Tis the 19th day of June.  I lived in Galveston, Texas for a few years and read the book by that name (Juneteenth).  Freedom from slavery . . . it was a big deal.  It is a good day to celebrate with flowers.  And, we are only two days from the beginning of spring.  It is a good time to reflect on freedoms.

Today, three more new faces join the chorus that is starting in my yard.  The first is another Ned Roberts spider – Laughing Feather.  I really love the dark color of this one.  And, it totally looks like a feather!  Another one that is going on 3 summers here with a first-ever bloom.  Worth the wait.

Laughing Feather 6/19

Return a Smile always adds some real color to my early blooms in the Walkway and Mural Gardens.  I love her because she reminds me of positive psychology!

Return A Smile 6/19

And, a Lowe’s special from last year – Yellow Punch – is back.  This is a Stella offspring that is much prettier than Stella to me.  And, last year, proved to be a better rebloomer.

Yellow Punch 6/19

Oh, I almost forgot, another bloom from the mystery no-ID pot from the old back garden.  Those daylilies back there went back to seedling size over a couple years – poor soil, insects, infrequent water, not much sun.  Two years ago, I pulled the seedlings up and replanted them in slightly better soil and cut back some of the surrounding shrubs.  When I did that, I separated some of the small fans from one-another.  They did slightly better.  Last year, I also experimented with putting one in a pot in the Walkway Garden.  Well, it got big and bloomed in one season – Prairie Blue Eyes was the obvious ID.  I have another in the Rainbarrel Garden – so it was easy to recognize.  So, last fall, I put all the separated fans that were left in a big pot (a couple are in a smaller pot).  This makes it a mystery or potpourri of daylilies.  Who knows what fans ended up with what other fans?

So far, I have had no idea the ID of those cultivators so I named them Dark Mystery and Purple Mystique.  Today, I decided this one could be Lavender Enigma.  As the day wore on, it started looking more and more like a fan of Prairie Blue Eyes.  So, I call her Prairie Blue Eyes Enigma.

Prairie Blue Eyes 6/19

Other bloomers today where Purple Many Faces, Indian Love Call, Mesa Verde, Kokopelli, Hopi Jewel, Comanche Princess, Saratoga Springtime, Stella de Oro, Funny Valentine.  Sadly, today was Kokopelli’s last bloom for the year – she kicked off quite a show since 6/2!  That makes 25 cultivators so far this year.  I think Jungle Queen and Nurse’s Stethoscope are up next.  Maybe a couple others.  Should be another 12+ bloom day tomorrow.  I have an early meeting, so it is bedtime!