My second bloom of the year was Return a Smile. It was really yesterday, now. Crazy long day. Glad it started with a smile. This daylily is one of my oldest. I got it at the same time as Ruby Spider and Just Plum Happy . . . To hid my drip system hose. This bud survived the snow storm and looks none the worse for the wear. Tonight’s smile was grandkids. It’s time to rest. Daylilies teach that.
Today brought my first bloom of 2017. A golden Stella de Oro. Well, more like two Stellas. Simple yellow trumpets are the early birds. Happy Returns will join, soon. So will Ruby Spider . . .the one in a container on my patio. It gets hot back there. That bunch is always a couple weeks ahead.
While Stella led the way, more scapes became visible. Indian Love Call, Pink Enchilada, Stephanie Returns, Isaac, Early Bird Cardinal, Mesa Verde, Heron’s Cove, Red Hot Returns, Lady Fingers, Royal Palace Prince, and Prairie Wildfire. And, a tiger that the nursery wasn’t sure what it was . . . So, I got a big discount. The list grows. I’m hoping for a 75% bloom year.
This blog will be different this year. Last year, I was finishing up my doctorate. I had a lot of flexibility to be in the garden and playing with photos. This year, I work 45+ hours a week for Western Governors University. I’m committed to the blog, but it needs a new approach. Because, sleep is good.
Stella in half bloomed, so I think it’s safe to say my first daylily of the year shows up tomorrow. I have to give up AM news for camera time in the garden. It’s better, the garden.
I killed my very first Stella a few years back. Then, I got into daylilies, and Stella seemed too common. But they bloom all season. So, last year, I hit the sales and got a few.
I have a growing number of scapes popping up. It’s like watching popcorn start to pop. Kokopelli, Soco Gap, Papa Long legs, Hopi Jewel, Happy Returns, Ruby Spider, Chama Valley, Strutters Ball, Wild Horses, Ghost Ranch, Funny Valentine, Inwood, Jungle Queen, Return A Smile. All have scapes. And, it’s just the beginning. I guessed Juneteenth (16th) for bloom 1. Off by 9 days. I’m good with it.
I have a lot of friends who think I’m a Lily expert. Daylilies are not really lilies. They are more closely related to Olathe Sweet Corn. And, I hope they do as well in my high desert garden.
As my daylilies begin to grow taller and taller, I begin to imagine the season ahead. I have a system for numbering photos that allows me to know start and stop blooming dates. As far as blooming for several weeks, I have several top performers.
The winner is probably Red Hot Returns, which started in August and was blooming in early November.
Ruby Stella also bloomed from early August into early November.
:
Of my peak season bloomers, several lasted for over a month with lots and lots of summer blooms.
Mesa Verde was profuse and bloomed for a month from 6/26 to 7/24
My old favorite, Ruby Spider, bloomed from 6/24 to 7/22. Not bad.
PrimalScream cheated a little with two different plants in two different locations. But all in all she lasted from 6/25 to 8/4!!!
South Seas rolled in from 7/11 – 8/4 (and I was out of town the week prior, so I may have missed a couple blooms.
And, lastly, Soco Gap produced big, gorgeous blooms from to 7/6 to 8/2.
I want to start by saying that daylilies are a gateway addiction. They bring flow, or engagement, though. So, it’s an authentically happy addiction. This winter brought poinsettias, amaryllis, orchids, and calathea. Oh, and growth to my Rex Begonias. . . Maybe their colorful leaves are also a gateway.
My last post was about poinsettias in hybernation. I lost the one that I posted the picture of last time. Of 16, I’ve lost 2. The one in this photo (below) has beautiful purple bracks (or colored leaves). I think it’s going to pull through, though it has no leaves other than a couple sprouts like this. The releafing is in its early to middle stages on all of my babies, who live on the sun porch by day.
Purple poinsettia
The orchids are still blooming, mostly.
The Rexs and Calatheas just have showy leaves year around. I live the colors.
And, today, I turn to my outdoor garden, where daylily sprouts are everywhere. The ones in pots on my outdoor porch get the most southern exposure. They are getting big! This is Ruby Spider yesterday.
Spring is only hours away!
Time flies . . . it has been a couple of weeks since I posted. A lot has happened. I am less than two weeks away from my doctorate. And, I believe I have a full-time job in my future. A couple cultivators are still in bloom, and I have new roots in the ground. Perhaps returning to school is like planting new roots. You give them water, soil, sunshine, and fertilizer. Then, in time they bloom. Blooms are like jobs – the reward for the TLC given to the roots.
Today’s blooms were Heirloom Heaven:
Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
And, Red Hot Returns (with less thrip damage than before):
Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
As promised, here are the Painted Petroglyph roots from a couple weeks ago next to the photo from a few days ago:
Progress toward that 2017 bloom. Like submitting an assignment . . . it takes time.
