I don't have many reds, mostly pinks, lavenders, and purples. But One I have that I like is Chicago Apache-great color really saturated. Unfortunatly my camera can not pick up the true color correctly. Another great one that blooms like crazy that I love is Pardon me. Always masses of blooms on that one and they are always at the same height. The biggest one that I have is Persian ruby, and It is doing well in its second year. One that ive heard great things about but do not have is Spider man, it looks stunning and is supposed to be a super performer.
This is my pic of Persian Ruby, it is a BIG one-

Here is a couple of pics of Spiderman.

Spiderman
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Spiderman (This one shows the color better)
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Red Volunteer (An older one that I really like)
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Tom

Here are a couple of my favorites:

I agree with RUBY FANTASY. I've had access to all of David Kirchhoff's reds, and I think this is his best. I absolutely treasure it! UP IN FLAMES is vivid red and a good performer as is PASSION DISTRICT.

I just had the first flower open this morning on Karol Emmerich's MAN OF SORROWS. Words escape me, so I'll simply move this one into first place among my red daylilies. Fan.tas.tic.

Here's Karol's web page, showing her newest ones:

http://www.springwoodgardens.com/intros07/

What you need to be aware of is that the photo doesn't come within a hundred miles of doing this daylily justice. Nor do these:

http://www.springwoodgardens.com/intros07/man.html

Thank you everyone. Keep those suggestions coming. I plan to add more reds so am looking them all up and adding them to my list.

I stumbled upon Karol Emmerich's site just after she finished shipping for this year which is the only reason I have not ordered a bunch of her intros for my garden. Lovely stuff.

I like the watermark on Man of Sorrows. I did from the picture though, not think it was red but a deep pink. So its a true red in your garden?

I saw Betty Ford blooming in Don Herr's garden during our regional garden tour. It was simply stunning. So stunning that it won for best red (on the tour) and I have ordered it for myself! (And I have never considered myself a big red person)

Another one that I really like...but is new this year (and was a bonus plant) is Crimean Crimson.

I have pictures of both...but am not at the computer that has my pictures right now. Btw, the pictures on Tinkers do not do them justice, imo. One of the BF ones doesn't look quite right to me.

Finally, I'm an American has performed very well for me this year...I posted a picture of it on my blog for July 4th. I think it just had its last flower yesterday. Really nice color and performance.

Here is a link that might be useful: picture of I'm an American

Hurray, Betty Ford is one of the ones I have planted this spring. Sounds like I choose a good one. I liked the pictures of it on both Mariettas and Maryotts websites but bought mine from Maryotts.

I LOVE my Red Volunteer:

And this is shaping up to be one of my favorites - first year in my garden for Magic Carpet Ride (again, excuse my toes - oh, and the soccer ball my dog requisitioned from the kids:

I bought a few more reds this year but no blooms on them yet, except the notorious Cousin Charles which bloomed on very short scapes due to (I assume) lack of water.

Christine

These are my best sunfast reds. Most reds fade in 90-degree temps, but these hold their color well.

ACQUIRE THE FIRE (the most sunfast I have with terrific branching and bud count)

ALL AMERICAN CHIEF (large striking blooms that hold their color up to 93 degrees)

FOREVER RED (nice cherry red that holds its color up to 93 degrees)

Another one I really like is SCARLET ORBIT. While not as colorfast as the three above, it is a beauty in the mornings and it's a good multiplier and rebloomer for me.

SCARLET ORBIT
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Debra

Oh, I forgot. BRITISH REDCOAT was new to my garden last year. Oh, awesome! The link is to David Kirchhoff's old website where BR is shown.

Here is a link that might be useful: Daylily World

Roses in snow! Forgot about that one!

Red Volunteer has a clear, rich red color. Blooms are 7 inches, substantial and velvety. Of the 3 pictures on Tinker's database, mine looks exactly like the color on the first photo in the row.

