I would be cautious ordering from some sources. However, there are old threads on this forum describing how to clean and quarantine plants that you receive if you are uncertain whether they are carrying rust.

Nate

Why don't you contact the nurseries you are interested in purchasing from adn ask them?

Remember that a "rust free" nursery may only mean that because they spray they do not have any rust symptoms. If you buy from these nurseries and don't have a spray program yourself then as soon as their spray material wears off and conditions are ripe in your area, you may find yourself with rust running amuck. That is how I got rust last year for the first time. Not truly understanding what rust free means. Even northern nurseries that have winter kill and are rust free in early spring, can have a rust problem later in the year if they bring in rusty daylilies from elsewhere during the season. There are no perfect solutions. If you want a new daylily try and buy it from a northern source and have it shipped the moment they can safely dig it as this will give your new daylily the least amount of exposure to any rust that might crop up in the sellers fields later on. If you just must buy from a southern source, then the best thing to do is to follow the cleaning instructions that were posted somewhere on this forum. It involves stripping off most of the old foliage and emersing them in a bleach bath, then isolating them from the rest of the garden......This rust situation is so frustrating. Because of it, so many sources have been eliminated for me because I refuse to spray. Hope you get want you want and without rust......Maryl

Thank you so much for clarifying "rust free", Maryl, as I was not understanding the term correctly. I was interpreting it as "we don't have it", not as "if we do have it, it's being suppressed", so to speak. I tried looking for northern nurseries but these particular daylilies are not widely available. I considered emailing the nurseries directly to inquire about the rust status but perhaps they should just stay on the wishlist for now...

I am particularly concerned about rust as we will be moving the dl's to our property in central TX next year and I certainly do not want a rust issue there!

I have read the posts regarding bleach baths but I am concerned that I could miss something (with my luck, some spore would survive) and I don't want to risk the 300 or so dl's that I currently have. I also cannot effectively isolate the new plants after being dipped (accessibility issues) nor can I spray as I am disabled and can no longer physically handle the equipment.

Having been through it 3 times, this is how I deal with it. I only buy from growers up north where it will not over winter and make it clear that I would like my plants shipped as early as possible and hopefully before they begin receiving new plants from the South. I am in northern Ohio so it will not over winter here but I just don't want to deal with it. Before I began doing this I had it in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Then again birds, animals, insects and even the wind can bring the spores to your garden.

Bambi, I am going to go ahead and take your approach. I will wait until I find them available up north and then order them for an early spring delivery.

It may or may not work for you, all one of your neighbors has to do is pick some infected ones up at a garden center and bring them home and it is all over. I have seen infected plants actively producing spores at a garden center here.

It's not that difficult. Use good sanitary habits, like you were going to visit someone in the hospital for example. Rust only resides in the green tissue of the plant, so in an area that can be cleaned afterwards, remove the green foliage of any new arrival and dispose of it, then clean the remaining plant with soap and water. In the rare case a rust spore might be riding along on the plant, washing thoroughly should get rid of it.
Pot the plant up and observe it in an area that is not in direct view of other daylilies. Don't touch potential rusty plants and then go to other daylilies. Check them last. If you do see any indications of rust, cut back the foliage and clean again. These simple precautions should keep you rust free.
Good luck, Ed

One of the best sites I've come across on rust explains just how variable rust can be and how long it can "lurk" waiting to show itself once you think you've got a handle on it. What is relevant to this question though is at the bottom of the page it talks about dormant versus evergreen daylilies. In areas such as mine where winters usually kill back all the foliage except on the hard Evergreens, even if I got a case of rust on a newly purchased daylily if I could just hang on until winter killed back the foliage, then the next year I could be back to rust free again. If you are going to take a chance on a daylily from a more southerly source, then I think it might be a good idea to go for the Dormants or at worst the Sevs......Maryl

Here is a link that might be useful: Rust Longevity