I couldn't even get it down to 20. I'll think about it.
kay

Most of mine are new but I do have a few that I really like.

Strutter's Ball and El Desperado: good growers and always looks nice. Strong scapes that don't fall over in the wind.

Chicago Apache and Ruby Spider: beautiful reds that really stand out in the garden.

From my new ones that put on a really good show I would have to say Drums Along the Mohawk and Belle Isle Bandit. oth multiplied very well this year.

Arctic Lace
Memphis
Paco Paco
Crazy Ivan
Wonder Of It All
Knights In White Satin
Candied Popcorn Perfection
Facepaint
Fluttering Beauty
Texas Blue Eyes

and about a hundred others...Ellie

This sounds like a great time to mention to any of you who are AHS members: Please remember that you have the chance to vote for your favorites by voting on your Regional Pop Poll Ballot.
The link below takes you to your ballot page. Select your region and the ballot for your region will pop up. Everyone is allowed five WRITE-IN votes and if you wish, you can also vote for five others that are listed on the ballot for a total of 10 votes in all. Results of these votes help growers in your area know which daylilies do well and are popular in the various parts of the country.

Here is a link that might be useful: AHS Pop Poll Ballot

Puccini
Vintage Frosted Ruffles
Mose's Fire
Lava Flow
Blue Dude
Itza Pink Teddy
Quartz Rainbow
Carol Todd
Apache Uprising
Magic Lace
And many more!
Many of my plants didn't bloom well this summer.

Nancy VB

I'm not sure how much I can limit, but here goes in no order.

Bear Claws
Man of Sorrows
Philistine Champion
Winner's Trophy
Cosmic Kaleidoscope
Golly Galore
Ledgewood's Pansy Face
Cerulean Warbler
Alabama Jubilee
Purple Breasted Honey Creeper
Bass Gibson
Emerald Starburst
Woman At the Well
Filled to Overflowing
Black Fathom Depths

Best I can do.
kay

I'm not sure how much I can limit, but here goes in no order.

Bear Claws
Man of Sorrows
Philistine Champion
Winner's Trophy
Cosmic Kaleidoscope
Golly Galore
Ledgewood's Pansy Face
Cerulean Warbler
Alabama Jubilee
Purple Breasted Honey Creeper
Bass Gibson
Emerald Starburst
Woman At the Well
Filled to Overflowing
Black Fathom Depths

Best I can do.
kay

No clue why it posted twice...but I left out Johnny Cash and Brazen Bandit which have to be on the list.
kay

OH well, my best is WONDER OF IT ALL
CHINA BRIDE
WOMAN AT THE WELL
BARNEY
BEAUTIFUL EDGINGS
ENDURING FREEDOM
OKTOBERFEST
HOW BEAUTIFUL HEAVEN MUST BE
MARIETTA SURPRISE
MALAYSIAN MARKETPLACE
WILD ONE
DRAGON KING
CLASSIC EDGE

Thats what came to mind.

Jean

Some of my favorites
Fooled Me, rebloomed & looked fabulous this year
El Desperado-as someone else mentioned, blooms heavily & always looks good
Woman At the Well-looked beautiful & every scape rebloomed
Fancy Face was perfect this year
Clown Parade may be my very favorite
Bill Norris bloomed his heart out this year, bloomed heavily the first time & rebloomed heavily
Juanita's Picotee Delight bloomed well this year, lots of blooms & several rebloom scapes
John Kirkland & Jersey Spider-ditto
Delia O'Bryan Brown, just a pretty flower that always looks good & it really rebloomed well this year
I could go on, actually I love all my daylilies for one reason or another. If I had to get rid of all but 10 of my daylilies, I would probably go mad trying to choose. Some just have beautiful flowers but don't bloom all that well. The ones that do bloom great though can make such a lovely clump, & may just be an older plainer daylily.

Here are mine:

MARILYN LEE BOCK
SPANISH FIESTA
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
APACHE SUNRISE
ABILENE LILLIAN
MADELAINE MACARTNEY
BERRY PATCH (still going strong!)
QUALITY OF MERCY
FIREFLY FRENZY
RIPTIDE

Gee, I must have left at least 10 more out!

Nancy

Actually if I could only keep five, it would be the five longest blooming ones. But when you ask which ones brought me joy, well that's another question entirely. Here are my

Top 10 Joy Bringers of 2012
1. Applique - great color, pattern, and rebloomed
2. Patricia Snider Memorial - gorgeous bloom and rebloomed
3. Willow Dean Smith - nice bloom AND foliage
4. Texas Blue Eyes, a longest bloomer and top pod hussy
5. Stealth Bomber, a longest bloomer and good rebloomer
6. Shores of Time, great rebloomer and pod setter
7. Ethel Buccola, lovely bloom, heat buster, good rebloomer
8. Mozambique Nights, a top pod hussy and best rebloomer
9. Annabelle's Blush, pod hussy and great rebloomer
10. Margo Reed Indeed, top heat buster, pod hussy

I did not include anything here that has not overwintered for me.

