@Seedfork @GaNinFl
I have been investigating "dormancy" in daylilies for a number of years. It would be very helpful if I could get as much information as possible about how Stella and Happy Returns behave for you in zone 8b.
Although these plants are registered as "dormants", researchers have determined that Stella (and therefore presumably Happy Returns) does not require cold to grow and flower. However, that does not mean that they necessarily grow well at high temperatures.
Researchers also determined that some daylilies grow well at 75F but do very poorly at 85F and above. I suspect that for some daylily cultivars, their best growing temperature is near to 78F and the further above that, the worse they grow.
Some questions, if I may.
1. Do you grow them in full sun, full shade or part sun/shade?
2. Do the plants keep each individual leaf for about the same time as other cultivars that grow well in your garden or do their leaves yellow and dry, individually, somewhat more quickly throughout the growing season? In other words, do their fans look full or do they look more straggly?
3. When (if) they flower, how many buds do they have?
4. Do some of the buds on their scapes never manage to flower (they develop partly and then they dry and drop off, for example)?
5. Do some of their scapes start to develop and then they die and dry up?
6. Do the plants disappear completely underground at any time of the year?
7. Do the plants stop growing (stop producing new leaves) at any time of the year?
8. If they do disappear underground, how long do they stay below ground before they sprout? Or when do they disappear and when do they reappear?
9. Do their leaves grow normally or very slowly after the plants sprout and appear above ground?
