Press Releases

Names Announced for the 2002 "All-American Daylilies"

DEEP GAP, NORTH CAROLINA - June 8, 2001 - The All-American Daylily Selection Council (AADSC) released the names of three All-American Daylily Selections for 2002. 'Bitsy', a petite yellow, received its award in the landscape category; a glowing pink, 'Judith', earned the title in the exhibition category; and 'Leebea Orange Crush' is a double winner, earning the All-American title in both categories.

The All-American title is granted only to those rare daylily varieties that have shown superior performance across at least five USDA hardiness zones. The AADSC All-American daylily award differs from others in that its results are based on rigorous scientific methodology.

The three new winners for 2002 join a select group of cultivars that have been awarded the honored All-American title since the AADSC test program began in 1985. 'Black Eyed Stella', 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 winners, 'Lullaby Baby' and 'Starstruck', were honored for exquisite beauty and balance in the exhibition category.

The 2002 All-American varieties are tried and true cultivars whose test scores earned them the AADSC's top honor. Each winner in its respective category, offers a uniquely individual blend of beauty, performance and uses.

'Bitsy', the winner in the landscape category, is one of the longest blooming varieties the AADSC has encountered in 12 years of testing. Its tiny two-inch blooms appear very early in the season above 12 to 20 inches of grassy foliage. 'Bitsy' is equally at home in Minneapolis or Miami and blooms so long that many will want to plant it in color beds. With its graceful, delicate foliage and slender bloom stems, 'Bitsy' looks great combined with ornamental grasses. When combined with spring bulbs, it bursts into bloom just as they finish while its vigorous growth helps hide the spent bulb foliage. Combining a petite personality with powerful performance, 'Bitsy' will have strong consumer appeal, and can be grown without reservation in all parts of the United States.

'Leebea Orange Crush' is one of the rare daylilies exhibiting such balanced performance that it wins in both the landscape and exhibition categories. With its handsome, uniform foliage and profusion of blooms, 'Leebea Orange Crush' is stunning in a mass planting. Up close, a darker orange throat is noticeable on the slightly ruffled orange blooms. Also obvious is the blue-green cast to its lush foliage, which makes this plant a winner, even out of bloom. Whether brightening up a commercial landscape or accenting a home garden, this daylily commands attention.

Finally, 'Judith', with its profusion of glowing pink blossoms, is the exhibition category winner. A large, vigorous variety, 'Judith' holds its own toward the back of a perennial bed or among roses. When featured as an accent near a pathway or porch, 'Judith's' lush foliage, intriguing color and profusion of blooms can be fully appreciated. (Gardeners should know that pink is a variable color in daylilies. Soil moisture, pH, and fertility, as well as nocturnal temperatures and humidity, can cause the blooms to range from pale pastel pink to rich salmon pink.) Whatever the color shade, a blooming clump of this aristocratic beauty will be a trophy in anyone's garden.

The All-American Daylily Selection Council (AADSC), based in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, coordinates the testing program, which evaluates daylilies on more than 50 performance characteristics across a nationwide network of test sites. This rigorous testing has produced superb and surprising results. Who would have thought, for example, that a daylily bred in Texas would have been a top bloomer in Michigan, or that one from Missouri would perform so well in the heat of Southern California?

The soaring popularity of daylilies, combined with the bewildering profusion of varieties and growing characteristics, demanded developing a standard which the All-American Daylily Selection Council has established through its testing program and extensive database.

There are more than 48,000 daylilies registered, bred in at least 25 states, by hundreds of individual hybridizers. Using its testing program—the most sophisticated of its kind—the AADSC is able to sort through the thousands of registered daylilies and award to only the heartiest, most beautiful and diverse plants the coveted title of “All-American.” Each year'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-American finalists being grown for another three to five years in open field conditions before being announced.

Though past winners have been announced infrequently, from 2002 forward, gardeners can look forward to a steady stream of All-Americans. Now, shoppers can readily locate tested and proven daylilies at the local garden center and grow them successfully in virtually any garden in America. Backed by scientifically proven superior performance nationwide, All-American Daylilies are becoming America's preferred perennial.

The new 2002 All-American Daylilies will be widely available in spring 2002 at garden centers nationwide. They will be easily located by the colorful banners, posters, and bench cards, and will be displayed in an attractive blue pot featuring a large, informative booklet-style plant tag. Past All-American winners will also be available, offering the shopper six premium choices for creating their own All-American Daylily garden.

Garden Centers can contact the following growers to order shipments of Bitsy, Orange Crush, Judith, and the previous winners, for delivery of finished product in Spring 2002: El Modeno Gardens (CA), McCorkle Nurseries (GA), Pride's Corner Farms (CT), Ridge Manor Nurseries (OH), and Zelenka Nursery (MI). Bare root plants will be available from American Daylily & Perennials (MO), Greenwood Daylily (CA), Oakes Daylilies (TN), and The Plant X Change (TX).

For more information about the 2002 All-American Daylilies, 'Bitsy', 'Leebea Orange Crush' and 'Judith', as well as the earlier All-American winners, please contact Mary McLoughlin at (616) 698-0748 or visit the AADSC website: www.daylilyresearch.org.