Holy cow! I had almost 70 again today. We have been hovering in the 60s since 7.5. That is definitely a record of some sort. That said, the finales are starting to outnumber the premiers, so it should start to die down soon. That being said, I have about 30 with scapes that have not yet bloomed. I think my bloom rate is around 66% currently. (I finally moved my daylily software from my old computer – which took an hour to boot up 😛 )
Here we go – today we had two loves, one moon and one timber wolf as premiers.
Winds of Love 7.13 – I love the mellow colors of this Roberts spider.Indian Love Call 7.13 – Weirdly putting out a first bloom when it normally is in rebloom mode.Marque Moon 7.13 – A funny, ruffley guy from the local nurseryLobo Lucy 7.13 – Another Roberts spider out dancing with her Chokecherry Mountain cousin.
Finales for today were:
Catherine finale 7.13Early Bird Cardinal 7.13 finaleNOID Purple Mystic 7.13 finaleWild Horses 7.13 finale. Was in bloom almost a full month.Blackthorne 7.13 finale after producing only a few buds and not blooming for several years.Mesa Verde finale 7.13. In bloom almost a month.Wineberry Candy finale 7.13. This guy didn’t have a great year and likely needs some new soil.
I woke up to over 60 different daylily cultivator blooms today, again. I keep thinking that it is slowing down until I count the shots on my cell phone. So, if between taking the photos, posting the cell shots to Facebook, downloading/editing the camera shots, and blogging, I spend 5 minutes per cultivator (a conservative estimate) . . . well, do the math.
This year is weird because I made significant changes. I put my Southwest garden daylilies all in nicer pots with weed guard underneath (they are buried) to keep tree roots from destroying the pot. When I did that, I refreshed the soil with miracle grow plus their organic soil. It took weeks and a lot were really locked in with tree roots. I also refreshed the soil in all my front path pots – it had really collapsed over time. I added or improved drip systems in all areas that needed it. So, that is the positive. Oh, perhaps the biggest thing of all is that I am semi retired so have way more time to water regularly. My drip systems are not automatic.
On mother nature’s side, we are in a bad drought, again – it was a dry spring with a late, cold spell but little moisture. More like a fan got turned on high. We did have a little monsoon action for the week before the 4th of July. We are still somewhere between severe and extreme drought. And, that is an improvement from last month! It is hot with record breaking temps close to or at 100 degrees.
Put it all together and I have a lot of June bloomers that have scapes but haven’t bloomed yet, but my later bloomers are blooming pretty much on schedule. So, it is a bit of grid lock as the early birds are still in the intersections as the later blooms enter the scene. We are, therefore, still on the Grand Daylily Mesa (vs peak season) with 64 cultivators, with 5 premiers and 3 finales (so net gain of 2 in bloom).
Several of the premiers are Roberts spiders today – which is cool because we had several finales recently in that collection. Here we go!
Ghost Ranch 7.12 – Big surprise because I have had issues keeping this one alive in my yard. This is one fan that is in a group planter – the first bloom since I added the second try. I am buying a couple more fans this fall. This is a Roberts spider and it’s named after a place we are going camping next week!Hesperus 7.12 – A giant yellow spider that brightens my driveway garden.Nosferatu 7.12 – A large, dark purple daylily that adds a nice splash of color.Spirit of the Morning 7.12 – Another Roberts spider. I think he named her because she has no UV resistance. Gotta get out early with the camera to see her at her best. I love the colors.Taco Twister 7.12 – Reminds me of yellow ringlets. This one comes later in the season (about now) but I still have early birds like Kokopelli with buds.
Finales for today (if I didn’t miss one):
Happy Returns finale 7.12Bella Boo finale 7.12Inwood finale 7.12
Let’s see what tomorrow brings. Today, I logged about 6 hours on daylily duty. How much time do you spend during peak season?
I Dig The Mamas And The Papas At “The Trip, “ Sunset Strip In L.A. And They Got A Good Thing Goin’ When The Words Don’t Get In The Way.
I chuckle today at the double meaning in the old Peter, Paul and Mary song. I do dig the Mamas and the Papas – literally and figuratively. Mama Cuna and Papa Longlegs, that is. Well, hey, today they showed up on the same day so the song has been in my head all day. See the featured photo for the cultivator blooms together today.
And, all day, I have been working in the daylily garden or on my photos because another record was broken today . . . 69 cultivators in bloom. It is partially bloom rate and partially bud count. These guys are blooming for weeks instead of days. I do have other things I need to do . . . I am glad I cleaned the house before this hit!
OK, so in addition to Mama Cuna of the Mamas and Papas, I had 6 premiers today – 7 total. We are still on top of the Grand Daylily Mesa with the blooms – this high plateau is like watching COVID cases last summer – but hopefully it dies down without a real epidemic because I have altitude sickness already.
