID. Not only is it ugly, it can't stand up on its own. I feel sorry for that one. Hope it improves.

Debra

Here is my first bloom of the season. It is the first bloom on Purple Kaboom. You can't even see the eye. I am sure it will improve as the season progresses but this morning was truly a disappointment.

Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder! Although Curt Hanson's plants generally are great garden performers here, I have had a love-hate relationship with his Inca Apothecary for some years. Some days the brownish tones look unique and at other times, they just look ugly! See for yourself.

And someone put Inca Prince as one of their ugliest. Even with water spots, I think it is beautiful!

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Reds and purples really, really need to be treated for thrips. Either use a systemic insecticide in the spring before bloom or try Bob Schwarz's organic recipe ( which works - I have used it) 1/4 C. Murphy's oil soap to 1 C. water. Spray on scapes about 2 weeks before blooms and re-spray as needed.

Floota - Thanks for the organic recipe. I'm going to use it next spring on the ones planted in the clay. I do use a systemic in my raised beds, but it doesn't seem to permeate the clay soil as well. I kind of like the look of your Inca Apothecary. Maybe I could cross that one with Sun Bear and the brown tones would cancel each other out. LOL

Debra

I got WILDEST DREAMS in 2009 and it looked like this:

Moved it to a place where it couldn't be seen from the road and this spring it put out this one good bloom out of about eight.

All the other blooms looked like the 2009 picture, so I didn't bother taking a picture. The two scapes it put out were very short and the foliage is very spindly for such a large daylily.

I know it takes a few years for some daylilies to settle in, so I may give it another year, but I really just don't like this one.

Vickie

This is what I found on Always Afternoon today. The second flower was a little better but still ugly.
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Could it be thrips too? The buds looked ok, and last year every flower was good, no damage at all.
This year I have several other plants where buds look a bit yellowed and somewhat dry and like they are trying to open while still small. Like one segment would be sticking out. It looks similar to the picture in the Encyclopedia of Daylilies titled Thrip Damage.

with all this heat or rain there's alot of uggs out there!

My ugliest is Beyond Riches. It starts out with quite a few buds, but most turn yellow and drop and the few that do open are unattractive. Maybe one of two good flowers come from it. And it hasn't increased at all. I'm about ready to give it the boot.

Karen

Nat - Your Always Afternoon bloom does look like thrip damage, but you don't seem to have any of the telltale bumps on your buds. So it may be a weather anomaly.

Debra

Mike-I love Roses in Snow-and this isn't even one of it's best blooms
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Now on the what was I thinking side-I really wanted Ultra Violet Mood-and this is it's first year here. I really hope it improves and that the uglies are just due to not enough rain!
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Thanks Debra! You are right, buds were looking ok. Plus now I know how those bumps look (saw it on other plants). I'll see what happens next year.

Lisa I don't think that Ultra violet mood flower is ugly! But then I don't know how it is supposed to look :)

Here is another one, Stout medalist Ida's Magic
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Lots of ugos here. I don't keep them, I either give them away or shovel prune them.

Beyond Riches hasn't done well for you, Karen? This is its 1st full year here, & it has been one of my better ones, although the 1st couple of blooms were just a bit splotchy.

Nat - Ida's Magic is another one that has a lot of bad hair days. But its good blooms are very, very good. Hope you get a good one soon!