The fashion to breed tighter more compact plants for modern gardens by passed this species from Japan. Hemerocallis exaltata is a vigorous herbaceous plant, the flower spikes reaching almost two metres in height. Showy, bright yellow trumpets are seen best with the sun on them. Certainly the clump planted in the garden border is visible from a distance away across the Oak Lawn.
A gentleman by the name of Arlow Stout (1876 – 1957) crossed many species and cultivars of Hemerocallis in the United States. An academic who understood the intricacies of pollination he became a prolific hybridiser and writer. Arlow worked at New York Botanical Garden from 1911 until 1948 where he also initiated a study to produce seedless grapes.
Hemerocallis exaltata
Hemerocallis exaltata