I have written down that I have Red Volunteer somewhere. Frankly, I was thinking Red Volunteer was a smaller flower & couldn't find it anywhere. Now I have one that is a velvety red, 7" blooms, somewhere around 30" tall, very sturdy stems. Beautiful daylily, maybe it is Red Volunteer? But the eye seems much larger...
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I like the looks of Roses in Snow but read that it was persnickety for some people.

Siloam Paul Watts

Janet

Wayside Royal Chief

Janet

I separate reds into 'hots' and 'cools'. Hots look well with oranges and yellows, while Cools look good with pinks and purples.
My favorite hot is DRAGON KING. Knocks me over every year when I see that first bloom. My favorite Cool is RED VOLUNTEER or WHOOPEREE (mainly for length of bloom time).
:0) Ed

My favorite red is Red Monarch


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My best reds are Passion for Red, Ruby Spider, Vesuvian, Holiday Joy and Holly Dancer.
Linda

Darn, I've just GOT to get 'Geneva Firetruck' next year. It was one of the first ones that caught my eye on the Patron's website several years ago, when I first got interested in daylilies. Somehow I've never ordered it, and I can't understand WHY I keep forgetting it. Every time I see a picture of it, I want it all over again.

I have a few reds - 'Chicago Apache,' and 'Anzac' are the truest scarlet ones. I'd like to get a few more next spring. I'm not going to order any daylilies for fall planting - I have far better success in the spring. I'll save my pennies and enjoy a nice, big order in 2008.

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'Anzac'

Laurel

ngraham, your 7 inch red spider looks just like my persian Ruby, height sounds about right too! You might want to check it out. -Jessica

Did I say spider? Im not sure if it is considered a spider, but it is sold as one from maryotts. Mine really dosen't look like a spider, but you know what I mean. There is a pic of mine towards the top of the thread. sure looks the same to me.

Laurel, know what you mean about GENEVA FIRETRUCK. It also reblooms nicely for me too. It was very popular here this year in addition to it's stablemate CHILI SPICE. I actually sent all of my CS to new homes and it's one that I'm planning to replace in the field. Usually when one leaves here it's not replaced but in this case I liked it so much I'll be looking for another.

Janet

Some of the many shades of red in my garden -
If you would like a shorter, prolific bloomer here is Rhinestone Kid
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Samar Star Fire is a deep,darker, bright red.
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If you like doubles, Rose Storm is a nice shorter DL
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Celebrity Elite is a favorite
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Fiesta Skirt is a beauty
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Espirit De Corp is another favorite
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Whooperee - a WOW! Dl to my eyes
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Good luck searching for your red favorites. Jane

PS:Forsyth Vivacious is one of my all time favorites. Do a search here to see if a photo has been posted. Mine will be opening again in a day or two.

Love the pictures of all these reds.

One red that I did get this year is Hearts of Fire, I decided to put in a row of them in a little garden section were I have a mini row of four red roses planted.

There is a row of nine of them back were you can just see the roses blooming. Then there are three in a row Hi Ho Silver and nearest in the picture view the row continues with four Off Beat. The one flowering in the picture is a clump of daylilies I have had for more than ten years and of course at that time I never kept tags so I have no idea what it is.

'Samar Star Fire' is wonderful - yet another for my wish list. I love the deep, saturated scarlets.

Kydaylilylady, I think I'll give 'Geneva Firetruck' a chance next year. It's just too nice to pass up, and if I've regretted not ordering it for the past three years, that should be my signal that I SHOULD order it next spring. It's a SEV, so I have a pretty fair chance of it growing well up here.

Laurel

Laurel, I'll have to say that the picture that I posted was not the best that I've seen on that plant. It just seemed that I couldn't capture what I was seeing on the camera. It made it through some cold temps here last year and had a robust start in the spring and increased well. Last winter we had a stretch of about 2-3 weeks of below freezing temps and barely making it above freezing during the day. That didn't seem to phase GENEVA FIRETRUCK.

