There Ain’t No Cure for the Summertime Blooms

June 4, 2020Leave a comment

Sometimes, I feel a little sad that daylilies are the dominant plant in my yard. And, that camping season is superimposed on daylily season. To top that off, I have so many other plants that bloom in summer.

Mesa Peach Blanket Flower added to my Native garden yesterday.

I feel like those plants get ignored. I nurture the plants all winter, many as houseplants. And, boom, I barely notice their gorgeous blooms because 50 daylilies are competing for my time.

My oldest bloomer this day is my yucca. Her yucca patch was here when I first bought the house 20+ years ago.

Today, I walked my yard and took pictures of a dozen or so plants that are brightly blooming right now.

My coneflower is a couple years old, tall and proud member of my native garden.

It’s a weird bunch, from Thanksgiving cactus to white iris. From native to tropical.

This pink yarrow is also a new addition to my desert native garden.

I have more than are pictured here because I ended up with lots of pansies and petunias in color bowls.

My dancing lady orchid adds a splash of yellow to the back porch.

The oldest plant in bloom today is likely my Thanksgiving cactus or the bromeliad. All about 5 years with me. The youngest I planted yesterday.

And, my red bromeliad likes the sun but not the dry heat.

I wish there were more blues to contrast the daylilies – pansies and petunias help.

Thanksgiving cactus enjoying the temp drops at night.

Another white bloom is my iris, about done for another year.

Ice plants add color to the landscape this time of year.

This stunning yellow begonia adds color to the yard in summer.

One of the many bright annuals in my color pot.

I think daylily season starts tomorrow or Friday in my yard. Saratoga Springtime is about to burst. I have 30 scapes up, but none close to blooming. It seems a little late, but not much. I hope my bloom rate is good with the drought. It tends to be worse on drought years.

Anyway, if I don’t get too burned out blogging, maybe I’ll do an extra post every so often about the other bloomers.

SAD: Succulent Addictive Disorder

October 27, 20191 Comment

The days are about to get colder and darker. We are back in severe drought in my corner of Colorado. The wet spring was nice, but gone once our monsoon season was mediocre. I did put leaf mulch on my daylilies and started winter watering last weekend.

My echeveria after the sprinkler hit it last month.

I have thyroid disease and so time changes/dark days are difficult for me. Full spectrum light can help. I believe my mix of full spectrum, flourscent and purple plant lights help. I also think living in an indoor forest boosts positive energy. Something is always coming into bloom. Right now, it’s my vanda orchid, azalea, poinsettias and begonia. The Thanksgiving cactus aren’t for off. January/February will bring the orchids.

One of my poinsettias coming into bloom.

Speaking of orchids – I have over 40. They fill two rooms. They were what got my through some tough times, working at home fulltime (isolation) and separation from family. Now, I work long weeks away from home. Orchids are hard to keep up with . . . There are too many. And, my environment is nothing like their natural habitat.

One of my new orchid pots.

I’ve spent a horrific amount of money the last two months. I converted the orchids back to wood chips (from water), because that doesn’t require as much work. But, I needed several new orchid pots.

Red bromeliad – a mail order neo from Florida.

Then came the shift to air plants, succulents, and bromeliads. I gave away plants that didn’t fit the new theme. I bought new plants to create my new reality. The house feels a little different, more fun. More creative. My bank account . . . Hmmm.

My new succulent pot with crassela, aloe, miniature sansevieria, and others.

Yesterday, I played with succulent containers. It was my Saturday escape. I got 3 kinds of crassela, a reddish sempervivum, an aloe, a miniature sansevieria, a turquoise one with teardrop leaves – need ID. I used an outdoor pot whose plant had died.

Fountain converted into home for succulents and an air plant. I want to paint the frog green.

I added a couple of new succulents to the two converted fountains that I started using for succulents.

My Toki Dokie bird fountain converted to a succulent garden.

I felt pretty awful yesterday. Mostly tired, I just wanted to sleep. But, despite wondering what I was doing shopping for succulents when I felt so poorly, it turned my energy around.

Air plants hang from baskets in my kitchen window.

Creativity is a strength. It’s my top one. I have an appreciation of nature/beauty strength and curiosity in my top 5 strengths. Bringing those out really helped.

My new red desert rose plant.

I’m way over budget and out of light for more plants. I need to find other outlets for these strengths. I’ve thought of painting succulents. I love painting daylilies. Still, my art cove feels a little isolated. I’ll figure something out between winter watering my daylilies. In the mean time, I’ll live with my SAD: succulent addictive disorder.

PS, I’m considering at Etsy sales page once I have enough cuttings.

My Orchid Cactus, My Night Lily

October 24, 2019October 24, 2019Leave a comment

Last night was the night . . . the night of my Queen of the Night AKA orchid cactus AKA epiphyllum. I noticed a small bud weeks ago, when she was still outside. When I moved her inside, it was with utmost care. I worried the lights in my kitchen would interrupt her bloom cycle. Or, cats . . . being cats.

But, the bud continued to swell and swell. Last night during dinner, I noticed a slight change in shape. I watched my favorite TV show, Call the Midwife, and sort of forgot about it. Then, poof, there she was – a huge bloom staring me in the face.

