The hot, dry weather continues here. The daylilies are popping and I had 10 cultivators with their first bloom of the year today. And, I’ve had 100 total cultivators bloom this season.
I can’t even tell you how many I have total. Probably 170-180. I added, Mother Nature subtracted. Plus, I just got a new computer and I haven’t moved my daylily software over yet. Too busy counting flowers on my wall.
Please enjoy my Instagram of today’s blooms. In order of appearance: Dr Doom, Wildwood Flower, Bela Lugosi, Bluegrass Music, Fol de Rol, Taco Twister, Chokecherry Mountain, Coral Taco, Treasure of the Southwest, Lobo Lucy,
Peak this year is going to be more of a Kansas Peak than a Colorado Peak. So many plants either succumbed to the prolonged freeze-thaw or they just didn’t put out scapes. Many early bloomers seem to be missing, but my garden is trying.
I came home from camping to 15 new cultivators in bloom for the first time in 2023. Here is my Instagram reel from today.
It’s been a weird year. Not just the weather, but definitely the weather. Cold, wet spring. It felt like winter until it was summer – then BAM we get into fire weather with high winds and low humidity. I also lost my beloved soul dog, Sazi, in March. I adopted a new special needs senior in April and she had major surgery in May. Oh, and my art/houseplant business, Art from the Hartt, changed locations in May.
My dog, Kachina, and her new sister, Kokopelli
So, daylilies have been on the back burner. But, hey, it is July 1, and only 6 cultivators have bloomed so far this season, anyway. Mostly Saratoga Springtime – who bloomed on June 7th and is now finished. I lost almost all of the daylilies that I added last fall plus a couple old timers 😦 I added a few new ones from local nurseries to fill gaps – I am also using coleus as pot savers. I ordered a few new ones for fall, but I think I am out of space to nurture too many more.
Saratoga Springtime began blooming 6.7Dream Keeper first bloom 6.25Comanche Princess began blooming today (7.1)Kokopelli began blooming 6.30Open My Eyes began blooming 6.25Stella de Oro began blooming 6.28
I can’t believe it has been nearly 11 months since my last blog. One would think I had 4 other websites and a bunch of social media to run. . . Wait, I do. LOL. Plus, it was past peak when I stopped blogging last year in early August and we are no where near peak today. Anyway, enjoy my list (with pictures) of cultivators that have come through the cold spring and into bloom. I call them psychrophilic.
I have 100s of scapes. They are everywhere. Like little aliens running through the garden.
But, today only brought four new “eyes” to the 2022 blooming cultivators.
Bluegrass Music hasn’t bloomed in a couple years. One of my first near blues – except she is very purple. I just had to have her! And, some grower charged me $50 for 2 scrawny fans.
Bluegrass Music 6.30Passionate Returns 6.30Ruby Spider 6.30Alabama Jubilee 6.30
The others were reds and oranges. Today, I saw a post from 10 years ago on Facebook memories about Ruby Spider’s first bloom. I just loved the huge bloom. Ten years ago, I had like 5 daylilies. Crazy.
And, decidedly into the fire. Several new blooms for 2022 doesn’t sound like many. It really isn’t too bad. Going from less than a dozen in bloom/day to almost 2 dozen today felt like daylily season.
Chaco Canyon 6.29
I have 72 cultivators with scapea and or bloomed in the Southwest Visions garden. I don’t have more than a handful with nothing. It’s the same everywhere in my yard this year.
Purple Moonrise 6.29
I had 2 premiere Ned Roberts spiders. Chaco Canyon and Orchid Moonrise.
Other premiers are Jungle Queen, Early Bird Cardinal, Thin Man, Primal Scream, and Mesa Verde.
No, this is not a religious post. It’s about my daylily blooms today. And, as for now, all hell (meaning chaos) has not broken loose. I only had 3 premiere or first blooms for 2022 today.
Ojo de Dios 6.28
First, another Ned Roberts spider, Ojo de Dios. Translates to the Eye of God. This is my 7th Roberts spider to bloom for 2022.
Indian Love Call 6.28
Indian Love Call also made her premiere. She is my best rebloomer so I put her in 2 places this year.
Santa’s Pants 6.28
Where does Santa fit in? Well, Santa was hiding older the shrub when I went on my morning walk. So, he got missed until I found him wilted in the afternoon sun. Poor Santa. I have him in my collection because my dad played Santa for many years when I was a kid.
Many buds, maybe a little monsoon action tomorrow. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had so many in bud in the front garden. I started hooking up my drip system intermittently in laye March. Maybe this is the payoff.
Yesterday, the rains came. Many daylily growers live where that happens often enough that it isn’t out of the ordinary. In Western Colorado, it’s usually out of the ordinary.
Today, all hell started breaking loose. In other words, I had a record number of first blooms for the season. Where to start? Maybe alphabetical.
I best get some sleep. Once it starts, there is no stopping it. Come hell or high water. Because, I think the bloom rate is going to be high this year.
Today, the rain came. It is monsoon season. Sometimes you get rain, and sometimes it moves right past you. The moisture is good but it may make all hell break loose.
Today, however, the season continued at it’s slow pace. I had two premiers and a ton of fat buds.
Comanche Princess 6.26
Comanche Princess, one of my Ned Roberts spiders bloomed for the first time this season. She always looks like she is doing somersaults to me.
Wild Horses 6.26
To go along with the theme of a Comanche Princess, Wild Horses also made a premiere today. I actually googled both names together and got a lot of photos of Native Americans and their ponies.
Today’s boutique is dedicated to my beloved but estranged daughter, Erica. We haven’t spoken in 25 years or so. Today is her birthday. I hope she is safe, healthy, happy, and at peace. Happy birthday. I’m proud of you.
I love that old movie Groundhogs Day. “Babe, I got you, babe.” Every day, he wakes up to the same day.
Indian Giver 6.25Yellow Punch with pollinator moth in camo 6.25
It feels that way in my daylily garden this year. The same 8 cultivators. Some daily, some intermittently. The buds grow larger and leak their color. But, for now it’s “I got you babe.” Until all hell breaks loose.
I have ~185 daylilies. I have 8 that are currently in bloom. About 5%. I have ~140 with scapes or in bloom – about 75%. That’s the hell that’s about to break loose. One day, I’ll wake up to 50 in bloom or something.
I’ll show off the 3 Ned Roberts spiders that were in bloom, again, today.
I’ll also show off my gorgeous prickly pear bloom and my cool bromeliad bloom. My broms live on the front porch all summer, so they are part of my outdoor garden.
Prickly Pear bloom 6.24Bromeliad bloom “End of Day” 6.24
Colorado Kid Daylilies 