Category: Ned Roberts Daylily

Pueblo Dancer

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“My mom just painted a mural on the neighbor’s garage,” my daughter told the friend she was chatting with on the phone.  The year was 1998 and I had just purchased my home, which came with murals on the garage.  I live on a split lot, so the side of my neighbor’s garage is also my back fence.  It never occurred to me that was wrong to paint it.  In fact, I am likely helping preserve the old wood building by keeping it painted.

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The murals in 2016 (and a few daylilies)

I knew I wanted a Southwest feel, so I took a Native American pot off my fireplace (BTW, five moves and 22 years later it is back on the mantel) and painted the Monument Valley design that was on the pot across the top of the mural.

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Mural 2018 – still looks pretty good.  The year I added the orchids.

I moved away in 1998, but came back in 2006.  The mural was still there, although weathered – so I revitalized it then.

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The mural in 2020 after stripping loose paint off.  

It wasn’t until 2011 that I revitalized it, again.  This time, I added a Native American Pueblo off some artwork on my wall.   Now, anyone who knows the Southwest knows I am mixing my metaphors on that mural.  Monument Valley does not have Native America pueblos.  But, oh well, the original mural on the garage is the Senora desert.  It is like a collage of my spring road trip right in my own back yard.

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The mural site with primer – 2020 (yesterday)

The paint was curling bad this spring.  It looked as bad as I have seen it.  Maybe it’s cause I have my orchids under the shade sail against part of the wall, so it stays more humid.

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Mural looks as good as new today!

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Another section of the mural now has my dogs added.

Anyway, I stripped it down to wood where the paint was peeling and used primer to help hold the paint down better.  It was a project that took all weekend.  Well, I added my dogs, and that took time.  And, I am working on a new Native American powwow dancer for the other wall.

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Next week, I will finish the dancer and add some hoodoos from Goblin Valley to the area that has the dogs.  Hopefully, it won’t take all weekend.

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New painting will be a likeness of this young dancer

Pueblo Dancer is the name of a daylily in my Southwest garden.  I have had her several years, she came with a bunch of Ned Roberts daylilies.  The only thing is, I think she is mislabeled because she was suppose to be a tall daylily, and she is not.

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“Pueblo Dancer” in my yard – 2018

She doesn’t look like that much the pictures of the cultivator, Pueblo Dancer.  I would love anyone’s input on who she really is – or is she herself? Maybe she just isn’t happy in my yard?  At any rate, next weekend, I will be adding this Native American dancer to the mural near the pueblo.  A new pueblo dancer to replace the peeled one.

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Picture of Pueblo Dancer from Shady Rest Gardens

I have to thank the stay-at home (and COVID-19) for helping me to find my creative side.  I do better with a schedule I can flex.  It is just how creatives are.

Adios, Albuquerque

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This year, there was no spring break road trip – adios, Albuquerque.  Adios to the best week of the year.  Adios to the canyons of the Southwest.  The only novel adventure this year is named Corona – and I don’t mean the arch in Utah.

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Petroglyph National Monument HQ – 2014

Albuquerque is about 6-8 hours down US Hwy 550.  In fact, that highway starts in Montrose and ends in Albuquerque.

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Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque, NM – 2014

When I think of Albuquerque, I think of my 2014 road trip with my new dog, Maizzy, and my new Honda Fit, Mini Pearl.  I had plans for Chaco Canyon and for Route 66, and what lie in between was a mystery – my choice of which way to turn on the open road.  The first couple of years, I didn’t get reservations until the day I left the previous motel.  More dogs = more planning.

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Petroglyph National Monument – 2014

I don’t like cities, so I was zooming as quickly as I could from US Hwy 550 to I-40 (Route 66) when I noticed a sign for Petroglyph National Monument.  I was like – “Well, that sounds interesting”, so off I went.  There was a dog friendly section where we hiked until mid afternoon.

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Maizzy – my non-desert dog in the desert at Petroglyph National Monument

Road trips through the Southwest are geology on wheels.  I found these petroglyphs stunning because they were on volcanic rock and not red sandstone like I am use to.  This one looks like Charlie Brown with a baseball cap to me.

