I obtained this daylily as a clump of 4-5 fans from Oakes in March of 2021. It thrived and bloomed its first summer in my garden:
Its first blooms were a little smaller than the five inches the database listed as typical, and of course the scapes had not reached full height, but I was delighted with the shape and lovely color combination of rusty red, yellow, and cream.
However, it was during its second season, 2022, that it really impressed me and climbed my "favorites" list to a position near the top. I noticed in April that it had developed into what I considered to be an unusually large clump for a plant in its second year:
And it put out a large number of lovely blooms in May. I wish I had noted how long its bloom period was. I only remember that during that time I took a lot of pictures; some of these, including the database pic Becky linked above, are labeled late May. The plant has certainly achieved its specs in terms of scape height and bloom size. In my view, it is one of my more photogenic daylilies.
Novelty Number is not a rebloomer, but while it is blooming, it puts on a beautiful show.
As for rust, its foliage has remained clean and rust-free until just before dying back. Last November, it showed some rust along with one or two other dormants nearby that had also remained rust-free until that point in the season. I cut the foliage back, the plant went dormant, and then it came up clean this season and has remained so. I have several plants that exhibit this pattern of not showing rust until just before dying back. I would classify such daylilies, including Novelty Number, as very rust-resistant.
Novelty Number is one of my oldest cultivars, but it will always have a place in my garden. I look forward to enjoying it next year and for many years to come.
