Last Sunday in July

Wow – It will be August next weekend.  The daylily peak has come and gone.  The cultivators were in the teens today . . . a massive drop off from 2-3 weeks ago.  It is funny how the first 3 weeks of June are slow progress, then it explodes, then it goes to just a few here and there for months.

Today, we had one new cultivator.  Heirloom Heaven bloomed for the first time in 2018.  She is an adorable late-blooming mini.  She is my last unbloomed scape on a cultivator that hasn’t bloomed yet.  This could be it.  It seems like I usually get some August scapes . . . not many, but a handful.  I don’t know with this drought, though.

HeirloomHeaves7.29.1.jpg

Heirloom Heaven 7.29

And, I had a rude awakening last night – because Mount Echo Sunrise doesn’t look anything like Mount Echo Sunrise.  I looked at her tag, and she has two.  The other one says Moon over Chimayo . . . and she looks like that one.  So, I assume . . .

MoonOverChimayo7.26.1

Moon over Chimayo 7.27

Finales:

LullabyeBaby7.29.1.jpg

Lullabye Baby 7.29

Roll Call 7/23-29:

AdiosAlbuquerque7.26.2.jpg

Adios Albuquerque 7.26

Anasazi7.27.1.jpg

Anasazi 7.27

ApacheUprising7.25.2.jpg

Apache Uprising 7.25

AztecFirebird7.27.1.jpg

Aztec Firebird 7.27

Baja7.25.1.jpg

Baja 7.25

BelaLugosi7.24.1.jpg

Bela Lugosi 7.24

BlueBeat7.25.1.jpg

Blue Beat 7.25

Bluegrass7.24.1.jpg

Bluegrass Music 7.24

BoldTiger7.23.1.jpg

Bold Tiger 7.23

CheddarCheese7.24.1.jpg

Cheddar Cheese 7.24

CherokeeStar7.28.2.jpg

Cherokee Star 7.28

ChorusLine7.26.1.jpg

Chorus Line 7.26

ClassyLady7.27.1.jpg

Classy Lady 7.27

ComanchePrincess7.28.1.jpg

Comanche Princess 7.28

DreamCatcher7.27.2wNavajoCurls.jpg

Dream Catcher (with Navajo Curls) 7.27

ElDesperado7.24.1.jpg

El Desperado 7.24

FoxEars7.25.1.jpg

Fox Ears 7.25

HeronsCove7.27.1.jpg

Heron’s Cove 7.27

Hesperus7.25.1.jpg

Hesperus 7.25

IndianLoveCall7.24.1.jpg

Indian Love Call 7.24

IndianSky7.24.1.jpg

Indian Sky 7.24

LadyFingers7.25.1.jpg

Lady Fingers 7.25

LimeFrost7.26.2.jpg

Lime Frost 7.26

Longlesson7.23.1.jpg

Longlesson Show-off 7.23

MarqueMoon7.24.1.jpg

Marque Moon 7.24

MildredMitchell7.23.1.jpg

Mildred Mitchell 7.23

MiniPearl7.29.1.jpg

Mini Pearl 7.29

NavajoCurls7.24.1.jpg

Navajo Curls 7.24

NavajoRodeo7.23.1.jpg

Navajo Rodeo 7.23

NearlyWild7.28.1.jpg

Nearly Wild 7.28

Nosferatu7.26.1.jpg

Nosferatu 7.26

OrangeVols7.24.1.jpg

Orange Vols 7.24

PassionateReturns7.29.1.jpg

Passionate Returns 7.29

PickoftheLitter7.23.1.jpg

Pick of the Litter 7.23

PinkandCream7.29.1.jpg

Pink and Cream 7.29

PizzaCrust7.28.1.jpg

Pizza Crust 7.28

PrairieBlueEyes7.28.1.jpg

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.28

PreludetoLove7.25.1.jpg

Prelude to Love 7.25

PurpleCornDancer7.26.2.jpg

Purple Corn Dancer 7.26

PurpledeOro7.24.1.jpg

Purple de Oro 7.24

PurpleMoonrise7.27.2.jpg

Purple Moonrise 7.27

PurpleThunderbird7.26.1.jpg

Purple Thunderbird 7.26

RaspberryPropeller7.28.2.jpg

Raspberry Propeller 7.28

RosiesRed7.23.1.jpg

Rosie’s Red 7.23

Route66.26.1.jpg

Route 66 7.26

RoyalPalacePrince7.27.2.jpg

Royal Palace Prince 7.27

RubyStella7.28.1.jpg

Ruby Stella 7.28

SouthSeas7.27.1.jpg

South Seas 7.27

StephanieReturns7.23.2.jpg

Stephanie Returns 7.23

TigerKitten7.27.1.jpg

Tiger Kitten 7.27

TwirlingPinata7.24.2.jpg

Twirling Pinata 7.24

YellowPunch7.26.1.jpg

Yellow Punch 7.26

56 for the week . . . that is all!  I bet we are down to half of that by next week.

