You're doing well to be growing Christopher Moody successfully in northern Iowa. Your Willow Dean Smith looks great too. I picked up Forty Days on your recommendation and hope I am as pleased with it as you are. Well, we all eliminate things occasionally; one has to make room for new ones. Sometimes, one just tires of growing a particular cultivar. I appreciate your observations about which ones have had splotchy problems.

I had more splotchy blooms this year than I ever have, more than usual that didn't open well, and more than usual that didn't bloom at all. For whatever reason it wasn't my best year. Then there are those that always do well no matter what. My favorites of these is Christopher Moody and Willow Dean Smith. My Katrina Heroes is once again a disappointment and I'm thinking of tossing it. Blotchy, sparse blooming, and it needs perfect weather to get opened all the way.

Splotchy flowers most often are caused by dew on flowers that open early. Red and purple pigments (anthocyanins) are water-soluble so they run. Yellow and orange pigments are carotenes, which are not water-soluble.

nat4b: Is the first picture Forty Days and Forty Nights? I think that is the rain period we had in June/July. The daylilies loved it, however.

Thanks Mantis! I hesitate to recommend things, I just comment that I love this or that :) I hope so too, that you are pleased with it! It has never looked like the official pic here, btw.

Celeste, same thing here :s with splotchiness, plus bud drop. I think we got Katrina Heroes at the same time. This is the first year it is pic-worthy though! :)

Dick, sorry, yes, it's Forty Days and Forty Nights! Some names are just way too long ;) Clearly on No More Tears it is water damage. We always have (heavy) dew and some incl NMT start opening in the evening. But, last year I didn't have much problems with spots. Seems like some are one bad one good year, like Tower of Babel. But good to know about the pigments!

Christopher Moody and Intelligent Design are stand outs today. I like that dark purple of Xon Valdez too. Joan Senior sure earns her keep in my garden too. I just finished deadheading her for the season here. A very long bloomer and one of the few whites I like............Maryl