The soaring popularity of daylilies, combined with the bewildering profusion of varieties and growing characteristics, demanded the development of a standard for daylily excellence. The All-American Daylily Selection Council, organized to address this demand, now coordinates a testing program which evaluates daylilies on over 50 performance characteristics across a nationwide network of test sites. This rigorous testing has produced comprehensive and surprising results.

There are more than 48,000 daylilies registered, bred in at least 25 states, by hundreds of individual hybridizers. Using its elaborate testing program, the AADSC sorts through the thousands of registered daylilies and awards to only the top performers the coveted title of &8220;All-American.&8221;

Each year&8217;s scores are measured against all previous test data in order to ensure that the All-Americans are truly the best performers in their color category. Daylilies are tested for at least two years, with All-America finalists being grown for another three to five years in open field conditions before being announced.

Since 1989, AADSC has been in operation. In 2001, rust resistance was added as on of the key test criteria. In selecting for &8220;bulletproof&8221; performance, the AADSC has eliminated many of the highly susceptible varieties from its program and focused on identifying and promoting the most rust-resistant daylily varieties.

&8216;Black Eyed Stella,&8217; the first to receive the All-American title in 1994, is best known for its landscape performance as a nearly continuous bloomer. The two 1998 winner,s &8216;Lullaby Baby&8217; and &8216;Starstruck,&8217; were honored for exquisite beauty and balance in the &8220;Exhibition&8221; category.

&8216;Bitsy,&8217; one of three 2002 winners, combines a petite personality with powerful performance and is one of the longest blooming varieties the AADSC has encountered in 12 years of testing. &8216;Leebea Orange Crush&8217; is one of the rare daylilies exhibiting such balanced performance that it won in both the &8220;Landscape&8221; and &8220;Exhibition&8221; categories and commands attention in any setting. &8216;Judith,&8217; a large vigorous variety, with its profusion of glowing pink blossoms, won in the &8220;Exhibition&8221; category and is a trophy in any garden.

Two top performers were named in 2003 &8212; &8216;Frankly Scarlet,&8217; a vibrant red that represents a breakthrough in red daylily breeding due to its ability not only to sustain but to build color intensity in the heat &8212; and &8216;Plum Perfect,&8217; a clear vibrant bloom with a striking symmetry of foliage that offers purity of color, vigorous growth and multiple blooms.

One of the 2004 All-Americans is &8216;Lady Lucille,&8217; a large, showy bloomer that starts off just as most other daylilies are winding down, with clusters of flashy 5 to 6 inch blooms that go from summer into fall. The other 2004 winner, &8216;Chorus Line,&8217; offers a mass of fragrant, well-formed blooms with wide ruffled pink petals atop well-branched 18 to 22 inch stems.

In 2006, two more All-American daylily winners will join the previous 12 All-Americans to provide gardeners with a steady stream of tried and tested perennial beauties.

Daylilies offer garden enthusiasts &8212; veterans or novices &8212; easy to grow choices for use in almost any landscape. Now&8217;s the perfect time to add a few of these hardy perennials to your garden.

Traci Maier

can be reached by email at

ratmaier@bellsouth.net

.