Coburg Fright Wig 7.11 – I ordered this years ago for my front garden when I was filling it out with daylilies.Fairy Tale Pink 7.11 – I believe this was a bonus several years ago. She is doing better with a drip system!Lime Frost 7.11 – I wouldn’t mind a lime frost from the 7.11 about now. She was mail order several years ago, I believe. I really need to move my daylily software to my functioning computer because it knows.Mama Cuna 7.11 – all wrapped up in the yucca. She has great big blooms.Nearly Wild 7.11 – She was a bonus and I think she got her name because she looks like her ditch lily ancestor. Purple de Oro 7.11 – A small grape colored bloom. I have never been super attached. Her pot is full of grass. Maybe I should put another mini in with her? Red Hot Returns 7.11 – A parent to Passionate Returns. Local nursery cultivator.
This is usually about the time of year when I see the peak fading and I hate my bloom rate so I head to the nursery for a couple that still have buds so I can have a few more blooms. I am not doing that this year – although there is a Ned Roberts that I may add to the collection next year. Help me, I am drowning in the Mamas and the Papas! Please, dig me out of these blooms!
So, here are the finales so far this year.
Saratoga Springtime finale 6.23Yellow Punch finale 7.4Stella finale 7.1Funny Valentine finale 7.8Petite Petticoats finale 7.10Alabama Jubilee finale 7.10Scorpio finale 6.29Mauna Loa finale 7.10Platinum Pink Pallet Whispers finale 7.2Land of Enchantment finale 7.11Apache Bandana finale 7.10Purple Moonrise finale 7.5Orchid Moonrise finale 7.8Dream Keeper finale 7.1Echo Canyon finale 7.10Comanche Princess finale 7.11NOID Big Red Rhyme finale 7.11NOID Red Riddle finale 7.9Feather Woman finale 7.11Pink and Cream finale 7.11
That is 117 in and 20 out, meaning I have 90 some actively blooming and others with premiers coming soon.
I remember my sister had a gold colored Chipmunks record when I was a kid. Dad got frustrated by Alvin, Theodore and Simon. The record was broken. We will leave it right there.
Yesterday, Grand Junction reached 107 degrees for the first time in written weather history. And, today I woke up to 68 cultivators. I believe that’s a new record. My computer is choking on the picture files, too.
Today brought 5 premiers. I need to post from my phone while my computer deletes files.
Fine Time Lucille 7.10 – a fun bonus
Orange Flurry 7.10 – another bonus, I believe
Fooled Me 7.10 – An early xeroscaping plant
Truchas Sunrise- 7.10 – A nice Roberts spiders that makes me long for my road trip in a couple of weeks.
Baja 7.10 – I have had this one a while. Nice velvet bloom.
So, looks like we are still on top of the Mesa. We will see what tomorrow brings.
What an interesting year! Not only have I reached semi-retirement age, I am having an amazing daylily bloom year. The drip systems with miracle grow soil replacement paid off in spades. It is honestly overwhelming because it takes an hour just to photograph them. I spend about 5 hours a day (not counting the painting) on daylilies right now.
I would not call this a peak – because on 7/3 we hit 60. It has been in the 50s and 60s each day since. And . . . drumroll . . . today I had 63. Last year, I charted the peak and it was clearly one day at 40, the other days were 20s at best. Granted, I was on vacation the last 2 years this week, but I think the numbers are an accurate reflection of a short, less intense peak. This isn’t a peak, it is a Southwest Mesa – and a grand one, at that.
I had 6 premiers today. Laudy. Here they are:
Quilt Patch 7.9 – I am headlining this one because I got her on the auction at the same time I got Kokopelli. The start of being a serious hobbiest. I put her in a different pilot garden and she almost died – she became a seedling in size. I moved her to a pot out front after a year out there and put her in the front garden. Each year, she gets a little stronger. Today, the first ever bloom came. Now I see why I had to have her!Blue Beat 7.9 – One of my early near blues. I must say it is my near blues that need repotting once we get over the Grand Mesa and things settle down. They are not at their best this year. Cherokee Star 7.9 – A pretty velvet cultivator that fits with my Southwest collection. She is from the local nursery.Iktomi – This is a classic Robert’s spider. I see his DNA in so many of his hybrids. Reminds me of Chaco Canyon but I also see Apache Bandana and Black Arrowhead.Rocky Mountain Pals 7.9 – Another Roberts cultivator. I understand it was named for his cancer treatment team in Denver.Rosie’s Red – Another cool bonus bloomer who is usually one of the later bloomers in the front garden. This year, she is at the top of the Mesa with everyone else.