 

 

Short Blog

Despite having 29 cultivators in bloom today, we had no new blooms and only one finale bloom. She has put on her best show ever this year! So, here we go:

Finales:

Bluegrass7.24.1

Bluegrass Music 7.24

 

Desperado

It is roll-call day!  But, first, a dedication.  It is camping weekend and I was listening to a song “Desperado” on my ipod.  I have always identified with the song.  So, I will put El Desperado as our lead photo today.

Desperado – The Eagles

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow

Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get

Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it’s too late

OK – so new to the garden for the first time in 2018 today is Pizza Crust.  I get a little hungry looking at her because I am stuck with low cholesterol pizza that doesn’t have much crust.
PizzaCrust7.22.2.jpg

Pizza Crust 7.22

Finales:
ThinMan7.22.1.jpg

Thin Man 7.22

Route66.7.18.1.jpg

Route 66 7.18

FairyTalePink7.22.1.jpg

Fairytale Pink 7.22

NursesStethoscope7.16.1.jpg

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.18

Here goes Roll-Call for the week of 7/16-7/22:

AdiosAlbuquerque7.19.2.jpg

Adios Albuquerque 7.19

 

Anasazi7.17.1.jpg

Anasazi 7.17

AztecFirebird7.17.1.jpg

Aztec Firebird 7.17

Baja7.18.1.jpg

Baja 7.18

BelaLugosi7.19.1.jpg

Bela Lugosi 7.19

BlackEyedSusan7.16.1.jpg

Black-Eyed Susan 7.16

BlueBeat7.20.1.jpg

Blue Beat 7.20

Bluegrass7.16.1

Bluegrass Music 7.16

BoldTiger7.17.1.jpg

Bold Tiger 7.17

CanyonColors7.15.1.jpg

Canyon Colors 7.15

CatherineIrene7.16.1.jpg

Catherine Irene 7.16

CheddarCheese7.22.1.jpg

Cheddar Cheese 7.22

CherokeeStar7.17.3.jpg

Cherokee Star 7.17

ChorusLine7.18.1.jpg

Chorus Line 7.18

ClassyLady7.18.1.jpg

Classy Lady 7.18

ComanchePrincess7.18.1

Comanche Princess 7.17

DreamCatcher7.18.1.jpg

Dream Catcher 7.18

ElDesperado7.19.1.jpg

El Desperado 7.19

FoxEars7.19.1.jpg

Fox Ears 7.19

HappyHopi7.17.1.jpg

Happy Hopi 7.17

HeavenlyCurls7.17.1.jpg

Heavenly Curls 7.17

HeronsCove7.17.2.jpg

Heron’s Cove 7.17

Hesperus7.17.2.jpg

Hesperus 7.17

IndianSky7.16.1.jpg

Indian Sky 7.16

Isaac7.16.1.jpg

Isaac 7.16

JungleQueen7.15.1.jpg

Jungle Queen 7.16

JustPlumHappy7.17.1.jpg

Just Plum Happy 7.17

 

LacyDoily7.20.1.jpg

Lacy Doily 7.20

LadyFingers7.18.1.jpg

Lady Fingers 7.18

LimeFrost7.15.1.jpg

Lime Frost 7.15

Longlesson7.18.1.jpg

Longlesson Showoff 7.18

LullabyeBaby7.22.1.jpg

Lullabye Baby 7.22

MamaCuna7.17.1.jpg

Mama Cuna 7.17

MarqueMoon7.20.1.jpg

Marque Moon 7.20

 

MellonBalls7.17.1.jpg

Mellon Balls 7.17

 

MildredMitchell7.18.1.jpg

Mildred Mitchell 7.18

MiniPearl7.19.1.jpg

Mini Pearl 7.19

 

MountEchoSunrise7.16.1

Mount Echo Sunrise 7.16

NavajoRodeo7.16.1.jpg

Navajo Rodeo 7.16

 

NearlyWild7.18.5

Nearly Wild 7.18

Nosferatu7.18.2.jpg

Nosferatu 7.18

PapaLonglegs7.16.1.jpg

Papa Longlegs 7.17

PassionateReturns7.20.1.jpg

Passionate Returns 7.20

PickoftheLitter7.17.1.jpg

Pick of the Litter 7.17

 

PinkandCream7.18.1

Pink and Cream 7.18

 

PrairieBlueEyes7.17.1.jpg

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.17

PrairieWildfire7.16.1.jpg

Prairie Wildfire 7.16

PreludetoLove7.18.1.jpg

Prelude to Love 7.18

 

PurpleCornDancer7.20.3

Purple Corn Dancer 7.20

 

PurpledeOro7.17.1.jpg

Purple de Oro 7.17

PurpleGrasshopper7.17.1.jpg

Purple Grasshopper 7.17

 