My orchid cactus came from Amazon two falls ago for $4. A small cutting in a small pot through the winter. Then, she grew into a bigger pot and moved to the porch, where she spends summer on a drip system. She is pretty happy. I am hoping for more than one bud next summer.

The blooms only last a few hours. Like a daylily, but at night. It is busy at work this week, so I didn’t stay up all night. But, I did stay up late enough to enjoy her with my bedtime dessert.

The Amazingly Huge Spiders of August

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019Leave a comment

Oh, my – school starts tomorrow. I worked early and late. My daylilies had 12 hours between my first round of photos and my second.

I am not sure what to say tonight – my brain is mush and I crave ice cream. But, I do want to highlight three big, colorfast Ned Roberts spiders that are late bloomers. Colorfast becomes obvious when we photograph at 7 AM and 7 PM. And, my photos of these three look good both times – wide awake all day.

Purple Corn Dancer steals my heart with every bloom. I have her in two locations so I may get 3-4 weeks of blooms.

Purple Corn Dancer 8/13/1

Mama Cuna is a HUGE spider. She, also, wears make-up that lasts all day – she adds an amazing highlight to the Southwest garden late season.

Mama Cuna 8/13

Purple Thunderbird is CRAZY HUGE – and also looks great all day. Very colorfast.

Purple Tunderbird 8/12

I am guessing they are related because they all make me smile.

PS – My orchid cactus did not bloom last night – this waiting is the stuff of my midwifery days! I even got up briefly at 3 AM to check.

Orchid Cactus bud 8/12

Cowboys and Indians

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019Leave a comment

I’m not sure if I have ever mentioned that my grandfather knew Butch Cassidy. My grandfather was a cowboy – well, a sheepman. He hired Butch’s men when they weren’t out being desperados in the wild west of Wyoming and Colorado.

Fast forward to my yard today – there was my Premier El Desperado bloom. My big old plant died from the hard spring so I bought a new one. It isn’t getting quite enough light in its new location so the blooms are a little small. I will move her this fall.

Oh, and one of my favorite late-season Ned Roberts spiders was a premier – Navajo Curls. I have so much heart for the Native Americans that my garden is full of blooms to honor their culture. The Navajo are my neighbors here and I learn so much from my visits to their lands. It was nice to have them in my yard.

I only got a few hours of sleep last night . . . and what happens? Well, I go out in my outside back porch after a long day of work to find a bottle to use with my auto-watering spike and what do I see???? My orchid cactus blooming. Like, people host all-night watch parties for this. I have been out a few times for pictures. I don’t know how long I will stay up. Why can’t this be Friday or Saturday night? These plants are spring bloomers, after all.

Still 28 in bloom today. That’s crazy. Almost out of premiers for 2019, though. Not out of buds.

The Shrunken Days of August

August 10, 2019Leave a comment

My eyes are so tired that they drip with tears. I woke up before dawn, but dawn is getting later. And, my sprinklers now go off after dark in the evening even though I have not reset the time. Work starts earlier and ends later. Things always seem chaotic at the start of a school year. I am tireder than is healthy – it impacts my wellbeing. I can’t push the envelope the way I use to. Neither can the sun — it begins its rest cycle. I feel a bit sad because I don’t like the cold, dark side of the year. Mostly, though, I feel tired.

So, I had two Premiers today that I want to talk about before sleep. Frans Hals is one of my early mail order daylilies. It has been moved around the yard a few times. I thought this was the most beautiful daylily I had ever seen – this and Best Seller. I believe they were in my first batch of roots. Now, it looks kind of ordinary. Still, a nice late bloomer.

Frans Hals 8/9

And, my apologies to Chaco Canyon and Kachina Dancer. I got them mixed up. The one that bloomed earlier is Kachina Dancer. Chaco Canyon was divided and I thought her division had put out some small flowers – but it was Kachina Dancer. My main Chaco lost a scape to a storm in the spring – but managed to send out a re-bloom spike that opened today. Clearly, a different flower.

Chaco Canyon 8/9

Kachina Dancer – July, 2019

Thirty-two today. I have broken records nearly every day for a month. As the days shrink, so will the daylilies. Perhaps we all need a rest.

Oh – and my Apple Blossom Amaryllis baby bulbs (mom was pregnant about 3 years ago) finally bloomed! Merry Christmas – Winter Solstice is coming.

Apple Blossom Amaryllis 8/9

My Colorado Kids

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019Leave a comment

Faculty comes back to work tomorrow (except me – because the boss gets to work all summer 😉 ) Still, I had 40 cultivators in bloom today. Last year at this time, I was having surgery in a week, in-process with interviewing for this job . . . and I had only a handful of daylilies. There were none left to bloom. And, mid-August, the blog dropped into nothingness until poinsettia time. It is Jugust in my yard – my poinsettias look like it’s June and my daylilies think it is July . . . and faculty come back to work tomorrow.

Anyway – I still have 5ish that have scapes and have not bloomed yet and a lot with buds left – this blog season is not close to being over yet. So, what to talk about today? Well, I was going to talk about my daylilies with Colorado names. A couple are in bloom today – but let’s look at the summer.

