It is January. Cold, black and white, slippery January. Christmas is done and work starts Monday. And, for some reason, my mind craves the color of my daylily garden. So, I went through and made a video (pardon the length) with all nearly 200 of my cultivators from 2019. It was a crazy summer in the garden – even though I had to work most of it, I still saw a lot of blooms.
I am jazzed to see how my new camera does next summer. Come on June!!!
I made my annual Gratitude Day video late last night. It features several of my Ned Roberts spider daylilies. And, a quote about gratitude from a book called “Thanks” by Robert Emmons, Ph.D. Please take a moment to think spring thoughts. https://youtu.be/4A4KsO5XeAw
Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. It’s sort of a time for reflection on how to stay sane during the winter months.
Capitata Mauve
I spent too much on air plants because I realized that I couldn’t mail order after freeze. I got some succulents and a bromeliad, too. I didn’t realize that they came in so many bright leaf colors.
Close of the Day bromeliad
And, I took the plunge for my first landscaping project since I hurt my back putting daylilies in buried pots 3 years ago.
Front yard before
Xeriscaping. Because who plants grass on top of a slope in clay in the desert and expects success 70 years later.
Front yard after
I started putting this checkerboard around the yard various places a decade ago. It’s held up pretty well, so my bald spots can now hold succulents, cacti and other drought hardy plants in the summer.
Side of front yard before
Five trips to Home Depot over 2 weeks. Lots of buckets of dirt removed. Blisters on both hands. TGF Motrin.
Side of front yard after
I’m sitting in my tent, dosed in natural melatonin. There is cool air . . . It feels nice. Desert camping was hot all but about 2 hours a night. It will get down to 50 or so tonight. Good sleeping weather.
Purple Grasshopper 8.31
This shift also means only 3 blooms today. Honestly, it is a little bit nice to not have a million photos to take. But, I already miss the excitement of checking the garden for Premieres.
Frans Hals 8.31
Today brought travel to the 4-corners region. If you know Colorado, you know that means a drive over the San Juan Mountains. 10 k feet above sea level.
Ruby Stella 8.31
The largest city in the area is Durango and I wanted to see if their nursery had any nice succulents or air plants. The best route is over Red Mountain pass, which is high, curvy and no guard rail. I got vertigo and was sick for 2 days last time I drove it, so I take the longer route now. Adds an hour but oh well. I use to drive Red Mountain in chains in a blizzard at night. Those days are gone.
Animas River 8.31
So, I ended up with 2 bromeliads – one in bloom and one with 2 pups. I also got a small red desert rose (succulent) and another cool succulent. I was thinking of what I read about not having too much variety. The bromeliads are the same family as air plants so they bring familiar features.
My new baby red Desert Rose 8.31
I want air plants and succulents/cactus to be my core plants. The other major groups I’ll keep are orchids, begonias, poinsettias, amaryllis, calathea, African violets. I have a few others, but I’m giving a lot of miscellaneous plants away. Since you can decorate most plants with air plants, that should help blend things in together.
My white Desert Rose in bloom – taken a few days ago.
I have my new plantlets in the hatch covered by a blanket. The bromeliads are far from their natural habitat. The succulents won’t care. No clue what I’m doing tomorrow. It’s a nice problem to have.
I had a peer who was into feng shui when I lived in Boulder, CO. I actually did my house in a feng shui color pattern for awhile. I don’t claim to know much about it, but it was a creative project. Cleaning closets, etc, to make room for more good energy is also part of it.
Cripple Creek 8.29
Currently, I am doing houseplant feng shui. I spend all winter counting the days until the plants go outside and I can have more space. And, there are some plants I am bonded with and some that I am just tired of looking at. Not that many, maybe half dozen.
Purple Corn Dancer 8.29
I found homes for them with friends on Facebook. It is kind of hard – but I still have more than I need. My problem is that new plants help me pass the winter doldrums. But, as I have said before, the orchids are kind of high needs – and they always seem fragile – ready to rot or have the leaves drop off from dryness.
Indian Sky 8.29
I’m not giving my orchids away – but there will be natural attrition and I just won’t keep buying them. The rex begonias, African violets, calathea are all staying put, too.
