And I have NONE of those :( They are all beautiful, something about Swallowtail Kite I especially like. I'm so glad you added the last picture, that is absolutely beautiful.

I was supposed to post my best performers. Most all of mine are older, or too new to tell. Last summer Pink Cotton Candy, Lavender Deal, & Edith Sliger were impressive.
Pink Cotton Candy
{{gwi:698632}}
Lavender Deal
{{gwi:661158}}
Edith Sliger-this picture is splotchy, but it cleared up in later blooms. It seemed to bloom all summer.
{{gwi:698633}}
South Sea Serinade was only 2 fans, but bloomed a lot for a first year. It has multiplied & I'm really looking forward to it this year
{{gwi:698635}}
Pink Spider doesn't bloom for a really long time, but so full of blooms while it does
{{gwi:672634}}

I'll post just a few favorite lavenders and pinks. Karol Emmerich's HEARTBEAT OF HEAVEN is a traffic stopper here.

{{gwi:698636}}

My favorites change from day to day depending on what is blooming, but Pat Stamile's JUDY FARQUHAR has been a favorite pink for the past couple of years.
Blooms are huge. It is very vigorous here!
{{gwi:698637}}

Since the 2003 AHS Convention in Charlotte, I have loved Jan Joiner's huge pink double, KNOCKS YOUR SOCKS OFF. The name fits!
{{gwi:698638}}

Some beautiful flowers posted here, but OCEAN SPIRIT -- WOW! And I usually don't go for the eyed cultivars . . .

Is the color really that clear, and not mauve like Bradley Bernard, Starman's Quest and others I've grown with which I've been disappointed? Can you tell I don't care for mauve?

If the color is pure, that one might have made its way onto my limited wish list.

Pinks and lavenders are probably my favorites, so I have a lot of them. If I have to consider quick increase, that lets a lot of the newer ones out, including my top two favorites. As many of you know, the severe drought here in the past three years has limited increase, so I can't really tell how well they increase.

I'll post the best performing pinks first.

CLASSIC DELIGHT
{{gwi:698640}}

SYMPHONY OF PRAISE
{{gwi:670974}}

AT FIRST BLUSH
{{gwi:672028}}

SEMINOLE WIND
{{gwi:698642}}

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
{{gwi:698645}}

WAVES BECOME WINGS
{{gwi:698648}}

DESIREE
{{gwi:672031}}

Debra

Yes, OCEAN SPIRIT really looks like that. Margo and Jim say the color is difficult to capture in a picture, but they used one of my pics of it several times for an ad in the Journal. It is extremely clear!

Here are my best performing lavenders:

ADA MAY MUSICK
{{gwi:698651}}

PALACE GARDEN BEAUTY
{{gwi:698653}}

NEPTUNE'S LEGACY
{{gwi:698655}}

MANDALAY BAY MUSIC
{{gwi:668257}}

MAGIC AMETHYST
{{gwi:698658}}

MUSICAL MEDLEY
{{gwi:698660}}

SOVEREIGN QUEEN
{{gwi:672538}}

LAUGHING SKIES
{{gwi:652176}}

SETI
{{gwi:670980}}

ORCHID FOREST
{{gwi:698663}}

TURQUOISE TEMPLE
{{gwi:662189}}

ETHEREAL LIGHT
{{gwi:698666}}

ANGELUS BLUE SKIES
{{gwi:698669}}

Other great lavenders are BLUE JAY WAY, JENNY BUTTERFIELD, UNITY CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUAL CORRIDOR, ODDS AND ENDS, INQUIRE WITHIN and TWILIGHT ILLUSION.

Debra

Great pics, Debra. WAVES BECOME WINGS is one of the few lavender/pink Hansons I haven't purchased because I never see good photos. Take a look at the ones posted on Tinker's -- that's yours in the middle, right? The other two don't make me want to rush out and find it, but yours does.

I like the looks of NEPTUNE'S LEGACY, too (among others).

Floota, thanks for the info on OCEAN SPIRIT. I'll have to keep my eye on that one.

The first and middle pics of WAVES BECOMES WINGS on Tinkers are both mind. The first one was taken the first summer I had it when it was still in a pot. Once planted in the ground, it had a much richer color. I have never seen it looking like the third photo on Tinkers. It multiplies like crazy and is a great late. Here's another photo of it from last summer.

{{gwi:663431}}

Debra

Oh my. You've been busy since Saturday.