Fall is here and my attention is turning to my winter indoor blooms. My amaryllis bulbs and poinsettia need to go dark soon. I got a new mum, Thanksgiving cactus, and designer begonia. My Gerber Daisy is in bloom, as is my azalea. Oh, and those geraniums. They tend to be my winter bloomers. I will probably blog about those some over the winter.
I’m also working on my fall daylily fertilizing program. My re-bloomers ran out of steam this year, so that is a sign that they need more nutrients. I have added some great Ned Roberts roots to my Southwest daylily patch – Glen Eyrie, Adios Albuquerque, Twirling Pinata, and Truchas Sunrise. I got extra fans (as bonuses) of Echo Canyon and Desert Icicle that will thicken up my existing plants. My Navajo Rodeo roots are booming this time. And, I think I am already getting my spring daylily order planned. That paycheck will be great to feed my daylily habit.
Today, my granddaughter, Maia, turned 10. Today, my daughter started nurse practitioner school. Today, I interviewed for a job. And, today Ruby Stella started sending up a new scape. It is late August. Back to school time. And, I still have scapes. I might – just might – make it to freeze. In spring these things are thick as fur on an angora. Now, I savor each one. When I brought Ruby home, she had one bud left . . . that has been a month ago. A sign that the earth is still alive.
Ruby Stella scape from today – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Actual blooms today were Heirloom Heaven:
Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Dalilies – C. Hartt
Red Hot Returns:
Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
My last Orange Flurry in wth my big old Banana Yucca:
Orange Flurry – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
And, both colors of Stella:
It is threatening to rain . . . it is suppose to be raining. At least it is cool. Not a drop on my desert daylilies yet, though. Come on, August showers bring September growth. Getting strong for the spring.
Today started with an email from one of my resilience websites. I have seen this before – but it is still as beautiful. I wish I had the patience for time-lapse of these blooms. If you want to feel a little positive emotion and wonder, give this a few minutes.
So, here are my weekend miracles. Frans Hals:
Frans Hals – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Orange Flurry:
Orange Flurry – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Red Hot Returns:
Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Stella:
Golden Stella de Oro – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Not bad for late August. PS – I could have sworn that Heirloom Heaven bloomed yesterday but no photos – I must have missed it somehow.
Today brought a light application of Mir-Acid. (Miracle Grow for acid loving plants). My soil here is so basic that it won’t change. The base in the soil quickly neutralizes the acid. The iron is bound at that pH, so it can’t be absorbed. Anemic daylilies. Mulch, manure, peat moss, acidifiers can all help. They probably won’t change the pH for long (if at all), but they do boost the availability of nutrients. The joy of living in an ancient sea bed. It’s trial and error. I am grateful for the lessons of my garden. It makes me feel like a hands-on healer, again. A good day.
I may be dating myself, but I will never forget Tiny Tim singing Tiptoe through the Tulips on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in. When I decided to make this compilation of all my 2016 cultivators (all have bloomed, although some still have scapes/buds), it was a little like tiptoeing through my garden. The song came to mind. I would like to redo this with the day of the first and last bloom (in blooming order) sometime this winter when it is minus something and I need a daylily fix. It serves a purpose of not just lifting the spirit, but providing a timeline for predicting future years. So, here is the movie.
PS – My blooms today were Red Hot Returns, Frans Hals, Heirloom Heaven, and Orange Flurry. Mostly, though, my work was fertilizing pots and moving one daylily to a sunnier spot. I was just reading up on it, and I do think I need to give these guys some nutrition twice a year. It is the desert, after all. I need this foliage to be a bit less anemic when the spring comes around, again. It is all a learning curve.
One of the things that I like best about daylilies is that they are in the moment. And, when the moment is over, they move on. They don’t hold on to the past, like we humans do. So, today they are my mentors.
Today I had four bloomers. Perhaps this is a sign of optimism from my little friends. I had little Heirloom Heaven:
Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
And, Frans Hals:
Frans Hals – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Orange Flurry:
Orange Flurry – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
Finally, Stella de Oro:
Stella de Oro – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt
I love the late fall-colored blooms, but I have got to tell you that I find new roots almost equal in their awesomeness. I mean, you get some stuff in the mail that looks like wilted root veggies and you trim them back and plant them. And, within days, they start becoming daylilies. They are so optimistic about the future!
These are the Painted Petroglyph roots that I planted on Tuesday and they already have new green growth. I’ll try to take another photo next week for comparison. Next to the roots is a web photo of the cultivator in bloom. I cannot wait for spring.
Colorado Kid Daylilies 