Frans Hals 8.29
My new theme is cool succulents and air plants. I have a good bunch of Southwest plants from my road trips – but you can always find a fun new species. And, air plants are fun to decorate with! I got my first batch of mail order ones today – all 6 in a box that is maybe 5 inches square. They are space efficient and fairly resilient to a bit of neglect if the summer gets busy. Also, pretty cost effective except the big, fancy ones.
Purple Grasshopper 8.29
I had five in bloom today – daylilies, that is. That’s a good number for the last Thursday in August. It won’t last long, though. They have been in bloom for nearly 90 days. So, I am happy for the little air plants today. Gives me something to look forward to this winter.
My mail order air plants 8.29
Tonight, life seems right, again. Or at least blogging seems right. I ditched the S mode deal on the new 2 in 1 and now have straight windows 10 pro. I can download a printer driver and Chrome. That makes the whole computer more functional. I actually read a techie column that said it was a much more functional computer and didn’t loose that much speed or security by ditching the S deal.
Purple Corn Dancer 8.28
So, my daylilies dwindle. Today, it seems like the reality of season end is hitting. Soon, there may be 0 daylilies some days . . . then most days . . . then all days.
Frans Hals 8.28
My mind turns to fall daylily work. Nearly all effort now goes into building healthy plants for next season. The little sprinkler system and trimming the plants back to encourage new growth. I need to level and mulch the Southwest garden – well, at least level it. As the earth settles from burying all those daylily pots 2 summers ago – well, there are some low patches and some plants that need their soil level increased.
Ruby Stella 8.28
After that, I will see what, if anything, needs to be divided. Maybe some fertilizer.
Then, the leaves come and I bury my buddies until March. Leaves are pretty, but winter is bland. The roads are slick. The days are short. And, daylight savings time comes. I can’t wait to see what I can do with my air plants this winter!
Speaking of dwindling . . . this will likely be my last week of nightly blogs. Weekly, then prn until the buds open, again.
So, my day job is busy, although the buzz of the term is settling down some. My evening job this week is tweaking the new drip system. Last night, it was staples and stakes. Tonight, I tried sprayer heads on a couple of the larger pots that were hogging water. I think the little sprayers will work better without a much water waste.
I can’t believe I still have 7 in bloom today. But, the buds become rare and every day I say goodbye to at least one cultivator for another year.
Purple Corn Dancer is in 2 locations and so she has most of her buds left in location #2.
Purple Corn Dancer 8.27
Frans Hals has maybe 10 buds left – +/-
Frans Hals 8.27
Purple Grasshopper and Ruby Stella have a handful of buds left.
Purple Grasshopper 8.27
I think both Navajo Curls and Cripple Creek have a bud or two left.
Navajo Curls 8.27
Purple Thunderbird maybe has one bud left (max).
And, then it ends. Except that I found one of my Lowe’s Stella hybrid rebloomers with a new scape. It only has a few buds, but it is still 90 degrees. So, my hope is that the new drip system might give me a few more reblooms. My stay of execution.
Ruby Stella 8.27
My poinsettias seem to be perking up – but it is not a good year for them. I need to start forcing the big ones so they can all cycle through the bloom closet.
El Desperado 8.27
I’m camping this weekend and maybe looking for succulents down in SW Colorado. Oh, and I mail ordered my first air plants. They should be here tomorrow. I was reading that too many varieties of plant detracts from all of them. I honestly am OK with having less and getting more air plants and succulents. All my super market specials make the place look cluttered . . . we will see. The long and boring winter is less than 4 months away. My stay of execution is only temporary.
It’s National Dog Day!!! Dogs and daylilies are my two most expensive hobbies. LOL. Well, my dogs help me garden to earn their keep. They take naps in the sun for me and chase off every other dog who dares walk past my daylily garden. My dogs have been sick a lot this summer, unfortunately. Maizzy, the larger, short-haired chi, is just senior and Sazi, the small long-haired chi, has disc disease and was paralysed in June. She slowly regains function – she is walking and running but lost a lot of feeling in her back legs. I do blame that for part of the fact that my yard is not at its best. Of course, they are a happy part of my camping travels and the best companions ever! Happy Dog Day pups!
Kachina, Sazi, and Maizzy at Monument Valley last month.
What bloomed for them today?
Purple Corn Dancer is doing yoga around her bud. I have a few more blooms to look forward to from her.
Purple Corn Dancer doing yoga 8.26
Royal Palace Prince is on the new drip line and opened his last bud today. Hoping for more blooms next year.
