Today started muggy, and then the thunder and rain returned. Uncharacteristically wet for the Western Slope of Colorado’s high desert. I haven’t counted daylily scapes since before the storm – so I will make a point to do that tomorrow. There are several earlier bloomers without scapes yet – so I do think the lack of snow in my yard last winter will influence the bloom rate.
Today’s one and only cultivator to have a first bloom for 2024 was Funny Valentine. I have had this plant for a long time and it always produces a lot of blooms.
One word on why I grow almost all my daylilies in pots – I live in the high desert where our average monthly rainfall is under an inch. This is also the clay soil of the Colorado Plateau, once an ocean floor. I have 2 big barriers to soil amendment. The first is that I live on a half lot downtown – that means my space is limited and the yard I do have is close to my home. Also close to my home are all my utility lines and my sprinkler system. Digging, let alone rototilling, is done with all caution. The soil is hard and filled with roots.
That brings me to my second barrier – roots. Trees and shrubs adapt to the high desert by having smart roots. I started my Southwest named daylily garden in amended soil. I had high hopes because I had planted 3 daylilies in that spot the previous year and watered regularly – they did great. My pilot study was a success!
So, I expanded and put in 50 daylilies – all with Southwestern-sounding names. I upgraded my irrigation. I had a bloom rate of only 20% in that garden the first year. The plants were scrawny. So, I dug a couple up and the tree roots were everywhere. Like greedy narcissists, they were not about to let the daylilies get good soil and water without competing for every inch. It has been a learning curve, but now not only is each cultivator in its own buried pot but there is weed guard between the soil and the pot.
Many times I have wondered why I am growing a plant that thrives in ditches in the high desert. Don’t worry, I have some wonderful potted aloe, agave, and yucca around the yard that come in for the winter, as well as some native varieties.
Don’t forget my Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale on Etsy – 25% off of daylily artwork through daylily bloom season! Check out these positive psychology quotes greeting cards – these are created with photos I take of my own daylilies. Here is the link to the listing (or click on the photo below.)
Colorado Kid Daylilies 