Hi All, have only stumbled back in this forum by chance again, though thought I would add a comment; I live in Australia with a climate zone equivalent to 9 in the US, have grown the following plants in this climate; 2010 J. T. DAVIS (Grace, 1999) 2009 SKINWALKER (Roberts-N., 1997) 2007 LAVENDER BLUE BABY (Carpenter, 1996) 2006 ED BROWN (Salter, 1994) 2005 FOOLED ME (Reilly-Hein 1990) 2004 MOONLIT MASQUARADE (Salter, 1992) 2002 BILL NORRIS (Kirchhoff, D. 1993) 2001 IDA'S MAGIC (Munson, I. 1988) The soils in this area are rich volcanic red soils very deep, with wet season mostly summer & fall. All of the above plants (particularly prior to 'Rust') were exceptional performers, though now most of them have been superseded by either seedlings of my own which do well in this climate or new cultivars with more dramatic colors. I would recommend to any one who wants to take a chance on a beautiful plant to try; 2010 J. T. DAVIS (Grace, 1999) 2009 SKINWALKER (Roberts-N., 1997) as they are still in my collection & are exceptional. J. T. Davis; is a bud builder, prolific flowering, exceptional season, fantastic flower shape, & creates a great show in the garden even with rust also is very fertile both ways. Skinwalker; terrific color, mass of flowers, good rust tolerance here, long flower season, Flowers present well on bush creating a great spectacle. LAVENDER BLUE BABY (dip); since the onset of rust in my garden this one does not perform any where near as prolific as it used to be, bush is prone to rust in wet seasons (shabby appearance) color does not contrast much with foliage though was exceptional in the past. In the past I have grown several thousand registered daylilies, as well as possibly 20,000 to 40,000 seedlings. though once rust appeared here have only kept approx 30 plants. These plants in my mind here in this area, are exceptional, only wish I could see them with out rust am sure they would be amazing garden specimens? examples of ones I like are CITRIX (Stamele), MALASIAN MARKETPLACE (Salter), CAREFREE SUNSET (Stamele), COOL ELEGANCE (Nunan - Aus.), MERYL (Nunan - Aus.), (SENSE OF WONDER (Trimmer), BORN TO RUN (Stamele) & PLANET MAX (Reed) all great flower displays, reasonable rust tolerance & beautiful colors. Just my thoughts Allan.

I mentioned this to another group the other day: A daylily seller who has quite a large operation once told me that, if RUBY SPIDER is in bloom, it always sells out for him. I can believe it. There are discussions here and there about daylilies one cannot conceive of getting rid of. RS is one such daylily for me. I just love it. I still don't have NWD, but someone who knows that is very kindly giving it to me as a gift plant accompanying an order I've got coming next spring. I'm excited!

I don't even know what's in the running this year.

I appreciate the feedback. While hybridizers invest a lot of cost and energy in producing cultivars, we who grow these plants are always searching for what plant is appropriate for our area and needs. We too invest cost and time and energy. Some who hybridize may be looking primarily for a hybridizing plant, while others want only a garden plant that performs. Different tastes may also produce different feedback, but It is a disservice not to share experiences. One is not being "nice" by withholding feedback. I suspect that Mean Green and Isabelle Rose have a good chance at future Stouts.