Daylily Nut -- Hemerocallis 'Penguin Promenade'
2006 Registration
WETZEL (2006), EE dor. dip. diu. nofra. pale yellow to ivory white, bold purple eye, green throat, 30" scape, 4" flower, 3 branches, 15 buds, {[H. 'Little Business' x H. 'Graceful Eye'] x [H. Dumortieri x (H. 'Stella de Oro' x H. 'Janice Brown')]}, Sdlg. #03-LBS21w. Easily fertile both ways.
Named in a moment of whimsy, because the petal shape and color pattern somehow remind me of the stately, yet at the same time inevitably comical emperor penguins. (Photo courtesy of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.)
The distinctiveness of H. 'Penguin Promenade' is the combination of color and bloom season. It is very early, beginning bloom at about the time that H. 'Stella de Oro' begins. This is rare, possibly unique, for a flower of this clarity of color. The petal color is a soft ivory with palest yellow overtones, which easily passes for near white by daylily standards. The eye color is a clear purple. The color contrast is excellent, making this flower a real bright spot in the EE garden.
Flower size is 4", scapes are 33" tall. The plant is solidly dormant. Branching is good, bud count is about 15. There has been only sparde rebloom on this plant here in Maryland. As might be expected with a plant which is just 2 generations from the species, it is extremely healthy and vigorous. Foliage is tall and upright but slender, dark green, and remains good looking throughout the summer. Increase is rapid. H. 'Penguin Promenade' is very fertile both ways. It carries genes for rebloom which I've found to be generously expressed when the other parent also carries such genes.
Below are H. 'Penguin Promenade's pod parent seedling (left), and the pollen parent seedling (right). The pod parent is (H. 'Little Business' x H. 'Graceful Eye'). It is an early to EM bloomer which is quite similar in coloration to H. 'Siloam Virgina Henson'. The pollen parent is [H. Dumortieri x (H. 'Stella de Oro' x H. 'Janice Brown')]
The paternal grandfather of this seedling (pod parent of the seedling above at right), is the species H. Dumortieri -- specifically, the clone pictured below, which was purchased from Darrell Apps. Dr. Apps tells me that this clone originated from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Note that it has a very faint stippled chevron, or eye, best seen in the large version. The faint eye and the lack of brown coloration on the buds are both atypical of the species. However, this clone is a very close match to the clone identified with the number "5" on a color plate showing multiple clones of H. Dumortieri prepared by Dr. A. B. Stout. This plate appears as Plate XI, facing p. 81 of the book Daylilies by A. B. Stout (Sagapress, Inc., 1986; a reprint of his original 1936 book). The light colored buds and the distinct chevron are both clear in that illustration.
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Pete Wetzel
P.O. Box 21
Eldersburg, MD 21784
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