Allen McLain

My copy, ISBN 9780963107244 is a paperback (Amazon list it as a hardback with the same ISBN), stapled rather than bound, 9”x6” (it looks more like a catalogue). I obtained my copy directly from The American Hemerocallis Society via their website.

The book is divided into seven chapters starting with From Whence Spiders Came; Chapter Two is entitled Spider Wars; Chapters Three through Six deal with Diploid, Teptraploid, Diploid Unusual Forms and Tetraploid Unusual Forms. Chapter Seven: Northern Hardy Spiders and Unusual Forms; Chapter Eight: International View of Spiders and Unusual Forms and Chapter Nine Future Directions. There are also sections on measuring, definitions, awards, and an Appendix.

The book is primarily about the breeding of Spiders and UFs, with details about the crosses and particularly about the hybridisers themselves. The emphasis is very much on the USA, with a just the one chapter looking beyond to Europe.

For the reader not concerned so much with the hybridisers the appeal of this book (or should I say booklet), is the photographs. There are in excess of 130 colour photographs of Spiders and UFs. As is often the case with pictures of daylilies I feel the colour reproduction is a little optimistic or “enhanced” (or are daylilies grown in the Sates really that much better in colour than when grown in Europe?).

It is an interesting publication, a pity it is not produced in a more attractive book format; hence only three stars.… (plus d'informations)