PurpleMoonrise7.17.2.jpg

Purple Moonrise 7.17

PurpleThunderbird7.19.6.jpg

Purple Thunderbird 7.18

RaspberryPropeller7.20.1.jpg

Raspberry Propeller 7.20

RedHotReturns7.17.1.jpg

Red Hot Returns 7.17

RedRiddle7.18.1.jpg

Red Riddle 7.18

ReturnaSmile7.16.1.jpg

Return a Smile 7.16

RosiesRed7.20.1.jpg

Rosie’s Red 7.20

 

Route66.7.18.1

Route 66 7.18

RoyalPalacePrince7.20.2.jpg

Royal Palace Prince 7.20

RubySpider7.17.1.jpg

Ruby Spider 7.17

RubyStella7.22.1.jpg

Ruby Stella 7.22

Skinwalker7.19.2.jpg

Skinwalker 7.19

 

SocoGap7.16.1.jpg

Soco Gap 7.16

SouthSeas7.22.1.jpg

South Seas 7.22

StephanieReturns7.17.1.jpg

Stephanie Returns 7.17

StruttersBall7.17.1.jpg

Strutter’s Ball 7.18

TacoTwister7.16.1.jpg

Taco Twister 7.19

TheColoradoKid7.16.2.jpg

Colorado Kid 7.22

TigerKitten7.20.1.jpg

Tiger Kitten 7.20

TreasureofSW7.20.1.jpg

Treasure of the Southwest 7.20

 

TwirlingPinata7.22.1.jpg

Twirling Pinata 7.20

Wineberry7.15.1.jpg

Wineberry Candy 7.16

YellowPunch7.22.1.jpg

Yellow Punch 7.22

 

 

 

The Mamas and the Papas

This morning, I got that song from the Mamas and Papas “Monday, Monday” stuck in my head.  Maybe it is because I had Mama Cuna and Papa Longlegs blooming next to each other. I had 51 today! Monday mornin’ you gave me no warnin’ of what was to be . . .

So, for fun, here are the Mamas (Mama Cuna – L) and the Papas (Papa Long Legs – R):

 

So, we had 2 new faces today.  The first one is such a pretty flower.  Up until this year, when I started running out of blooms, I would go look for later bloomers.  Anyway, I almost decided to not bring one home from the nursery . . . until I saw the name.  Seriously, I squeezed her into one of the last Southwest Garden spaces.  She looks like velvet to me.

CherokeeStar7.16.2.jpg

Cherokee Star 7.16

The second new face is Bold Tiger.  Well, I think that is her name.  I got her on discount because they lost the tags and didn’t know what she was.  I did a search and she looks most like Bold Tiger.  So, we will go with that.  I believe that makes 112 so far this year.  We are at 64% bloom rate.  Can we get to 75%?

BoldTiger7.16.3.jpg

Bold Tiger 7.16

Finales (last blooms unless they send reblooms) today:

Isaac7.16.1.jpg

Isaac 7.16

CatherineIrene7.16.1.jpg

Catherine Irene 7.16

TacoTwister7.16.1.jpg

Taco Twister 7.16

 

SocoGap7.16.1.jpg

Soco Gap

TheColoradoKid7.16.2.jpg

The Colorado Kid 7.16

Oh, and Papa Long Legs – but he has a photo at the top of the page.  And, Desert Icicle retired yesterday, not Happy Hopi – I have one more Happy Hopi left.  I will miss these blooms, especially The Colorado Kid.  She had a great season this year – bloomed for a month!  So, our numbers will drop off pretty rapidly by August.  Still hoping for a few late scapes!

Other blooms today: Aztec Firebird, Mount Echo Sunrise, Dream Catcher, Skinwalker, Comanche Princess, Navajo Rodeo, Mama Cuna, Cheddar Cheese, Nosferatu, Heron’s Cove, Canyon Colors, El Desperado, Purple de Oro, Bluegrass Music, Mildred Mitchell, Blue Beat, Ruby Spider, Return a Smile, Longlesson Show-off, Passionate Returns, Lullaby Baby, Chorus line, Mellow Balls, Lacy Doily, South Seas, Marque Moon, Stephanie Returns, Mini Pearl, Prairie Wildfire, Prelude to Love, Bela Lugosi, Pick of the Litter, Raspberry Propeller, Black Eyed Susan, Baja, Prairie Blue Eyes, Hesperus, Indian Sky, Just Plum Happy, Pink and Cream, Ruby Stella, Strutters Ball and Nurse’s Stethoscope.

 

 

New Faces, Finales, and Roll Call

It is time for Sunday roll call.  But first, a couple cool new Roberts Spiders.  Meet Mount Echo Sunrise – She is a big spider that reminds me of Dream Catcher.  This is her first-ever bloom in my yard – I put her in a couple years ago.

