Some people think that yellow and gold daylilies are a dime a dozen, but there are a lot of subtle differences among the cultivars. Some have frilly or diamond-dusted petals. Others have the slightest hint of peach or coral or orange sneaking in with that gold or yellow. And some have giant blooms that can’t be ignored.
Two of my favorite golden-yellow daylilies are ‘Potosi’ and ‘Forty Carats’. Put on your sunglasses because these flowers are bright like the sun!
Both of these daylilies were introduced in the 1980s, and they both send up 30-inch scapes and bloom in the middle of the daylily season. I’ve gushed about ‘Potosi’ many times before. I love the coral, peach and orange tones that are woven into the golden color.
‘Forty Carats’ won an American Hemerocallis Society Honorable Mention award in 1994. The flowers are just slightly smaller than ‘Potosi’ but they are thicker (have more substance). There’s also a hint of orange or coral in the blooms:
If you want something flashy in your flowerbeds, you can’t go wrong with either of these bright, cheerful daylily cultivars.