Cripple Creek is a golden Ned Roberts spider that I assume is named for the gold rush town of Cripple Creek in Colorado. Ned, the hybridizer, lived fairly near Cripple Creek, CO.

Cripple Creek – 2019

I believe Echo Canyon is named for a canyon near the Royal Gorge. Ned Roberts lived closeby in Colorado Springs.

Echo Canyon – 2019

Glen Eyrie IS a place in Colorado Springs – no doubt about it! It is an old castle and new conference center. Another Ned Roberts spider.

Glen Eyrie 2019

Hesperus is the name of a sacred (to the Navajo) mountain in the San Juan Mountain Range near my home. I have no idea if the cultivator was named after the mountain, but I like the theory enough that I bought the daylily.

Hesperus – 2019

Mount Echo Sunrise – I am guessing this is named after Echo Mountain that is the tallest mountain visible from Denver. It is a guess because it is another Ned Roberts daylily.

Mount Echo Sunrise – 2019

Rocky Mountain Pals was named for the folks at the University Cancer Center in Denver – there Ned Roberts went for treatment later in his life. At least that is the story I was told.

Rocky Mountain Pals – 2019

The Colorado Kid is named after the movie – but when I saw the name early in my place name and blue daylily addiction, she had to be mine. She is the mascot of this blog!

The Colorado Kid – 2019

Lovely Ladies

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019Leave a comment

As I download, upload, and edit photos every night, I try to think of some meaningful focus for this blog. Tonight, I am tired and what strikes me are the lovely lady names of some of today’s bloomers. They all look like they are dancing to me, too.

Classy Lady caught my eye first thing!

Classy Lady 8/6

Dancing Maiden is getting some great, flowing blooms now.

Dancing Maiden 8/6

Rosie’s Red always adds such color to the front garden.

Rosie’s Red 8/6

Nona’s Garnet Spider is doing morning yoga.

Nona’s Garnet Spider 8/6

Maya Cha Cha is always an eye-catching gal ready to meet the day with a smile.

Maya Cha Cha 8/6

Lobo Lucy is a fine redhead.

Lobo Lucy 8/6

Black-eyed Susan shines on.

Black-Eyed Susan 8/6

And, Ruby Stella is a non-stop bloomer this summer!

Ruby Stella 8/6

The top photo is Spirit of the Morning, who woke up dancing a beautiful ballet.

And, amidst my flourishing daylilies who have not been bug sprayed or fertilized all summer due to my busy schedule are my Christmas plants. My baby amaryllis bulbs of 3 years ago are sending up spikes now! But, my poinsettias still look like they are frozen in early June. New leaves, but small. I started fertilizing . . . but I usually bring these in late August to start the bloom cycle and these guys are nowhere close to ready. Well, one is big and full. Two are small size but not pigmy. Three are pigmy. What to do with them if they don’t correct in the next few weeks??? Was it the cold spring??? And, oh, the fall daylily chores start to cross my mind – maybe move a couple that haven’t bloomed or add a front garden drip system. A gardener’s mind is always dancing.

A Watched Pot

August 5, 20191 Comment

So, this was my camping weekend. And, I’ve had 5 Premiere blooms since my last post. I want to say something before I share them. I had over 30 still in bloom. I have 5 or 6 with scapes that have not bloomed yet. I could possibly get late scapes. I’m at 85% bloom rate – anticipate low 90’s. This week, my regular hours start. It’s going to get crazy. I hope to photograph those that are open before I leave but many don’t open until 9 or 10 AM. They are pretty cooked by 2 PM, so we will see how this goes. Crazy late cycle.

Two brand new blooms on Friday. Cripple Creek – a golden flower that I assume Ned Roberts named after the Colorado gold rush town. Coberg Fright Wig – from back when I bought crazy names. Tried to die, but I finally got it thriving 4 years later.

Cripple Creek 8/2

Coberg Fright Wig 8/2

And, today some new blooms for 2019 on old favorites. Western Sandstone and Pizza Crust. They look and act enough alike that I looked up parentage a couple years ago and they are kin.

Pizza Crust 8/4

Western Sandstone 8/4

Orange Vols is probably my favorite orange.

Orange Vols 8/4

50 Startling Southwest Spider Daylilies!

August 1, 2019Leave a comment

Only 40 something daylilies today and no Premiers. So, it leaves time to talk about some of my daylily categories. I have talked a lot about my Ned Roberts spiders. I originally started collecting them after seeing Kokopelli on the Lily Auction – I love the Southwest and had to have her (I got the bid)! From there, I added more = lots more. At first, it was all fully Southwest names. Then, I gathered some animal and insect names to my Ned collection. And, some stellar names. IDK, is Dancing Maiden a name from the Southwest?

So, tonight, I will show you my purely Southwest named daylilies – the obvious names from the Southwest. But, first, Mildred Mitchell had an extra petal today – a genetic flaw that made her look pretty cool.

OK – Here are my Southwest Ned Roberts spiders. (These are the ones that have bloomed the last two years. Mostly this year, except Kokopelli did not bloom this year – which is unusual).