New 2026 Introductions

Sun Dragon Daylilies

2026 Introductions

I am happy to present my 14 new introductions for 2026. I am especially proud of this year's group of introductions. There are 14 introductions - 5 diploids and 9 tetraploids. This round of introductions represent over a decade of breeding. There are 6 dark scaped introductions - 2 tetraploid and 4 diploids, and there are pink flowered dark scaped introductions at both the diploid and tetraploid level. Amongst the tall tetraploids are some that look like the plants and flowers I visualized in my mind when I was preparing to start my breeding program in the period from 2008 through 2010. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!

I am also happy to announce that I am now able to ship by UPS as well as through USPS. If you have a preference for one over the other, you need to let me know when you order. If you don't specify one or the other, I will ship by whichever shipper is most convenient for me on the week I am shipping your plants. For more information on shipping, click here.

For more information on the new introductions, just click the image or cultivar name below to go to their description pages. To check availability and pricing click here. To contact me about ordering, email me at sundragondaylilies@gmail.com

Ashes To Ashes

Barad-dur

Butter Cream

Korean Rosy Skies

Maidens Seeking Dragons

Mars Needs Women

Pink Is The New Black

Spice Melange

Venus On The Half Shell

The World Tree

Vorlon Cheer

Vorlon Double Dealing

Vorlon Frills

Vorlon Organic Technology

Vorlon Organic Technology

 

Cultivar Name: Vorlon Organic Technology

Seedling Number: VESSTB3

Bloom Diameter: 4"

Scape Height: 32"

Branches: 4

Bud Count: 18

Bloom Season: Early-Mid

Rebloom: Yes

Color/Description: Burgundy petals with lighter petal edges, and darker black-burgundy band fading into bright red-orange toward throat above chartreuse throat on dark scapes.

Ploidy: Diploid

Bloom Habit: Diurnal

Foliage: Dormant

Pod Parent: Vorlon Encounter Suit

Pollen Parent: Samwise The Brave

Year Bred: 2015

Rust Resistance: A+/1 year

Fertile: Both ways

For a complete list of my available daylilies and pricing, click here.

Comments: Vorlon Organic Technology is a breakthrough in my work with diploids, but it was created just on a whim. In 2015 I had started to realize that Samwise The Brave and Misty Mountains Cold were vastly superior to most other diploids I had in most respects, but especially in thrips resistance (which is poor in almost all daylilies), as well as rust resistance (A+/5 year). Vorlon Encounter Suit has one of the most beautiful plants I have produced at the diploid level, and is an exceptional grower, but the thrips resistance is only moderate, as is the rust resistance. In 2015 I had started putting pollen from STB and MMC on lots of diploids with no particular concern about what the flower looked like. The particular cross that led to Vorlon Organic Technology was a cross I made one day just on a whim to see if I could increase the thrips and rust resistance levels in the Vorlon Encounter Suit seedlings (spoiler alert...it did). I had no idea that Vorlon Encounter Suit carried the dark scape genes.

I started the seeds from this cross in the late fall of 2015 and so they went through the last year of my rust resistance testing in 2016. I culled down to five seedlings that were A+/seemingly immune, of which Vorlon Organic Technology was one of those five. In 2017 as the first scapes began to emerge on those five seedlings, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I first noticed that one of the seedlings had black scapes. Luckily, it also turned out to have a burgundy colored flower that was strongly reminiscent of pod parent Vorlon Encounter Suit. This beautiful combination of dark scapes and burgundy flower with darker band and green to chartreuse to mustard yellow to orange throat bleeding into the dark eye with burgundy rays introduces a whole new look to dark scapes and opens the door to a lot of new types with dark scapes. 

Vorlon Organic Technology is very fertile both ways, and two of this year's introductions - Vorlon Cheer and Vorlon Double Dealing - are seedlings of Vorlon Organic Technology. The branching is excellent and the plant is pretty. The increase is excellent and it does not show center die-out, allowing you to leave it in place for many years, or divide it as you want, because it has excellent recovery from division. The seedlings are beautiful and come in a wide range of colors and forms. Vorlon Organic Technology opens the door to a wide range of styles and colors with dark scapes. This stunning diploid has a lot to offer, both as a garden plant and as a breeder. Check out the images below.