MountEchoSunrise7.15.6withDreamCatcher.jpg

Then there is Sante Fe Christmas – And she looks like a Christmas bow.  Red, green with curly petals.  I really love her – too bad she lost her other buds.  Despite the improved bloom rate, the drought has taken a toll.

SanteFeChristmas7.15.3.jpg

Next up – Finales.  Of course, Santa Fe Christmas is a finale today 😦

Primal Scream is another finale.

PrimalScream7.10.2.jpg

Primal Scream 7.10 

Jungle Queen had finale blooms on both pots I have of her.

JungleQueen7.12.1.jpg

Jungle Queen 7.12

Iktomi is another finale.  I have enjoyed seeing the patterns in her offspring.

Iktomi7.9.2.jpg

Iktomi 7.9

Happy Hopi gave a finale bloom today.  I really enjoyed her big, bold, blonde blooms.

HappyHopi7.12.1wAztecFirebird.jpg

Happy Hopi 7.12

Now, on to our roll call.  These are the blooms from 7/9 through today.  But, first, we have about 12 with unbloomed scapes remaining and mid-50s with no bloom/no scape.  We are at 107 cultivators (+/-).  Add 12, and we get close to 120.  I am still hoping for 130 total this year.

AdiosAlbuquerque7.10.1.jpg

Adios Albuquerque 7.10

Alabama7.11.1.jpg

Alabama Jubilee 7.11

Anasazi7.13.1.jpg

Anasazi 7.13

AztecFirebird7.14.1.jpg

Aztec Firebird 7.14

Baja7.13.1.jpg

Baja 7.14

BelaLugosi7.9.3.jpg

Bela Lugosi 7.9

BlackArrowhead7.10.2.jpg

Black Arrowhead 7.10

BlackEyedSusan7.14.1.jpg

Black Eyed Susan 7.14

BlackIce7.10.2.jpg

Black Ice 7.10

BlueBeat7.11.1.jpg

Blue Beat 7.11

Bluegrass7.11.1.jpg

Bluegrass Music 7.11

CanyonColors7.15.1.jpg

Canyon Colors 7.15

CatherineIrene7.15.1.jpg

Catherine Irene 7.15

ChacoCanyon7.12.1.jpg

Chaco Canyon 7.12

 

CheddarCheese7.12.2

Cheddar Cheese 7.12

CheyenneEyes7.8.1.jpg

Cheyenne Eyes 7.8

ChorusLine7.13.2.jpg

Chorus Line 7.13

ClassyLady7.14.1.jpg

Classy Lady 7.14

ComanchePrincess7.11.1.jpg

Comanche Princess 7.11

DarkMystery7.12.1.jpg

Dark Mystery 7.12

DesertIcicle7.15.1.jpg

Desert Icicle 7.15

DreamCatcher7.15.2.jpg

Dream Catcher 7.15

EarlyBirdCardinal7.10.2.jpg

Early Bird Cardinal 7.10

ElDesperado7.13.1.jpg

El Desperado 7.13

FairytalePink7.14.2.jpg

Fairytale Pink 7.14

FunnyValentine7.10.1

Funny Valentine 7.10

 