Debra

That's a good point... the ones that bring you joy, aren't necessarily the longest blooming ones, or the most disease resistant ones.

So in no particular order (and these are from the small number of plants in the protected side yard (the deer got the rest)), here are the blooms that I was pleased to see and which brought me joy:

Osterized - always opens well, bright and cheerful
Sears Tower - I look forward to this one every year; it's a bright spot in the July garden
Wonder of It All - I finally figured out that it needed more water (it never opened well before) and now I love it
One Fine Day - one of the first to bloom (EE), almost always opens well
White Wolf - beautiful large blooms that open well (love them even though the plant has some rust)

Not a registered cultivar (and probably never will be), I also love a small flowered, early blooming yellow seedling of mine (it almost always opens well, has very consistently formed flowers, and sometimes polys (but not this year, sigh)).

Looking back, three of these 6 are early (or earlier) bloomers (OFD, WOIA, the seedling), and all are light colored flowers (three yellows (yellows are so cheerful in the garden!), two near-whites, one pastel peach). I guess that's a trend - early and light!

Wow -- what a great response!! And isn't it interesting that there really isn't that much overlap. I noticed Woman at the Well, El Desperado and Wonder of it All, and maybe Texas Blue Eyes appeared more than once, but not many..... I guess it's because we have SOOO many beautiul ones to pick from, and some of you have 100's of them, AND of course we all have different tastes as well. I am so enjoying looking up pics of all of your favs, and I may just have to increase my fall orders!!! Thanks to all of you, and to others, keep them coming! Nichole

The most joy....I should focus on the whole plant as it appears in the garden, but I'm still such a sucker for a pretty face. And that's even after having taken Garden Judges Workshop II at the National Convention this summer. Oops hope floota's not reading this! ;)

In no particular order and not exactly five or even 10:

MOOD SWING (Selman 08) is a gorgeous polychrome with ruffles. It's a midseason bloomer, but I have blooms on a rebloom scape today.

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST (Emmerich 09) took last year off; in fact, I was afraid I'd lost it. But this ML is blooming its head off even as we speak. I love the color & ruffles, not to mention the size of the blooms.

SEA MONSTER (Gossard 10) It's the color on this one that I adore.

PUMA (Gossard 10) registered as peachy pink but it sure has that polychromed look I love. One of my very top favorites.

ROCKET BLAST (Niswonger 01) The description leaves so much to be desired: "red with deeper eye" can't even begin to capture the brilliant intensity of the color.

COMET TRAIL (Niswonger 01) Ditto on "red self above orange throat"; that's like saying the Hope Diamond is carbon with a blue tone to it!

VENUS FLYTRAP (Gossard 07) has really come into to its this year. Poor thing is very overcrowded and has taken it out on me for two years previous. But this year = full of scapes, a really really good color (as opposed to a rather muddy maroon in the past) and teeth.

WHEN BEARS FLY (Gossard 03) It's brown! Nothing more need be said.

SEND N CARAMEL KISSES (Strope-Ward 11) Vigorous and perfectly lovely. Reminds me just a tad of another favorite:

FIRST CRUSH (Norris 08) always taller here than its registered height of 21" and each bloom is always perfect.

CAMEO GLASS (Moldovan 05) Picture in the AHS database doesn't do it justice. I thought I'd lost it, so I replaced it immediately. Now I have two clumps!

MERINGUE MIRAGE (Apps 99) one of my favorites ever. Lovely almost feminine shades of pinks & creams. And vigorous: I neglected it for years by leaving it in a pot and then gave half of it to someone who admired it. Lost some of the remaining fans and finally (!) got around to planting it the year before last. It responded by exploding into a vigorous clump. I might have to divide it next year in fact.

SELF DETERMINATION (Hanson 04) for its color, ML performance, height, ability to clump up.

RUBIES IN THE SKY (Hanson 07) for its saturated color and its scape.

ALMIRA BUFFALO BONE JACKSON (Faulkner 10) does not have stupendous branching or bud count (yet?), but it's given me perfectly/near perfectly formed blooms with great pattern every time.

FLAMING BULL (Bennett 06) is just such a lovely rich color and I love the ruffled edges, yes, small ruffles on the sepals, too.