Royal Palace Prince 8.26
Mama Cuna also opened her last bud. She is so big and showy – I may see if I can divide her and put a couple fans up in the front yard.
Mama Cuna 8.26
Indian Sky – and I am not sure if she has buds left. Maybe. But, not many.
Indian Sky 8.26
Purple Grasshopper – this would be Kachina’s favorite. She loves to chase those things! (Kachina is the Terrier).
Purple Grasshopper 8.26
Ruby Stella – she is a champion bud maker this year and I have a few left to bloom.
Ruby Stella 8.26
And, as the blooms fade away, the weeds seem more noticeable. My front yard looks as gross as ever. Don’t plant grass on a hill in the desert. And, the daylilies can disrupt the sprinkler flow . . . which doesn’t help. I am thinking of thyme or sedum for part of it – and maybe ornamental grass. Thrilling to dig in this mud. Can’t wait. LOL.
The weekend draws to a close and my to-do list for yard stuff didn’t get as short as I hoped. I haven’t done 8-5 x 5 days a week (away from home) in nearly 20 years. I feel it every day.
Cripple Creek 8.25
I spent the morning watching orchids and (other than a haircut and a grocery run) spent the afternoon finishing up the new drip system for the front garden.
Purple Grasshopper 8.25
It works, although I had to crank the pressure up. And the drip tube doesn’t fit very tightly on the timer, so it drips. It’s not auto, though, so I can set it for an hour or two, then shut the valve off. But, it could drip for a bit and be ok.
Purple Corn Dancer 8/25
I think that’s why the poinsettias stopped growing. I watered a lot more last year when I was home. The sprinklers just don’t get deep enough. Hoping for a growth spurt before freeze. We have maybe a month.
Frans Hals 8.25
My knees hurt from being on the pavement so much. And, I don’t want to get as exhausted as last week.
Ruby Stella 8.25
I teach Pharmacology at 8 AM. I guess it’s drip, drip, drip with students, too.
My mom would be 102 years old this day. That makes me sound older than I am. Mom waited to have kids. It is also the anniversary of the job offer for my current job. This job is a great match for my strengths, but not for my senior energy. I am likely too liberal minded to be an early morning person – my coworkers do much better. Yes, circadian rhythm does relate to our liberal vs conservative brain. I am middle-of-the-road, slightly liberal. And, yea, political views are only one small part of how this part of our brain impacts our work. Liberals do better starting and ending their days later than conservatives.
Frans Hals 8.24
At any rate, I didn’t celebrate today – other than a few more air plants. My yard looks neglected. I worked all summer and camped every other weekend. I have been keeping up with daylily photos (sort of), but not much else.
Purple Corn Dancer 8.24
Today’s chore was installing a drip system in the front garden. Daylilies, squash, poinsettias – they get too dry. When I worked from home, I could run out and water. Don’t get me wrong – I am glad to be less isolated. But, my yard suffers especially when summer isn’t a pause.
Carlotta 8.24
I went to the nursery for a plant for a coworker – a surprise. I grabbed a couple of air plants – my new addiction. I like them because they are small and less needy than my orchids. I was into water culture orchids – but with not being home, it is hard to keep up with all the water changes. The air plants are small – and I plan to get more into succulents as my current plants thin.
Purple Thunderbird 8.24
So, the coleus were half price – I have some in with my daylilies that are on the side of the driveway but not in all the pots. So, I grabbed 3 of those. They are actually nice companion plants for daylilies. I got some fall colors. Then, of course, I have to decide if I bring them in when it gets cold. Probably – one big pot. I can take cuttings and replant outside next spring. Sure . . . if I have time.
Navajo Curls 8.24
Putting in the drip system meant giving the daylilies a haircut. I cut a lot of stuff back – like those blue bells. I have about 27 drippers in and 17 to go. For now, I need to this sleep, precious sleep. Goodnight, momma. I lost you too young and miss you every day.
Purple Grasshopper 8.24
Oh, BTW – I tried the block editor for WordPress on Internet Explorer – It was awful! A few more days of testing S mode before I likely go to regular Windows 10.
Ruby Stella 8.24
One last note – the featured photo is from earlier this year. Catherine Irene – the same name as my mom.
Colorado Kid Daylilies 