So, Shive, what are your two top favorites? A high budcount without fast increase (especially considering the weather) would be acceptable, too. I'm mostly just trying to avoid another Jedi Dot Pierce, which has given me a wonderful abundance of one whole scape with seven blooms in the four years I have had her. (Maybe she's in a bad place? Maybe she's r-eee-ally slow settling in?) The first year, she only gave me two blooms, so seven is a real improvement!

I'm really glad to see that you have Classic Delight listed as a best performer, too! She bloomed in my garden for the first time last year, and I'm impressed with her color. I brought her and Jolyene Nichole both inside in the evenings, and placed them next to each other in candlesticks on the dinner table, and carried them all around the house, and compared them to other pink and peach objects that I have inside. Now, I finally fully understand why Jolyene Nichole ever so subtly clashed with the other pinks and lavenders in my front bed.

Maximus, you can post pictures of On the Waterfront and Song in My Heart, too? You recommended both of those very highly in other threads! Can you comment on the performance of Pink Ambrosia? I just brought her home two weeks ago.

Thanks,
Sharon

Hmmm. I was hoping that someone would jump in and defend Jedi and tell me that it very definitely needs to be moved.

Floota - HEARTBEAT OF HEAVEN sure looks nice. I'll have to look into that one. OCEAN SPIRIT is pretty impressive looking, too. It reminds me of Trahlyta.

Shive - I've been looking for a source for ADA MAY MUSICK, PALACE GARDEN BEAUTY, NEPTUNE'S LEGACY, and MANDALAY BAY MUSIC for a while. Those are very nice looking. Does Sovereign Queen increase quickly for you?

Ngraham - I'm looking forward to getting South Sea Enchantment this year. I also just received Spacecoast Passion Released as a bonus, so I'm interested to see how it blooms this year.

Thanks,
Sharon

Sharon -- Here's the two you asked about.

{{gwi:658923}}

{{gwi:698673}}

While PINK AMBROSIA is a pretty flower, it hasn't been the best performer for me (very slow to increase, and few blooms). Maybe it will do better in your neck of the woods.

{{gwi:698708}}

Chris

There are some beauties in this group...thanks for all the pics! VULCAN LOGIC has been on my wish list for some time. And I've just added KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF to the list as well. The photo of ETHEREAL LIGHT is simply amazing. I keep scrolling up and down trying to pick my favorites...but those 3 are definitely at the top.
Kathy

Geez....how'd I miss this thread? Chris, mine and your taste in dl's sure do run along the same lines!! :) I don't think you've ever posted a photo of one that I didn't like a lot.
Everyone's pics are just beautiful. I think I especially need Karol Emmerich's Heartbeat of Heaven. WOW!!!
Loved them all, though.
Thanks everyone for sharing your beauties.
Jan

DOH! I *KNEW* by the title I shouldn't have looked at this thread!

Chris - BERMA ABERCROMBIE is just stunning. I don't think I have even ever heard of that before this post. Alvatine Taylor Yates is on my Munson want list... I didn't find VULCAN LOGIC yet, but I did find one of its parents - BORG TECHNOLOGY, so now I have *3* Hanson's!

Floota - Love that Hb of Heaven - wow.. it sure stopped me. I keep finding that I really like that one. Maybe it should be moved closer to the top of my list! :o)

Debra - I think I said this before last year, but I'll say it again. I LOVE that NEPTUNE'S LEGACY. Cute, cute, cute.

Now for my own -

PINKS

BALLERINA BEAUTIFUL -
If last year (fall only) and this spring are any indication of how this plant grows and blooms, then it is going to be a real powerhouse. Great scapes with lots of uncrowded blooms. Still new, so evaluation is ongoing.
{{gwi:698712}}

CRYSTAL SEA -
This one is a slow increaser for me, so far one additional fan per year, but a phenomenal flower with a great color and lots of blooms.
{{gwi:650757}}

HALF MOON KEY -
Always a stellar performer. Kindof a salmony pink, but very beautiful.
{{gwi:698716}}

PINK ROCKS -
This is probably the most floriferous dip that I have... Just keeps blooming and blooming with beautiful large pink flowers. Strong scapes and good looking foliage.
{{gwi:663801}}

I have a ton more pinks, but all are really too new to evaluate fairly. I also love Party Pinafore, but I just have not gotten any increase from her at all...