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Charlie Brown Petroglyph and Petroglyph National Monument

 

From there, we headed west on I-40.  I saw signs for El Malpias National Monument, so we stopped there for a short scenic drive.  It was like a combo of volcanic rock and red sandstone.  I realized they what I realize most everyday of every road trip – that I play too long and run out of time before I want to stop.

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El Malpias National Monument – 2014

The other cool place near Albuquerque is Salinas Mission Pueblos National Monument.  We didn’t run into these 2016.  That was another serendipity where we were on a stretch of highway with nothing to do between point A and point B – then there was this photo on the wall of ruins – and I had to find them.

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Maizzy at Salinas Mission Pueblo Ruins – 2016

Last year, our trip took us through that area, again – so I went with all three dogs.  I love the big old mission buildings as a background for my small dogs.

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Kachina, Sazi, and Maizzy at Salinas Mission Pueblo Ruins National Monument – 2019

These trips to me are Albuquerque – unique in culture and landscape.  Adios Albuquerque was added to my daylily garden in 2016, I think.  After these trips that are forever engraved in my memory.  I put it in my Southwest garden with (mostly) other Ned Roberts spiders.

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Adios Albuquerque daylily – 2019

The garden was put in where there was only rock garden – on the easement between the sidewalk and the street.  I have no back yard, because it is a split lot – so I actually have almost all of these daylilies in buried pots in case the water main ever busts there.

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Adios Albuquerque daylily – 2019

I like the bloom – it is subtle.  Albuquerque was Ned’s home until he moved to Colorado for treatment – at least that is my understanding.  He, no doubt, loved the New Mexico culture.  It is different from Colorado . . . it must have been hard for him to say Adios, Albuquerque.  Fortunately, I have his daylilies to take me on a road trip on the year of the pandemic.

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Adios Albuquerque daylily 2019

 

 

Chaco Canyon

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A daylily by any other name would smell as sweet . . . maybe, maybe not.  Chaco Canyon is a beautiful, spiritual place in New Mexico.  It is not easy to get there – the road is dirt, not improved – many ruts for miles and miles.  But, it is worth it because it was an empire of the Ancient Pueblo Indians.

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The road to Chaco Canyon before it turns to dirt

I have been there twice.  The first time, I had no idea what the road was like but I am persistent.  I was on my way home from a conference in Albuquerque and had seen the road signs on my way down.

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Hungo Pavi – one of the many Chaco buildings

I was instantly taken by the place, but it was late so I didn’t get to see much.  I bought a book and loved looking at the pictures.

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The walls of the Chaco ruins blend into the background of the canyon walls

 

So, six years ago when I had decided to travel for my spring road trip and got me a fine dog (Maizzy) to accompany me . . . we headed back to Chaco.  This time, we met an old friend of mine.  We hiked and caught-up with each other after several years.

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The canyon walls tower above the ancient ruins

Chaco Canyon was a huge trade center that is linked to the stellar world in crazy and mysterious ways.  I am no expert, but many of the buildings are aligned perfectly north/south – and you can follow the north line miles to the next building.  The buildings are aligned to both sun and moon cycles.  There are petroglyphs that light up like Las Vegas on Solstice and Equinox each year.

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The round petroglyph on the right reminds me of my daylily bloom

My trips to the Ancient Pueblo ruins remind me how humanity has lost touch with our connection to nature. We drive in cars, leave the lights on 24/7, and argue with strangers about wearing masks.  We have become so disconnected from the messages from our planet and solar system – it makes me sad for all of our advancement some days.  The message of Chaco is sacred and special to me.

 

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Petroglyphs and wasp nests cohabitate on the walls of Chaco Canyon

So, when I happened to see a daylily named Chaco Canyon – just after I discovered one named Kokopelli (and by the same hybridizer, Ned Roberts), I ordered it instantly.  Not only did I like the name – It is a striking daylily.   I wonder what about this daylily reminded Ned of Chaco Canyon – maybe the red color?  Maybe because it blooms around summer solstice?  Maybe because it looks like the sun or the stars?

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Chaco Canyon daylily soaking up the sun – 2019

My Chaco Canyon grows in a big pot on my back porch.  I moved a couple fans to the Southwest garden last year to extend the bloom season (the two gardens have slightly different peak bloom times).  It is getting big and I am watching for scapes now because it blooms on the early side.  I can’t wait to be stunned by the first flower!