DREAM SEQUENCE (Rice 07) registered as lavender-blue; it's had such intense color this year; must be the weather we've had.

NESBIT ORANGE CRUSH (Hobbs 04) new to me and still in a pot, but it had two scapes, is an EM still in bloom, and has a rebloom scape. Love the ruffled edge and pale orange sherbet-y color on this one.

MERLIN'S MOTH (Sobek 03) registered as a "very dark red blend," it looks black -- really black -- when it first opens. Ditto to COPPER CHAMELION (Sobek 95).

POLY FOXING AROUND (Forrester 05) New and first time I've seen it bloom. Which means it's only going to get better! Huge super-cool poly....I just loved it!

I'd better stop now. :) But not before listing one of my all-time favorites:

BEYOND THE SKY (Morss 08). An evergreen that's proved to be hardy and vigorous here (so far at least). Absolutely gorgeous clear color. I can't imagine ever getting rid of it. I wonder what I'll have to grow to knock this one off my list of top 5, maybe top 3, favorites?

...oh heck, I forgot DESIRE OF NATIONS (Emmerich 08) and KINGDOM WITHOUT END (Emmerich 08) Stunners both of them and FYI the AHS database pic of KINGDOM makes it look dark & almost muddy. Mine is a gorgeous clear intense color.

I'm done now. Honest. :) Sheesh I forgot HIS SISTER PAM (Yost 09), but I said I'm done. Despite how impressive that one's been.

Why not post a picture of Hanson's Rubies in the Sky. There are none on google.

mantis, I'll have to check to see whether I took any any. And you're right about no pics! Here I was so SURE you just hadn't searched carefully enough, and I figured I'd show you how to do it properly...pauses to wipe smirk off red face...Frankly, it's hard to believe no seller has ever taken a pic for a catalog, but that seems to be the case. I don't recall where I got the plant, but it never occurred to me that it might not be widely grown.

Hi Mantis--I have a picture from this year; I'll try to take some time this evening to figure out how to post it for you. Rubies in the Sky was definitely in my top 10 this year.

Our daylilies did not do well this season. We moved into a new home and moved 60 plants. The heat has definitely been a factor. Short plants with smaller bloom. Many of mine are oldies, but here goes.....Remembrance of Love, Victorian Lace, Moonlit Masquerade, Gollywog, Brocaded Gown, Elizabeth Salter, Spiderman. Bella Lagossi, Strutters Ball, but I love them all. Just ordered a dozen new. Heavenly angel Ice, Piano Man, Primal Scream just a few. I'm an addicted and no chance of recovery. I love all your input and enjoy the pictures soooo much. Thank you all. Someday I may learn to post pictures. Love to all Have a great time lilies!!!!!!
Dea in Ohio

Otherwise, send the picture to me, and I'll post it.

HI Mantis. This is an attempt to upload my pic. Fingers crossed. Rubies in the Sky has a velvety finish, so those areas in the picture which look rather blue-ish are in fact red, but velvety. Gorgeous bloom and fertile both ways (not quite sure yet, but thus far it looks to be a super mama--with the exception of a 104 degree day, my attempts to set seed were very successful). -eric

Nice ruffling for a red. My only reservation would be the registered bloom size at less than 5". For a tall scape, that seems small.

What a beautiful bloom !!

Since we are winding down now, here are mine in no particular order. Next year, this all could change again. I did not pick any that was planted this year although, I had several of those that I loved also.

ROSE MASTERPIECE
JAMIE DOCKERY
TRULY ANGELIC
BLACK FALCON RITUAL
EMPEROR'S CHOICE
CANTER
BLACK EYED BULLY
SPRING MYSTIQUE
UP MILL CREEK
EVIDENCE OF ALIENS
PEARL HARBOR
PENNY PINSLEY
ELOQUENTLY EDGED

I guess I went over the limit but I could keep going if allowed to :D

Julia

I will have trouble picking only 10-but some I have grown to really appreciate this year.
1) Tropic Embers-second year in a row that it has had a third bloom set and very consistent double.
2) Broadway Review I love the pure color of it. (see pic)
3) Raspberries in Cream Dad bought it for me last year because he knew I had wanted it for so long, the color is everything I expected.
4) Indian Giver which I think will always be a favorite.
5) Crystelle's Love-even in 100+ degree weather, it did not wilt.
6 and 7) again both picked just for the color-Linda Sierra and Mary's Baby
8) Neon Flamingo-fast grower huge standout blooms
9) The Band Played On -huge eye reminds me of a giant pansy
10) Doyle Pierce-again-standout color large bloom-little low to the ground this year-but the blooms were worth it.
Next year-it would probably change. Many flowers that I know are beauties did not look their best this year.