HeavenlyCurls7.12.3.jpg

Heavenly Curls 7.12

HeronsCove7.13.1.jpg

Heron’s Cove 7.13

Hesperus7.15.2.jpg

Hesperus 7.15

HolySombrero7.10.1.jpg

Holy Sombrero 7.10

IndianSky7.15.1.jpg

Indian Sky 7.15

Inwood7.12.1.jpg

Inwood 7.12

Isaac7.12.2.jpg

Isaac 7.12

JustPlumHappy7.10.1.jpg

Just Plum Happy 7.10

KachinaFirecracker7.12.1.jpg

Kachina Firecracker 7.12

LacyDoily7.10.1.jpg

Lacy Doily 7.10

LadyFingers7.12.1.jpg

Lady Fingers 7.12

LaughingFeather7.9.1

Laughing Feather 7.9

LimeFrost7.15.1.jpg

Lime Frost 7.15

Longlesson7.13.1.jpg

Longlesson Showoff 7.13

LullabyeBaby7.14.1.jpg

Lullabye Baby 7.14

ManaCuna7.13.1.jpg

Mama Cuna 7.13

MarqueMoon7.15.1.jpg

Marque Moon 7.15

MellonBalls7.11.1.jpg

Mellon Balls 7.11

MesaVerde7.13.2.jpg

Mesa Verde 7.13

MildredMitchell7.15.1.jpg

Mildred Mitchell 7.15

MiniPearl7.15.1.jpg

Mini Pearl 7.15

NavajoRodeo7.12.1.jpg

Navajo Rodeo 7.13

Nosferatu7.15.1.jpg

Nosferatu 7.15

NursesStethoscope7.11.1.jpg

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.11

PapaLonglegs7.15.2.jpg

Papa Longlegs 7.15

PassionateReturns7.10.1.jpg

Passionate Returns 7.10

PetitePetticoats7.10.1.jpg

Petite Petticoats 7.10

PickoftheLitter7.14.1.jpg

Pick of the Litter 7.14

PinkandCream7.11.2.jpg

Pink and Cream 7.11

PinkRainDance7.11.1

Pink Rain Dance 7.11

PrairieBlueEyes7.10.1.jpg

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.10

PrairieWildfire7.11.1.jpg

Prairie Wildfire 7.11

PreludetoLove7.15.1.jpg

Prelude to Love 7.15

PurpledeOro7.14.1.jpg

Purple de Oro 7.14

PurpleGrasshopper7.11.1.jpg

Purple Grasshopper 7.11

PurpleMystic7.11.1.jpg

Purple Mystic 7.11

RaspberryPropeller7.14.2.jpg

Raspberry Propeller 7.14

RedHotReturns7.15.1.jpg

Red Hot Returns 7.15

RedRiddle7.10.2.jpg

Red Riddle 7.10

ReturnaSmile7.10.2.jpg

Return a Smile 7.10

Route66.7.13.2.jpg

Route 66 7.13

RubySpider7.14.1.jpg

Ruby Spider 7.14

RubyStella7.15.1.jpg

Ruby Stella 7.15

ShapeShifter7.13.1.jpg

Shape Shifter 7.13

Skinwalker7.10.3.jpg

Skinwalker 7.10

SocoGap7.14.1.jpg

Soco Gap 7.14

SouthSeas7.14.2.jpg

South Seas 7.14

Stella7.13.2.jpg

Stella de Oro 7.13

StephanieReturns7.14.1.jpg

Stephanie Returns 7.14

StruttersBall7.11.1.jpg

Strutter’s Ball 7.11

TacoTwister7.11.1.jpg

Taco Twister 7.11

Talon7.11.1.jpg

Talon 7.11

ColoradoKid7.10.1.jpg

The  Colorado Kid 7.10

ThinMan7.15.1.jpg

Thin Man 7.15

TreasureofSW7.13.1.jpg

Treasure of the Southwest 7.13

WildHorses7.11.1.jpg

Wild Horses 7.11

Wineberry7.12.1.jpg

Wineberry Candy 7.12

YellowPunch7.13.1.jpg

Yellow Punch 7.13

ZuniThunderbird7.13.1.jpg

Zuni Thunderbird 7.13

Celestial Daylilies

Today was a celestial day in the garden.  Heavenly Curls bloomed for the first time since 2016. I added her as a bonus plant in 2015.  She did not bloom in 2017.  She is clearly happier in the buried pot – very nice bloom this year. She has the most awesome shape of any of my curly daylilies!  And, more than a couple buds (so far).  Still no rain, so I am seeing a few buds dry up around the garden despite my endless watering.

HeavenlyCurls7.12.3

Joining Heavenly Curls in the heavens is Marque Moon with a first bloom for 2018.  Mr. Moon has been around the yard for several years – I have 2 pots, actually.  I purchased a second one on sale, forgetting that it was one I already had.  I don’t mind some doubles . . . if I ever want to add more varieties, I can give one of the pots away.

MarqueMoon7.12.1.jpg

Lastly, one of my favorite red daylilies bloomed for the first time this year – Baja.  This is the deepest, velvet red color – such a proud daylily.

Baja7.12.2.jpg

I had a total of 49 blooms today.  The Southwest Garden is past peak.  The Mural and Rainbarrel Gardens are also past peak.  Pooh Corner is peaking now.  And, the Walkway Garden is close to peak or peaking.  That means things will be slowing down shortly.  Sort of bitter/sweet to me.  It is too busy for a few weeks, but there is an excitement in a bunch of new blooms every day.

Speaking of the Southwest Garden and peak – that garden is largely my Ned Roberts Southwest name spider daylilies.  I have 65 total of Ned’s Southwest cultivators – all but a couple in that garden.  34 have bloomed so far. That is a 52% bloom rate so far.  I think we may see 3-6 more – so maybe around 60% this year.  Not perfect, but we have had 25 bloom this year that never bloomed in my yard before.  That means last year’s bloom rate was only around 15%.  Not perfect, but quadrupled.  Always more work to do to improve the outcomes.

Other blooms today were Aztec Firebird, Happy Hopi, Purple Grasshopper, Kachina Firecracker, Soco Gap, Papa Longlegs, Navajo Rodeo, Dream Catcher, Wineberry Candy, Cheddar Cheese, Dark Mystery, Lady Fingers, Canyon Colors, Heron’s Cove, El Desperado, Purple de Oro, Mildred Mitchell, Stephanie Returns, Isaac, Mini Pearl, South Seas, Red Hot Returns, Chaco Canyon, Inwood, Fox Ears, Wild Horses, Prairie Blue Eyes, Hesperus, Route 66, Yellow Punch, Pink and Cream, Jungle Queen, Indian Sky, Prelude to Love, Mellon Balls, Chorus Line, Lullaby Baby, Early Bird Cardinal, Return a Smile, Ruby Spider, Primal Scream, Lacy Doiley, Passionate Returns, Red Hot Returns, Black-Eyed Susan, Lady Fingers, Bela Lugosi, Comanche Princess.