Vorlon Organic Technology - baby image - first year flower in hybridizing garden, growing in a seedling tub

Vorlon Organic Technology - scape detail showing the wide, profuse branching of the dark scape - line out garden 

Vorlon Organic Technology - line out garden - clump and flower - late evening

Vorlon Organic Technology - line out garden - flowers at midday

Vorlon Organic Technology - hybridizing garden - flower detail with dark scape showing

Vorlon Frills

 

Cultivar Name: Vorlon Frills

Seedling Number: LFMMC1

Bloom Diameter: 4"

Scape Height: 28"

Branches: 3

Bud Count: 16

Bloom Season: Mid

Rebloom: Yes

Color/Description: Light baby pink with slightly darker band above chartreuse to yellow throat on dark scapes.

Ploidy: Diploid

Bloom Habit: Diurnal

Foliage: Dormant

Pod Parent: Lavender Feathers

Pollen Parent: Misty Mountains Cold

Year Bred: 2016

Rust Resistance: Unknown (germinated after my rust resistance testing had ended. Both parents are A+/5 year cultivars)

Fertile: Both ways

For a complete list of my available daylilies and pricing, click here.

Comments: Vorlon Frills is a lovely flower on a plant with dark scapes. It was my first seedling that showed the dark scapes and a pink flower. In 2016 I did the last major diploid breeding within my program. Vorlon Frills derives from that year's breeding. In 2016 I crossed Misty Mountains Cold and Samwise The Brave (full siblings) over every diploid I set seeds on. The cross that led to Vorlon Frills (Misty Mountains Cold x Lavender Feathers) was one of many, many crosses that year at the diploid level, the point of which was to impart higher thrips resistance at the diploid level. There was no particular reason for the cross beyond injecting thrips resistance genes into a wide variety of diploids. While this cross happened the year my rust resistance screen program ended, and so I have never tested Vorlon Frills for rust resistance in my own garden, both parents are A+/5 year cultivars, and so Vorlon Frill likely has high rust resistance. Thrips resistance is better than in pod parent Lavender Feathers, but not as strong as in pollen parent Misty Mountains Cold, as one would expect from this cross, as thrips resistance seems to be recessive or a low penetrant dominant gene (like also involving modifier genes).

When Vorlon Frills flowered for the first time in 2018, I was just amazed to see such an interesting combination. I had no idea that Lavender Feathers carried dark scape genes, so seeing that dark scape emerge was quite a surprise! When the flower opened and it was not only a lovely pink, but also attractively round and ruffled, I was very excited and know that, even though I had discontinued my diploid breeding program, I had to cross it with the seedling that became Vorlon Organic Technology. Am I ever glad I did! I have five amazing seedlings from that cross, two that are also 2026 introductions. That is why I have introduced Vorlon Frills in 2026, so that both of those offspring have two named parents.

I will not be releasing Vorlon Frills for sale in spring 2026. I will be releasing it in the future, possibly in fall 2026 or spring 2027. For years it languished in a seedling barrel and didn't increase as it was heavily crowded. In 2023 I moved it into a seedling bed, where it increased to two fans by spring 2024. In fall 2024 I dug it up and moved it to my mom's garden. In spring 2025 it took off like wildfire in my mom's garden, which convinced me to go ahead and introduce it, as I then knew it would have good enough increase and it would have multiple offspring registered as well. The increase in 2025 was very good, the flowering was nice, the scapes were dark flushed and well-branched, and it showed some rebloom. As soon as I have enough of it to release it, it should become a popular and useful plant for gardens and for breeding. If you are interested in this cultivar, do let me know so I can let you know when it becomes available for release.

It is very fertile both ways and produces excellent seedlings, many also showing dark scapes when it is crossed to something that either carries the gene or shows dark scapes. The color range has been wide, from purples to pinks, both light pink and hit pink, to bright reds and even near whites, as well as various melon shades. The darkest scaped seedlings I have produced to date have come through crossing Vorlon Frills with Vorlon Organic Technology, and not a one of them has yellow flowers...