Janet

Well, I added Rocket Blast, which is supposed to be red, red, red because it was the special bonus from Maryotts when I ordered.

Plus I received Flemanco Christmas, A red double, as a bonus from a lily auction win from Gary Coleby. So my collection of reds is growing.

I have really enjoyed Passion District this year.

In other gardens Joan Derifield was the best. It is on my list of ones to get. Unfortunately I did not get a picture.

lisaday- Red Monarch is GORGEOUS!

No one has mentioned Jim's Song yet...a nice, big, fragrant deep red with a gold throat. Pictures found on the web do NOT do this one justice at ALL. Had I not seen in in person, it likely wouldn't be in my garden.

(Only bolding this so it doesn't get lost) Question: Can you all recommend one of these "best reds" that also is a vigorous grower? Need to rip out some ditch lilies (finally convinced Ma to re-do that section) and she wants to go with the red, but since she is a very "gotta-have-it-now" person, she likely would like a good show in a hurry.

Thanks!

I am bumping this up in case it helps on the subject of best red daylilies that was just posted.

MMQCHDYGG,

No hybrids are going to grow like ditch lilies but I have found that Passion District increases fairly well. It is also old enough that you can get a clump a reasonable price. The second comment applies to many of these older ones. I would also ask about increase on Red Volunteer. I have heard that it increases well but I don't remember who told me.

Rita,

I am gettting Joan Derifield as a birthday present from my mother inlaw in the spring.

Edward
Timberlea, NS

Hi Rita, Thanks for bumping this info up. I should have done a search for red. I will get the hang of this yet. These pictures are gorgeous and it is great to have real gardener's opinions and experiences rather than just catalog descriptions. JeanDL

Starting a new thread is always good. You can usually get even more information. But you can also learn much by reading older messages.

Hi everyone"

I love your photos of red daylilies.
I am new to them as have been into iris for years.
My favourite pic so far is of AQUIRE THE FIRE.
THAT is what a RED daylily should look like, colorwise.
Thanks Debra from Shive for it. I prefer the HOT HOT HOT
reds, but ofcourse variety is the spice. Try many.
Try as many as you can afford. Sell off any that YOU
find lacking. I do this with iris.
Some are real duds compared to their catalog pics/descriptions or are just run of the mill inferior
repeats of cultivars that express better a theme that appears sought after.
Oh but the search, the game is what it's all about darlings.

Does anyone know if Red Volunteer is a light dormant, which will survive as far south as 8b without declining? I'd love to have it, but not sure if it will live here.

Nancy

Nancy, I have RV and it does great here - good increase, tall strong scapes, good rust resistance (so far).
Kathy

Nancy,
I grow RED VOLUNTEER. It does well for me and is a great parent. It is usually high on the AHS Popularity Poll for Region 6; TX and NM.
Kathy,
It will occasionally get rust, usually fall. Since it is a dormant, it sheds the rust with its foliage in the winter and starts fresh in the spring! All of my best reds have RV in their background.
Ed

Hello Laura, I think I have that same mystery red daylily as you. I found it growing in my mom's old daylily bed and had lumped it in with the 'Crimson Pirate'. However, there is was 'Catherine Woodbery' and at first I was wondering if those two made a new daylily--the mystery plant you seem to also have. Both of them are tall like it is. However, It is too distinctive though, and now suspect we both have 'Autumn Red'. I only noticed the plant this year and I don't know if reblooms. It has not rebloomed this year.

This post was edited by Dave_Evans on Fri, Aug 15, 14 at 23:01

Rita: You already had HEARTS OF FIRE and BETTY FORD.Maybe they are ones you lost the tags on?.
RED VOLUNTEER is a beauty.I have it.
Good to see you posting on here again, too.Have missed you.

jean

gee, I will learn to look at the dates of these posts one day.I thought Rita don't this today, but, its back in 07. didn't know these posts stay here this long.

Fire On The Mountain, just after a rain but the bright red showed up all over the garden.