That’s all folks! Off to paint some daylilies in the basement while the temps reach 100 today.
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High, hot and a hell of a lot is a type of enema that nurses use to give more frequently than we do today. I had to learn about them in school many years ago. Suffice it to say you put a lot of water (with soap) in an enema bucket and hang it high so gravity does its thing. Oh, and make that water hot just to give it an extra twist.
For some reason the words came to mind when thinking about my garden today. Not enemas – but altitude, temperature and the number of cultivators I had today. Almost 60, again. So, the peak this year is more like the Grand Mesa . . . you get to the top but it plateaus for a while before it starts going down.
As far as new blooms today – I had two birds. Maybe I should have titled this “Giving you the birds” or something. These are both Roberts spiders.
7/8 Aztec Firebird – one of my original 3 Southwestern daylilies in my garden pilot. I had it, Kokopelli and Dream Catcher only the first year. Big lesson when I enlarged it is that where you water large surface areas, you attract lots of tree roots. I love the bright colors of the Aztec bird – she is a little late this year. The daylilies that thrived the most in-ground are pretty slow to bloom this year, whereas those that were being strangled in roots before bloomed early and lots.Raven Woodsong – I love the color of this one.
And – while not a premier, Chief Four Fingers finally had a picture perfect bloom. The bugs got the early buds but it got better when I improved the water flow so the plant got stronger.
Chief Four Fingers perfect bloom (or close)
I painted another painting last night – Canyon Colors. I have put a lot of energy into my art business the last couple of days so I can get some inventory built up. I plan more than daylily paintings, but I am starting there because I have done more of them than anything else and it is a good way to get my skills back. Yesterday, I worked on lighting for the Art Cove. Today, I got tiles, oil paints, and canvas. Please follow my business page (link at bottom) for more info.
My Art Cove – back in business!
As far as finales – I may go to once a week because it is too confusing when I have 60 in bloom. Easier to do when I cut spent scapes once a week.
It was a day of fewer premiers today. That was actually kind of nice – although, I had 56 total in bloom. I think 40 was my top bloom day on 7/2 last year. Maybe the peak will last a while longer this year?
Anyway – the common thread between the premiers today is that they are all BIG yellow flowers. I feel like photography robs them of their significance because it takes away the perspective. The first half of June is little, simple yellow flowers. Then comes the color diversity. And, in July, the Yellow Monsters arrive.
The three today are Happy Hopi (another Roberts spider), Holy Sombrero (an old bonus with huge ruffled blooms), and Buttered Popcorn (a new “local nursery” addition this year). Other giant yellow of July are Hesperus (waiting to bloom) and Cheddar Cheese (who is in bloom, but not today). There are some other notable yellow bloomers that are not small – Mount Echo Sunrise (fairly pale yellow), Lady Fingers, Cripple Creek, Skinwalker, Desert Icicle, Taco Twister and Navajo Curls. Maybe I will do a post on that collection once they all hatch. These aren’t trumpets – they are monsters!
Here are today’s premiers:
Buttered Popcorn 7.7Happy Hopi 7.7Holy Sombrero 7.7Size comparison – Holy Sombrero next to my cell phone.
My routine is the same – I get up and take the photos with cell and camera following the same path everyday so I don’t miss anything (too often). Then I post to Facebook from my phone. I download photos from the Powershot and write the blog. Downloading the photos is painful because I get so sleepy – like fighting drugs but I don’t that that is from my thyroid tablet – just the heat.
Finales: I believe Orchid Moonrise is at finale. I will check for others as I cut scapes this week.
Orchid Moonrise – 7.7 Finale
Oh, I got past my painter’s block and did a small coaster of Land of Enchantment. Not my best ever, but a start. I am keeping her as a symbol of getting unstuck and being semi retired! If you are interested in purchasing a daylily tile, please reach out to cathy.hartt55@gmail.com and or follow my Facebook page (link below).
I’ve been intrigued by the show Hoarders this year. IDK why, because I hate reality TV. Maybe it is because I have a 1st degree family member who struggles with this. Maybe because I needed to feel something with human emotions. Maybe my own home needed some cleaning and decluttering. Maybe just to kill time.
What is the difference between hoarding daylilies and collecting daylilies – that is my question. I guess that if your garden has labels, is watered and weeded, and you take photos everyday – that is probably a collection. Hoarding would probably be a back yard full of disorganized pots with some live and dead plants – and you can’t move anywhere because the pots are everywhere. Bugs . . . well, I have a few of those but my guess it isn’t like a hoard. Some of my daylilies are named after bugs, though. Is there such thing as a daylily hoard?