Vorlon Frills - hybridizing garden - first year flower - growing in a seedling tub, showing the dark scape

Vorlon Frills - flower detail

Vorlon Double Dealing

 

Cultivar Name: Vorlon Double Dealing

Seedling Number: VESSTBLFMMC11

Bloom Diameter: 3"

Scape Height: 41"

Branches: 5 

Bud Count: 34

Bloom Season: 

Rebloom: Yes

Color/Description: Deep magenta-rose, frequently stamen transformation double, with green to chartreuse throat on brown-black scapes.

Ploidy: Diploid

Bloom Habit: Diurnal

Foliage: Dormant

Pod Parent: Vorlon Organic Technology

Pollen Parent: Vorlon Frills

Year Bred: 2019

Rust Resistance: Unknown (bred after the end of my rust resistance testing. Pod parent is A+/2 year tested. Three of four grandparents a+/5 year tested.)

Fertile: Both ways, pollen stronger

For a complete list of my available daylilies and pricing, click here.

Comments: Vorlon Double Dealing is a breakthrough combining stamen transformation doubling, bright pink flower coloring and black scapes. As far as I am aware, this is the first dark scaped double flowered daylily to be introduced. It isn't the only dark scaped, pink flowered daylily, as I have three others that I have also introduced in 2026 ( two diploids: pollen parent Vorlon Frills and sibling Vorlon Cheer, and one tetraploid: Pink Is The New Black). This stunning plant shows the best traits of both parents, combining a fine plant with tall scopes with lots of branches and buds, a bright clear flower coloring and very dark scapes, all combined with frequently double flowers (approximately 65% double flowers in my garden). Vorlon Double Dealing is taller than either of its parents and its siblings, lifting the lovely flowers up high for viewing and showing off those dark scapes nicely above the foliage. The branches are long and wide spread, giving Vorlon Double Dealing that 'tree-branched' look that we all love.

Vorlon Double dealing is very fast growing, showing excellent recovery from division and is a strong grower and flowers profusely. I see rebloom each year in my garden. The flowers are fertile both ways, but pods are more difficult. Pollen is easy to use, but you get more pollen on the single flowers, though even the double flowers tend to show some pollen. Thrips resistance is good, as high as the parents, but not quite as high as in grandparents Samwise The Brave and Misty Mountains Cold, though it is much stronger than in the other two grandparents, Vorlon Encounter Suit and Lavender Feathers.

I have only seen a few seedlings flower so far, but the ones I have seen include some with very dark scapes, tall scapes, excellent branching, and array of bright colors and some showing double flowers. While I am not pursuing breeding diploids any more, I haven't been able to not do a little pollen dabbing with this line. Vorlon Double Dealing is an excellent garden plant and a breakthrough breeder that can help propel any diploid program where dark scapes are an interest.

Vorlon Double Dealing - flower detail

Vorlon Double Dealing - clump shot from the line out garden on a day with many single flowers, showing the exceptional scapes with their great branches and high bud counts, as well as the gorgeous bright color of the flower.

Vorlon Double Dealing - A lovely double flower on a rebloom scape in October in the line out garden

Vorlon Double Dealing - showing the lovely dark scapes with their tree-like branching and doubled flowers.

Vorlon Double Dealing - flower detail of a single formed flower 

Vorlon Double Dealing - image focusing on those gorgeous dark scapes - line out garden

Vorlon Double Dealing - flower detail showing a flower with partial doubling

Vorlon Double Dealing - The tall, well-branched, dark scapes above the lovely green foliage, approaching flowering. This is a gorgeous display in the garden even before the first bud opens.

Vorlon Double Dealing - flower detail at sunset showing a single formed flower

Vorlon Double Dealing - in the line out garden at sunset showing double formed flowers

Vorlon Double Dealing - scape detail - line out garden

Vorlon Double Dealing - flower closeup in evening sunlight - double formed flower