LAVENDERS

COME SEE - kind of a bouquet bloomer, lots and lots of blooms.
{{gwi:647250}}

CREATE YOUR DREAM - This one is so good, lots of scapes, blooms and beautiful flower. I just couldn't believe the cheap price it is listed for. Definately worth purchasing. One of my favorites.
{{gwi:698718}}

EAGLE NEST
Big strong scapes and lots of beautiful flowers. Kind of more Mulberry color than lavender, but definately a lavender eye.
{{gwi:647459}}

MILDRED MITCHELL -
Can't go wrong with this one... Lovely flower with a strong all around plant to go with it.
{{gwi:698720}}

Maximus - Oh, well. I somehow doubt Pink Ambrosia will do much better for me in my neck of the woods. I got it at a daylily club meeting, and everyone kept saying that it was a very pretty flower, but I couldn't help wondering if that was supposed to be a consolation. At least it's a triple fan. That should help. Would you call it a true pink, or would it do better next to Jolyene Nichole? I was pretty pleased when Jolyene increased to 4 scapes last year - instead of 7 to 11 blooms, it jumped up to 30!

FairySoapGirl - I already have Crystal Sea (2 sources!) and Eagle Nest (when it comes down in price) on my wishlist. Half Moon Key has nearly made it on there, too. I'm going to have to look more into your others - I haven't heard of them before, but they sure sound good.

Shive - I'd still like to know what your top 2 favorites are....

Can anyone comment on the performance of Irving Shulman? I sure thought it was nice when I saw it blooming in person.

Sharon

Jan, I've known for a long time what exquisite taste we share in daylilies. ;o)

Kathy -- Berma Abercrombie took a while to settle in but once it formed a clump, I was hooked.

Sharon -- I guess I'd call Pink Ambrosia more pink than Jolyene Nichole, and for me it blooms a truer pink than Song In My Heart. The truest pink I grow is probably Eden's Glory.

I tried to grow Irving Shulman a few years back because I loved the bloom photos I'd seen. I never did get to see it bloom here -- it struggled for a few years and finally died, which is unusual for Salter daylilies here.

Oops . . . I meant Michelle.

Hmmmm. I did notice that your picture of Song In My Heart is more peachy than the picture that Shive posted in the "What's your Favorite Pink?" thread. Not only that, but she described it as "truly pink without those peachy tones". Maybe you got yours from a different source. Where did you get yours? And even better, where did she get hers?

Sunset Meadow carries both Berma Abercrombie and Eden's Glory. They made it on my wishlist from this thread. Alvatine Taylor Yeats, Lake Lure, and On the Waterfront were already on my wishlist, but they aren't available from anyone that I was planning to order from this year.

There is a daylily display garden about 3 hours from here that grows Irving Shulman. They are a couple zones warmer - not too bad. Sounds like I'd better make sure I get it there. They also grow Vi Simmons, which is supposed to be notoriously tender, but I also notice that New Every Morning carries it - and they are supposed to be in Zone 4 - so that's odd.

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: What's your Favorite Pink?

Sharon, I purchased Song in My Heart from Marietta Gardens in 2006. Alvatine Taylor Yates came from the Lily Auction. Lake Lure was a 2006 purchase from Dutchmill Gardens here in Michigan (and they've always sent TERRIFIC bonus plants).

Chris, can you send me info (my email should be on "MY PAGE") on Dutch Mill Gardens... can't seem to find the info.

I can't either. They used to be on Eureka, but not anymore. There is a place to email them from the Garden Watchdog, but that's about it. Cold climate sellers are a plus.

I don't have contact info for them anymore. When I placed my orders, they were still listed in the Eureka guide. Jerry Vandermeer is the owner I dealt with, and his contact info is listed if you google Dutchmill Gardens in Monroe, Michigan.

They had a ton of Moldovans and (mostly older) Hansons available for sale, along with a decent size catalog of other daylilies.

I'm amazed that none of you mentioned Blue Pink Beauty!
I got over 100 perfect flowers on my 3 fan potted plant last year ~

{{gwi:698723}}

Blue Pink B. & Driving Me Wild are my picks of all of Stamile's fabulous pinks...
~ marea

I've had Corryton Pink for about four years now and now have two nice clumps, even after giving some fans away. It really looks great with those large blooms on those tall scapes. Long bloom-time too.

AHS Listing: Corryton Pink (Kirby-OAKES, 1981)
height 32", bloom 6.5", season EM, Dormant, Tetraploid, Pearl pink blend with green throat.
{{gwi:674117}}

Well, I tried emailing Shive my questions, and here is her response. She's been really busy and hasn't had time to check GardenWeb for a while. First, I'll post my email for others to learn from, too; and then I will post her response.

-------

Hi Shive,

I keep asking you questions on the Best Performers - Pinks and Lavenders thread, but you must not be referring to it anymore.

Could I ask you what your 2 favorite pink daylilies are? (I'm guessing one is probably Natalie Antoinette.) A high bud count (even without quick increase) is fine.