I have collections within my collection. My favorite collection is my Ned Roberts cultivators. I have ordered these from far and wide to form my collection. The other, overlapping, collection is my Southwest names collection. Some of these were bonuses sent with my Roberts collection because the names were Southwestern – so they go with my Ned Roberts collection. My original collection was those available at local nurseries. I have a collection with family names for my grandma, mom, dad, daughters and grandkids. The list goes on. If I kept adding, I think it could become a hoard. Daylilies are too much work to have too many!
I have had 94 bloom so far this year and 7 more premiers today. Here they are:
Baby Blue Eyes – 7.6- added to my near blues collection (yes, I have one of those, too) a couple years ago.Black Arrowhead – 7.6 – A distinctive Ned Roberts Southwestern spider.Blackthorne – 7.6 – This cultivator is from my original local nurseries collection and this is the first bloom in many years.Cheyenne Eyes – 7.6 – A big, lanky Roberts spider.Chorus Line – 7.6 – A pretty pastel from a local nursery.Classy Lady – 7.6 – IDK, maybe she came from the auction?Melon Balls – 7.6.1 – A sweet little bonus from my early collecting years.
Finales – Yesterday was the finale of Purple Moonrise.
Purple Moonrise 7.5
I counted about 50 with scapes that haven’t bloomed. I think we will hit at least 80% this year. I need to move my daylily software over to my other computer to be sure, though.
This time of year, it feels like daylilies are my life. I have had about 30 blooms in the garden for several days. Yesterday, we hit 40. Today, we hit 60!. It took me almost an hour just to photograph them – let alone photo editing and posting. Last night, I took a lot of photos of fireworks – It felt very similar in my garden today. A few pauses, but mostly lots of action. Do I think we are at peak – no. But it is getting closer.
Here are the premiers for today. Hang on – there are 10 (so about 80 cultivators have bloomed so far). Today, there were several of my favorite hybridizer’s blooms that opened (Ned Roberts). Daylily season is like Christmas . . . the peak is a little overwhelming. At the same time, it is like old friends who visit once a year.
Chokecherry Mountain 7.5 (A Ned Roberts Spider)Feather Woman 7.5 (A Ned Roberts spider)Heavenly Curls – one of my favorite bonus daylilies!Longlesson Show-off – Not one of my favorite bonus daylilies, but the bloom looked fuller and more colorful today than usual. Maybe the soil change and drip system.Medicine Feather – A lanky Ned Roberts spiderAnother bonus – Nona’s Garnet Spider – I have always liked her.Pueblo Dancer – 7.5 – another Roberts spider but I have always questioned her ID. Her blooms are larger this year with the soil change!Ruby Stella 7.5Strutter’s Ball – 7.5 – a late bloom start for this long-time member of my daylily packTalon – 7.5 Another old friend from my Roberts collection
Finales have started to add up a little, too. I missed Platinum Pink Palette Whispers. Today was the last of Funny Valentine’s show for 2021.
Platinum Pink finale 7.2Funny Valentine finale 7.5
Wholly cow! This took all day. It’s 4:30! Hopefully, I got the bugs worked out of my back-up system so it doesn’t take as long tomorrow. I gotta get painting and get my business inventory going! Follow my business blog for updates, too.
Today started with a parade and will end with fireworks. Must be July 4th, In between, I visited my daylilies. I think in July in Colorado (or the desert States) that we should call them 7-11 lilies, because after about 11 AM, the blooms start to melt. I mean, they literally look like melting wax to me. Our UV is just so high for them here when the humidity drops towards the single digits. Maybe that is why I take so many photos and paint the blooms. There is no hanging out with them all day because it is just too hot and I melt, too.
Anyway – I had 43 in bloom today, including 3 premiers. No finales today. Oh, and add Maya Cha Cha = who premiered yesterday but I missed her photo with the camera. I actually take pictures with both cell and camera. I post the cell shots to my Facebook page ASAP. That is a great back-up to the camera and helps me remember what is what if I get behind on camera shots. Maya is on the phone yesterday, but not in my computer library. I guess that puts us at 76, which is a patriotic number.
Bella Lugosi premier 7.4Just Plum Happy premier 7.4 – One of my very first daylilies. I divided her and put half in the boarder garden. The potted half died this year, but the one in the ground is doing OK.Lullaby Baby premier 7.4 – a favorite pastel daylilyMaya Cha Cha premier 7.3Pink Enchilada premier 7.4Pink Rain Dance premier 7.4
It is hard to believe only 40% of my daylilies have bloomed. I probably have a dozen or so without scapes so who knows if they will skip or be late? If they don’t bloom – that means we have 92 more premiers and our bloom rate will be 93%. That’s an A in my book. I am just waiting for water cost to shoot up because they declared a state of drought emergency in my part of the State yesterday.
Colorado Kid Daylilies 