Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell'

Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell': Brick-Red Stars for the Late-Summer Slump

Dark crimson stars with golden streaks shooting down the middle of each petal. This daylily looks like it's been through a bonfire and enjoyed it. BRICK RED. ROCK SOLID. HEAT? BRING IT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell'
• Common Name: Daylily
• Height: 75 cm (30 in)
• Spread: 60–75 cm (24–30 in)
• Flowers: Dark crimson to brick red, star-shaped, with a golden yellow throat that streaks out along the centre of each petal. Each flower lasts one day.
• Bloom Time: Late summer (August to September)
• Foliage: Arching, strap-like green leaves that die back in winter
• Features: Heat tolerant

Where to Plant: Put it in the middle of a sunny border, where its tall stems can rise over shorter plants, or use it in a mass planting on a slope, along a fence or in a cottage-style bed. It copes well with clay soil. Deer and rabbits will graze the buds, so keep that in mind if they visit your yard.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Sammy Russell' in a sunny or part-shade bed with white anemones, raspberry peonies and lavender-blue asters. Anemone sylvestris opens white snowdrop anemones at 30 to 45 cm in May and June. Paeonia 'Raspberry Sundae' adds pink and cream bomb peonies at 90 cm in May and June. Aster 'October Skies' brings lavender-blue asters at 45 to 60 cm in September and October. Calamagrostis Hello Spring!® stands behind at 90 to 120 cm with cream-striped blades.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun for the best bloom. It will take part sun, with fewer flowers. Average, well-drained soil suits it, and it isn't fussy about soil type. Water well through the first season. After that, it only needs a drink during long droughts. Remove spent flowers and cut finished stems down to the base to keep the clump tidy. Cut the foliage back in late fall, or leave it and clear it in early spring. Divide every few years in spring or late summer, when the clump gets crowded and flowering starts to slow.

History: 'Sammy Russell' is an old cultivar, registered in 1951 and credited to a hybridizer named Russell, and as a dormant diploid it goes fully dormant in winter, which suits cold Canadian gardens. It has stayed in the trade for more than seventy years, a long run in a genus with tens of thousands of registered cultivars.

Final Thoughts: It shows up in late summer when the garden starts to look tired. Give it sun and walk away. THE LATE SHIFT IS COVERED.