Gothic Grenadine is one of the darkest red daylilies available, with exceptionally large blooms of heavy substance and pie-crust edges. Its very high bud count, more than 30 per scape, keeps the show going through late July.
The plant is vigorous, and the dark flowers hold up well in full sun. The semi-evergreen foliage stays tidy through the season.
What it looks like
Very large flowers about 6 inches across with thick, heavy-substance petals in deep, dark red with a velvety sheen, pie-crust ruffled edges and a small green-yellow throat. Each bloom lasts a day, but many buds open in turn on branched scapes rising to about 28 inches above a fountain of long, arching, strap-shaped medium green leaves. The foliage clump is about 17 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. At peak bloom dark red flowers are open along heavily budded scapes.
Growing it with lavender
Its deep red blooms add a dramatic, dark note next to lavender in the same sunny, well-drained spot.
Care
Grow in full sun to light part shade (at least six hours of sun for the best bloom) in average, well-drained soil; once established it handles heat, clay and dry spells. Hardy in zones 3 to 9. Snap off faded flowers for a tidy look, cut bare scapes to the base after bloom and divide crowded clumps every few years.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Hemerocallis
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Flower color: Very dark red
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Foliage: Medium green
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Growth habit: Arching, fountain-like clump
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Mature size: 25–28 in tall × 18–24 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Mid-July
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Peak bloom: Late-July
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Susceptible
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.