Hemerocallis 'Fragrant Returns'

Hemerocallis 'Fragrant Returns': Scented Lemon Encores All Summer

'Fragrant Returns' keeps coming back like a boomerang dipped in perfume. Ruffled lemon-yellow flowers, a sweet scent and a tidy mound that never gets messy. THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON SMELLING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hemerocallis 'Fragrant Returns'
• Common Name: Daylily
• Height: 45–50 cm (18–20 in) in flower
• Spread: 50 cm (20 in)
• Flowers: Lemon-yellow with softly ruffled edges, about 10–11 cm (4 in) across, sweetly fragrant
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall, reblooming (July to September)
• Foliage: Arching, strap-like green leaves in a neat, mounded clump
• Features: Fragrant, reblooming

Where to Plant: Put it where noses go: along a front walk, beside a patio, or in a large pot near the door. Its compact size suits the front of a border and it masses well into a long band of yellow; clay soil is no problem, but protect it if deer and rabbits visit.

Companion Plants: Clematis 'Stand by Me' rises behind the yellow daylily with blue flowers from June to August. Tuck Veronica 'Pink Candles' at the front for pink spikes from June to August. Chelone 'Black Ace' carries on from August to October with white flowers on 120 to 150 cm stems. This is a long-blooming mix for full sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun for the most flowers and the best rebloom. It manages in part sun, with fewer blooms. Set the crown about 2.5 cm (1 in) deep in average, well-drained soil and water through the first season. Established plants handle dry spells, though regular water in a hot summer keeps new flower stalks coming. Snap off faded flowers and spent stalks. Clear the foliage in late fall or early spring. Divide every three to four years, in spring or late summer, to keep it blooming freely.

History: 'Fragrant Returns' is described by our grower as a sport of 'Happy Returns', one of the best-known reblooming yellow daylilies, though its exact origin couldn't be confirmed. The genus name Hemerocallis combines Greek words for day and beauty, because each flower lasts about a day.

Final Thoughts: Plant a row along the walkway and enjoy the scent every time you take out the recycling. NO RECEIPT. NO RETURNS ACCEPTED.