Hemerocallis the Daylily

Written by an experienced and respected name in Daylily culture, this is not surprisingly a most informative publication. It covers the Species of Daylilies as well as the cultivars, tracing their history from the early 1900s through to today and on into the future. The largest section of the book considers "Some Worthy Daylilies of Today and Tomorrow"; an illustrated catalogue of modern cultivars listed according to colour. There are also chapters on Hybridising, Landscaping with Daylilies, Horticultural Requirements and Judging the Daylily among others. Over 200 colour photographs illustrate mostly individual cultivars but also their use in landscaping. It is a well produced book; however its general page layout is rather pedestrian and not particularly inspiring. The book does concentrate on Munson's own introductions, and it seems that a large proportion of the cultivars illustrated are his. But with this book now nearly twenty years old, and with hundreds of new cultivars registered each year, the 900 or so included here are inevitably only a small proportion of the total. At the time of its publication in 1989, when I first obtained a copy of Munson's monograph, it seemed almost the last word Daylily literature; while still a valuable book it now looks dated, especially alongside the more recent "Color Encyclopedia of Daylilies" by Petit and Peat.

Book is a good reference with many daylily descriptions and color photos.

If you love daylilys you will enjoy this book and if you are just getting interested in daylilys then you will really learn some valid info. Mr. Munson was one of the best hybridizers in the business. As an owner of a retail daylily business, I use this as a reference when ordering plants or just to refer to for some valid information,

This book is a valuable reference for someone who is just starting to set up their own cross-pollenination program. Thanks to this book I can proceed with my dream of my own line of cultivars.

Although this book concentrates heavily on cultivars introduced by Mr. Munson, it is an excellent book. It contains beautiful pictures, discuses how to breed, cultivate and grow daylilies and makes a great coffeetable book. A pleasure to pick up, look at and browse through time after time. Great winter reading for those in the North who long to garden year round.