Could I ask how well these perform for you? They've been on my wishlist for a long time:

Absolute Treasure
Lyrical Presence
San Ignacio
Sierra Grande
Hush Little Baby (would you call this one a true pink?)

Desiree (you already said this as an excellent bloomer)
Song In My Heart

Finally, could I find out where you got Song in My Heart and Desiree? Maximus got his Song in My Heart from Marietta's, but his plant isn't a very true pink in his garden.

Thanks,
Sharon

Hi Sharon, My two favorite pinks are NATALIE ANTOINETTE and SHORES OF TIME. Both are highly saturated rose pinks. I'm sorry I didn't see your questions on the BEST PERFORMERS thread....

Absolute Treasure has never had a high bud count for me. But it increases well, and the flower is beautiful.

Lyrical Presence was my favorite pink for several years. It blooms for a long time, and is well-branched and well-budded. It's a slow increaser here, but that could be because it's a dormant and it seldom gets very cold here in the winter.

Sierra Grande - lots of buds and rebloom. but very slow increase here. Again, another dormant.

San Ignacio - Great budcount and good increase despite its dormancy. It's a true pink here, but I have seen other people's photos of it with a peachy cast.

Hush Little Baby is a highly saturated deep, dark pink with fast increase. However it's never had many buds for me.

Desiree has everything going for it - good bud count, fast increase and foliage that is never bothered by bugs or slugs.

Song In My Heart was a true pink here. Soil can affect the peachiness of the pinks. Maybe that's why Maximus had a peachy looking one. I got it as a bonus from someone. I don't remember who. I really don't think the source is going to make a difference in the color. I gave it away last fall because I didn't have any place to plant it.

Hope this helps! Debra

WoW!!They are all so beautiful,I love them all..Hard for me to type with one hand,one is broken,so have to keepmy comments short,but they are gorgeous.

Jean

SAN IGNACIO blooms a true pink here, but hasn't been around long enough to evaluate its performance.

{{gwi:698725}}

Oh, and I'm a "she," by the way. :o)

Oh, good - that's even better. It's kind of hard to tell with Chris; but I'm also a married "she", and I'd just as soon keep the dh that I've got already.

Blue Pink Beauty has been on my provisional wishlist. There is a zone 4 garden within driving distance that is trying it out, but it was a brand new 2-fan plant last year. I was surprised when I got to see it bloom. I was expecting an obvious lavender cast to it, but I couldn't see any blue at all. It was very pink, and probably a true pink, as well.

San Ignacio is also in a zone 6 garden farther away (but still in driving distance). I took it off my order lists, and plan to buy it from them - once I've had a chance to see it in bloom, count buds, and so on. I just missed seeing it last year. (Rats!)

Thanks,
Sharon

Can anyone comment on Antique Rose (true pink?), Rose Chintz, and Chicago Candy Cane?

Thanks,
Sharon

I noticed when checking whether some of the suggestions above were sev, evergreen or dormant, on Tinkers that their pictures were way different colors. There might be three pictures with three wildly different colors of the same plant. Are there certain soil components which make a plant less peachy, more lavendar, etc.? It showed Alvatine Taylor Yates, for instance in two colors that could not have been more different. What can one do to influence color? or does it depend equally on the plant itself (where you get it?)

Oh gosh, they are all so lovely. I was hoping to add more pinks and lavenders this year, but it will have to wait.

Sharon

Soil composition, fertilizer and temperature can all affect daylily petal color. The time of day a photo is taken, and whether the plant is in shade or sun affects the color of the photo. In general, the source should not be the variable. Any reputable daylily grower would have plants true to name and color. However, those that have been tissue cultured and sold by catalogs that specialize in bulbs or perennials sometimes don't deliver the real deal with daylilies. You shouldn't have that problem with growers that specialize in daylilies.

Debra

Does anyone grow Oscie Whatley's pink cultivars, like:

Pink Fanfare
Juliette Whatley Memorial
Tippecanoe
Tyler Too
Polar Ice or
Rose Impact?

Thanks,
Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:698625}}

Chris, I've just had my first two flowers of Pink Ambrosia bloom. (It's in a pot from a warmer zone, so it's early this year.) They sure weren't much to write home about, though ... kinda small and peachy with a yellow eye. Does it take a while for this plant to settle in and start showing beautiful flowers?

Debra, how well does Follow Your Dreams perform for you?

I'm told that Velvet Rose is supposed to have a really high bud count in Zone 6.

Sharon

FOLLOW YOU DREAMS is an average performer here as far as bud count. It's pretty and does rebloom some years. It does have peachy undertones sometimes.

Debra