What will tomorrow bring?  I am not sure there will be anything new.  Maybe?  I think I said I would like to get to 130 blooms for the year to hit 75% bloom rate.  We have now had 105 blooms and are at 60%.  That means we need 25 more . . . and that is through fall.  And that means that it will slow down soon.  Thank heavens!

When it Doesn’t Rain, It Pours!

The drought is still on.  We have had hints of monsoons, but no real rain.  I think there are close to a dozen wildfires in Western Colorado now.  My water bill is awful and my lawn is still brown.  But, somehow, the daylilies keep pouring.  I wonder what my bloom rate would be WITH rain?  It won’t be perfect this year but improved already.  We will return to that in a minute.

New flowers today – Let’s start with the surprise!  So, when I planted the Southwest Garden, I ended up with lots of bonus plants that were the same plants that I had ordered from someone else.  So, I combined them.  I had Fox Ears next to Happy Hopi – and I had 2 Happy Hopis.  I thought.  So, last fall when I did the containers, I thought I had put one of the Happy Hopis in a pot in the mural garden.  Joke is on me . . . this is Fox Ears.  I love that she seems to be in love with the solar light.  Like a cartoon where a person falls in love with a robot.  This is obviously a first-ever bloom.

FoxEars7.9.1.jpg

Fox Ears 7.9

My other new (for 2018) Ned Roberts spider is Desert Icicle.  Man, I could use an icicle about now.  And, some rain!

DesertIcicle7.9.1.jpg

Desert Icicle 7.9

Indian Sky had a first bloom for 2018 – she bloomed later last year, I believe.

IndianSky7.9.6.jpg

Indian Sky 7.9

Speaking of later, Anasazi showed up early this year.  She is an early re-bloomer, but did not bloom until August last year – and gave pretty double blooms.  It will be interesting to see if she returns with those in the fall.

Anasazi7.9.1.jpg

Anasazi 7.9

Fairytale Pink is such a pretty little bloom.  I nearly lost her last year before I put them in pots. She had a few scrawny fans and put out only two buds last year.  I think this year will be better.

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Fairytale Pink 7.9

Last, but never least, is Cheddar Cheese.  She has not bloomed since 2016!  She is one of my older daylilies and bloomed reliably for a few years.  Same pot, same place – stopped blooming.  Now, she has a new pot and is in the Border Garden (a change) this year.

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Cheddar Cheese 7.9

OK – so last night, I was counting daylilies to put myself to sleep.  As of today, we are up to 98 cultivators for the year that have bloomed.  Remember less than a week ago when we were trying to get to 69?  Man, I am a little burned out with all the photos!  That means, for this year so far we have a 56% bloom rate.  Last year, we only made it to 48%.  I count 25-30 scapes on daylilies that have yet to bloom.  I figure we might see 5 late scapes (hopefully more, but I will stick with this for now).  So, if I add 32 blooms to out 98, that brings us to 130.  That’s about 75%.  Not bad for the first year of a new pot system . . . in a horrific drought.  The new faces should be slowing down shortly.  I’m ready.

Other blooms today were Navajo Rodeo. Black Ice, Comanche Princess, Soco Gap, Happy Hopi, Iktomi, Laughing Feather, Dream Catcher, Aztec Firebird, Nosferatu, Dark Mystery, Red Riddle, Lady Fingers, Red Hot Returns, Jungle Queen, Prairie Wildfire, Prairie Blue Eyes, Blue Beat, The Colorado Kid, Mildred Mitchell, Mesa Verde, Heron’s Cove, Purple de Oro, South Seas, Passionate Returns, Stephanie Returns, Alabama Jubilee, Longlesson Showoff, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Petite Petticoats, Funny Valentine, Ruby Spider.  I think that is all . . . I am too tired to think about it any more 🙂

It’s The Peak – Sunday Roll Call

Well, I tried to post on Friday night, but no internet.  Saturday, some internet, but my phone is crashing all of the apps since the last android update.  Yes, right in the middle of peak season.

So, here are the new faces from Friday

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Skinwalker 7.6.18

EchoCanyon7.6.2.jpg

Echo Canyon 7.6

Iktomi7.6.3.jpg

Iktomi 7.6

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Chorus Line

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Blue Beat 7.6

BellaLugosi7.6.2.jpg

Bella Lugosi 7.6

And here are Sunday’s additions:

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Lacy Doily 7.8

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Nosferatu 7.8

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Red Hot Returns 7.8

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South Seas 7.8

So, that is 10 new additions since my last post – and I missed a couple of new faces while camping yesterday, but they will have another chance.  For now, let me finish roll call.  All daylilies that bloomed between 7/2 and today – here we go.  Which is your favorite?

