Suburban Nancy Gayle has been selected as a Mississippi Medallion Plant for 2015. This is the first daylily to be selected for the Mississippi Medallion program. Earl and Barbara Watts have Suburban Daylilies in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Suburban Nancy Gayle, a hearty daylily plant, was registered with the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) in 2004. The AHS is the national daylily organization of over 10,000 members. The Suburban Nancy Gayle is an evergreen standing at a height of 29” with a 6.0” bloom. It won the popularity Poll for Region 14 (Mississippi and Alabama) of the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) in 2012 and 2013.

The Mississippi Medallion Program is a tool for promoting Mississippi grown plants established by the Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association. The purpose of the program is to identify plants that perform exceptionally well throughout the state and to promote the proper use of these plants in landscapes within Mississippi. Between three and five plants are selected as a medallion plant annually.

Before being chosen, selections are evaluated at a research site by a committee and then introduced to wholesale growers and Nursery Certified Professionals throughout the state through the association’s (MSLA’s) educational programming effort. The promotional program benefits everyone involved by offering “proven winners” for public use and enjoyment. The program started in 1996 and has gained support, strength, and momentum each year of its existence.

In a recent column, Gary Bachman, Associate Extension and Research Professor of Horticulture at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, MS, referred to the Suburban Nancy Gayle, “One of the most outstanding new selections.” Bachman continued, “One of the attributes of this daylily is its resistance to daylily rust. This selection has big, red flowers with yellow throats. I’ve grown it in my landscape for the past three years, and the performance has been outstanding.”