I had a chameleon when I was  a kid.  It is a curious thing how they can change color based on their surroundings.  Funny little lizards.

Speaking of lizards that change colors, I posted a week or two ago about my first Electric Lizard bloom.  It was early, and pretty anemic looking.  I asked the daylily growers and was advised to fertilize.  And, so I did.  It lost some of its buds, but today it did send out another bloom.  And, the colors have changed to deeper tones with more variation.

So, for review, here is what the photos on the web look like:

And, here was my first (very pale) bloom:

Electric Lizard – Early June 2016 – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies

And, here is today’s blossom:

So, it looks pretty frail but the color is definitely darkening.  The frailty may be partial because it was just after sunrise (5:30 AM) and it had barely opened.  I don’t get up anywhere near that early usually, but today I had an out of town conference for my doctorate clinical hours.  By the time I got home, it had poured rain, and the blossom was withered.  I think I will have another bloom from this one tomorrow.

After that, I am cutting the foliage to the ground to see if I can thicken it up a bit because even the fans look anemic and undersized.  I did use slow release fertilizer plus a slow infusion of high-bloom Miracle Grow.  It is obviously perking up some but has a ways to go before it looks like photo #1.  I like the blooms that are picture perfect.  But, I also like the feeling of being a farmer.  I like experimenting to see what helps the flowers to flourish here in the high desert of the Colorado Plateau.  I think of the Anasazi and wonder how on earth they grew corn and squash in this hard clay soil with so little rain.  No garden soil, no water crystals, no hose.  If they can do it, so can I.

Tomorrow, in addition to another Electric Lizard, I think I will have a Ned Roberts Black Ice bloom.  I want to send a photo to the grower because she sent an awesome bonus plant despite my small order. I believe I may have a couple other new faces tomorrow.  Before they open their buds, I must close my eyes.  What a very long day.