Alabama7.3.1

Alabama Jubilee 7.3

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Aztec Firebird 7.8

BlackArrowhead7.2.2.jpg

Black Arrowhead 7.2

BlackEyedSusan7.6.1.jpg

Black Eyed Susan 7.6

BlackIce7.5.3.jpg

Black Ice 7.5

Bluegrass7.3.1.jpg

Bluegrass Music 7.3

CanyonColors7.5.1.jpg

Canyon Colors 7.5

CatherineIrene7.6.1.jpg

Catherine Irene 7.6

ChacoCanyon7.5.2.jpg

Chaco Canyon 7.5

CheyenneEyes7.6.1.jpg

Cheyenne Eyes 7.6

Chokecherry7.3.1.jpg

Chokecherry Mountain 7.3

ComanchePrincess7.6.1.jpg

Comanche Princess 7.6

DarkMystery7.5.1.jpg

Dark Mystery 7.5

DreamCatcher7.5.1.jpg

Dream Catcher 7.5

EarlyBirdCardinal7.1.1.jpg

Early Bird Cardinal 7.3

ElectricLizard7.6.4.jpg

Electric Lizard 7.6

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Funny Valentine 7.8

HappyHopi7.6.2.jpg

Happy Hopi 7.6

HappyReturns7.3.1.jpg

Happy Returns 7.3

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Heron’s Cove 7.5

HolySombrero7.5.3.jpg

Holy Sombrero 7.5

HopiJewel7.3.2.jpg

Hopi Jewel 7.3

IndianGiver7.3.2.jpg

Indian Giver 7.3

Inwood7.6.1.jpg

Inwood 7.6

Isaac7.5.1.jpg

Isaac 7.5

JungleQueen7.8.1.jpg

Jungle Queen 7.8

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Just Plum Happy 7.3

LadyFingers7.5.1.jpg

Lady Fingers 7.5

LaughingFeather7.2.1.jpg

Laughing Feather 7.2

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Longlesson Show-off 7.6

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Lullaby Baby 7.8

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Mellon Balls 7.5

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Mesa Verde 7.4

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Mildred Mitchell 7.5

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Mini Pearl 7.5

NavajoRodeo7.8.1.jpg

Navajo Rodeo 7.8

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Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.8

PapaLongLegs7.6.1.jpg

PaPa Longlegs 7.6

PassionateReturns7.6.1.jpg

Passionate Returns 7.6

PetitePetticoats7.3.1.jpg

Petite Petticoats 7.3

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Pick of the Litter 7.5

PinkandCream7.6.1.jpg

Pink and Cream 7.6

PinkRainDance7.4.1.jpg

Pink Raindance 7.4

PrairieBlueEyes7.5.2.jpg

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.5

PrairieWildfire7.6.1.jpg

Prairie Wildfire 7.6

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Prelude to Love 7.5

PrimalScream7.4.2.jpg

Primal Scream 7.4

PurpledeOro7.6.1.jpg

Purple de Oro 7.6

PurpleGrasshopper7.4.2.jpg

Purple Grasshopper 7.4

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Purple Many Faces 7.5

PurpleMystic7.5.1.jpg

Purple Mystique 7.5

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Raven Woodsong 7.4

RedRiddle7.5.1.jpg

Red Riddle 7.5

ReturnaSmile7.6.2.jpg

Return a Smile 7.6

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Route 66 7.4

RubySpider7.8.1.jpg

Ruby Spider 7.8

RubyStella7.5.1.jpg

Ruby Stella 7.5

ShapeShifter7.6.1.jpg

Shape Shifter 7.6

SocoGap7.5.1.jpg

Soco Gap 7.5

Stella7.5.1.jpg

Stella 7.5

StephanieReturns7.4.1.jpg

Stephanie Returns 7.5

StruttersBall7.5.1.jpg

Strutter’s Ball 7.5

TacoTwister7.6.1.jpg

Taco Twister 7.6

Talon7.8.1.jpg

Talon 7.8

ColoradoKid7.6.1.jpg

The Colorado Kid 7.6

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Thin Man 7.5

TreasureofSW7.4.1.jpg

Treasure of the Southwest 7.4

WildHorses7.5.1.jpg

Wild Horses 7.5

WildRose7.4.2.jpg

Wild Rose Fandango 7.4

Wineberry7.4.1.jpg

Wineberry Candy 7.4

YellowPunch7.6.1.jpg

Yellow Punch 7.6

ZuniThunderbird7.1.2.jpg

Zuni Thunderbird 7.4

The Company They Keep

Today brought 40+ blooming cultivators to the yard.  The interesting thing is that only two of these were new faces for 2018.  It is safe to say it is the peak!  One of the things I love about looking at photos of the peak is that there are lots of other flowers in the background of a lot of the photos.  It isn’t always other daylilies, either.  The daisies and bluebells add interest.  (I hate how invasive the bluebells are – the pots are helping.)

