Daylily Nut -- Encore d'Ivoire
2008 registration
The name means "Encore in Ivory" as in "Ivory repeat bloomer". Americans will probably want to pronounce it "on-core deh-vore". Those who like the French sound that the name evokes might prefer the poetic pronunciation "on-quah deh-vwah". Either way is OK by me. "A rose by any other name ..."
Here are the registration statistics:
EE re Ext. fr. Dor. dip. 19", 3.75", 2 branches, 12 buds.
Near White to Ivory self, yellow-green throat.
parentage: Evergreen Sib to Hemerocallis 'Icehouse Effect' x [(H. 'Super Stella' x H. 'Brocaded Gown') x H. 'Tani']
Seedling #05-34b. Fertile both ways.
Bouquet of H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' with H. 'Stella de Oro'
Over the years my Maryland garden has hosted most of the registered continuous blooming northern daylilies and 20 years worth of my own reblooming seedlings. I like to study and compare them because rebloom is of special interest to me.
When H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' first bloomed in 2005, I was floored right away by the lovely flower. I considered it a potential keeper just for the clear color and gorgeous form. Then when it started reblooming and reblooming and reblooming, I couldn't stop saying "Wow!" Here seemed to be a visitation from the Heavenly Hosts!
Now, after three years of consistent performance, every time I gaze upon this beauty I still shake my head in wonderment at the undeserved Grace has come into my garden.
To my tastes, H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' is the overall best reblooming diploid that I've seen regardless of color.
Never mind that its color is also distinctive, H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' offers rebloom that is every bit as abundant as the original benchmark northern rebloomer, H. 'Stella de Oro'. Even small fans produce three sets of scapes through the summer; and fans mature at various rates, allowing the clump to mete out its bloom continuously, without the characteristic break that 'Stella' often takes. The flower form and substance are more full and luscious than any other rebloomer I know. Flower size, and particularly the robustness of the sturdy scape, are far superior to most other rebloomers. Scape to foliage proportions are excellent: flowers stand above the foliage but do not tower over it. Scapes are so thick and sturdy that they ought to withstand a hurricane. The foliage is not grassy like many rebloomers, but wide and arching; it is more lime green as opposed to Stella's deep green. Importantly (to me), H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' rarely sets bee pods: a major annoyance with many other rebloomers. Here's a view of a clump early in the season:
H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' exceeded all expectations for northern rebloom considering that it was a cross made primarily for form in a small-flowered near white. H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' has a bloom season that starts within days of H. 'Stella de Oro'; and it continues to bloom into October here. The full, wide-petaled, gently recurved bagel form is most pleasing to the eye: impeccable and consistent from first bloom to last. It is a nocturnal that shows no hint of "melting" in the afternoon: a true extended bloomer. The plant is a hardy dormant, healthy and amazingly vigorous: a rapid increaser. I describe the flower color as Ivory (thus the name) because I have many near white seedlings that are far more luminous; however H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' is so purely free of yellow and melon that by widely accepted "daylily-speak" it has to be called a near white. There are other daylilies with the same color registered as "near white". A prime example is Doris Simpson's impeccable mid-late bloomer H. 'Pamina', whose color is virtually identical. But I judge my whites against the venerable benchmarks; I do not wish to make any false representation. Therefore I've provided below a color comparison photo between 'Encore' and H. 'Joan Senior' (upper left) and H. 'Gentle Shepherd' (upper right):
Both the parents of H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' have displayed only limited rebloom. But both have exquisitely appealing form and carry rebloom genes. So the prolific rebloom of H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' was not entirely unexpected. It is the combination of the wonderful form, the reliable repeat bloom on sturdy scapes presenting a beautiful clump, and yellow/melon-free color that make H. 'Encore d'Ivoire' unquestionably distinctive in my opinion. As of 2009 it is simply my favorite daylily!
The DaylilyNut Farm has never had rust. It is state inspected, and is located about 25 miles west of Baltimore, MD. In 2006 the garden was moved to a cold-pocket valley, on the boundary between USDA climate zones 5 and 6 (coldest winter night is about -10F).
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Pete Wetzel
P.O. Box 21
Eldersburg, MD 21784
443-812-6424
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