So, new blooms are Heron’s Cove.  She was added Fall of 2016 and bloomed last year.  I had her in the Near Blue section of the Walkway Garden, but she didn’t look that blue.  So, I up-potted her and moved her to the NW corner of the house with Mesa Verde, Canyon Colors, and El Desperado.  I’ve decided to call it the Garden at Pooh Corner.  She looks way bluer to me this year. Maybe it is she gets less sun here.  Or, maybe she looks bluer away from the other near blue daylilies.

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Heron’s Cove 7/5

There was also another tiny bloom from Pooh Corner . . . Purple de Oro.  She is such a generic looking mini.  I have considered getting rid of her . . . and I had 2 for awhile.  But, there is something cute about her petite purple smile.

PurpledeOro7.5.1

Purple de Oro 7/5

OK – so it is late and tomorrow is my early work day.  And, I leave to camp tomorrow so need to finish packing.  There was no internet there last year, so I may not be able to post until Sunday. There will, no doubt, be new faces by then.  I am beat . . . need shut-eye. Adding daylilies to my beat-the-clock schedule is rough right now . . . but, I feel it is a positive, too.

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Southwest Garden at Peak

Other blooms today were: Purple Many Faces, Comanche Princess, Navajo Rodeo, Papa LongLegs, Holy Sombrero, Soco Gap, Black Ice, Hopi Jewel, Dream Catcher, Aztec Firebird, Happy Hopi, Prairie Blue Eyes, Purple Mystique, Red Riddle, Lady Fingers, Canyon Colors, The Colorado Kid, Mildred Mitchell, Jungle Queen, Pick of the Litter, Prelude to Love, Catherine Irene, Mini Pearl, Isaac, Stephanie Returns, Happy Returns, Ruby Spider, Thin Man, Passionate Returns, Mellow Balls, Route 66, Ruby Stella, Yellow Punch, Black-eyed Susan, Stella de Oro, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Strutter’s Ball, Chaco Canyon, Wild Horses, Return a Smile, Funny Valentine.  I think that is it.

Yanky Doodle Daylilies

Blooming on the 4th of July . . . four more cultivators!  That means we have already had the same number different daylilies bloom that we did all season last year.  Those buried pots help . . . this is an extreme drought and we had a better bloom rate.  Still, in adding 2018 photos to my daylily software, there are a lot we have not seen yet this year.  I don’t know if some are slow or some are recuperating from the move to the pots.  I am about to tag the non-bloomers for more bloom boost fertilizer this fall.  Still . . . this is a marked improvement because we have many, many with scapes that have not bloomed yet.  The fireworks have just begun!  Any guesses on final bloom rate?  I am going to say around 80%.  That

So, new today for the first time ever in my yard are a couple more Ned Roberts spiders.  My bloom rate with those babies is making a huge difference in the overall bloom rate. Anyway, I mentioned earlier that Zuni Thunderbird is my all-around favorite.  She has disappointed some this year.  She got off to a bad start but rebounded after bug spray.  I think it affected her buds.   That said, one of the newbies today reminds me of her – Raven Woodsong.  She has the dark colors and amazing curls that I miss in Zuni Thunderbird this year (so far).

Raven7.4.2.jpg

The other new Roberts spider is Wild Rose Fandango.  Now, she has some crazy curls and had a double bloom day one.  I like her, too.  Welcome to the yard, finally . . . year 3 for both the spiders.

WildRose7.4.1.jpg

Just Plum Happy was one of my first daylilies.  She was in a planter box with Ruby Spider and Return a Smile.  She was little and she struggled.  This is first year in several that she has bloomed.  I gave her a pot of her own last year, and she even hangs from my front porch . . . sort of a special place for her now.

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Last, but not least, is Longlesson Showoff.  This was a bonus flower that bloomed for the first time last year.  She is a big daylily and brightens the Walkway Garden for several weeks.

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That is it . . . mellow 4th.  Not a ton of energy.  Was late to the parade.  Didn’t take photos.  Did go for lunch on the brewery.  Then home to water and do the blog.  Now, maybe a walk for ice cream after my sandwich leftovers.  I dreamt of my Southwest Garden – it was about huge, colorful blooms.  Actually, they really do stand out.

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Here are the Yankee Doodle Daylilies of today: Talon, Black Ice, Chokecherry Mountain, Pink Rain Dance, Zuni Thunderbird, Purple Grasshopper, Aztec Firebird, Dream Catcher, Chaco Canyon, Treasure of the Southwest, Dark Mystery, Prairie Blue Eyes, Bluegrass Music, The Colorado Kid, Mesa Verde, Mildred Mitchell, Jungle Queen, Prelude to Love, Stephanie Returns, Ruby Spider, Return a Smile, Funny Valentine, Petite Petticoats, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Passionate Returns, Primal Scream.