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Chaco Canyon daylily shines in the sun – 2018

I thought I had lost the photos of my trip to Chaco  – but silly me, I uploaded them to Facebook 6 years ago.  Taking a road trip vicariously through my daylilies makes me want to go back to this place, again, when COVID-19 clears.  It isn’t all that far away.  In the meantime, I wait for it to bloom in my yard.

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Two Chacos dancing in the breeze

Jewels and Corn Dancers

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The wind was picking up the day we left Española and headed home through Northwestern New Mexico.  And, I wanted to visit one of the Pueblos.  We often track through Arizona, so this day would be our chance to take-in an experience in a modern day Pueblo village.

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Courtyard, Espanola, New Mexico

I was kind of bummed that they didn’t allow pictures, because from what I remember it was a mix of the old and new Pueblo Indian culture.  I remember walking several blocks with Maizzy to see the church.  The residents didn’t pay much attention to me and my old dog wondering around.

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Espanola, New Mexico

There were residential homes with jewelry sale signs in front.  I didn’t want to leave without some treasure from our adventure – and no pictures.  At first, this felt uncomfortable.  I remember wandering around for awhile before being brave enough to knock on a door.  I remember the nice gentleman showing me the jewelry in cases.  It was more expensive than I wanted – but I believe in supporting the culture.  And, they took Mastercard.  My Santa Clara necklace is still my absolute favorite Native American necklace.  It has been with me on a few job interviews!

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Santa Clara Pueblo Necklace

We were headed down the road, again, all too soon.  One thing I have learned in my research on the Santa Clara Pueblo is that they have a corn dances in honor of patron saint, Saint Clare.  They also have Comanche Dances in June.  I think immediately of two of my favorite Ned Robert’s spiders, Purple Corn Dancer and Comanche Princess.

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Purple Corn Dancer – 2019

Ned lived in Albuquerque – I wonder if he visited this place?

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Comanche Princess – 2019

At any rate, I took another division off of Purple Corn Dancer last weekend – so I now have it in 3 places.  Comanche Princess is in two places – I got them in the same shipment a few years ago.

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Purple Corn Dancer with all petals curled under – 2019

Purple Corn Dancer blooms last most years – with the harvest.  Named for the corn dances.  We have Olathe Sweet Corn’s home town just 10 miles away – not Native corn, but I can understand having festivals to celebrate because we have one.  We use to have powwows here, too – I miss them so much.

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Purple Corn Dancer looks like a Corn Dancer in this picture

So, camping at State Parks is open but we should still stay close to home, take our own food, try to limit gas stops out of our neighborhood.  I’m old enough, I should hold off travel another couple of weeks, anyway.  After the students graduate . . . early June for a few days.  My photos give me wanderlust – I learn so much from travel.  I learn so much from daylilies, too.  How else would I know about Purple Corn Dancers?  Within every daylily bloom lies an adventure.

 

Oh, the Places We’ll Go: Ghost Ranch

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I live for my spring road trip, my summer camping trips and my daylilies.  The first was knocked out by COVID-19.  The second is on hold for an undetermined amount of time.  The daylilies are my hope right now.

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Ghost Ranch, NM on a windy day in 2016

I’m a nurse, I have no issues with staying home and taking care of myself – except for the obvious grief for things I love way more than Christmas.

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Old log cabin at Ghost Ranch, 2016

So, Saturday Night, I decided to watch City Slickers on Amazon.  I haven’t seen that movie since it came out.  It was funnier than I remembered.  But, something looked different this time . . . the scenery on the first shots.  I knew where it was filmed – instantly.  De ja voo.  Because of my road trips. It was Ghost Ranch!

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The Colorado Plateau from Ghost Ranch, 2016

The funny thing about that scenery is that I would never have visited the place except that I had a daylily by that name.  Ghost Ranch named for Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.

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Hike at Ghost Ranch, 2016

It has been a few years since that road trip.  I remember the big wind storm that started the day before as we drove through the ruins near Albuquerque.  But, by the next day, it was a full-blown Southwestern windstorm.  I hit one almost every spring road trip.  Not this year, though.

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Dust storm at sunset over Farmington, NM – 2016

This one I remember because I was excited to see Ghost Ranch, but the short hike was a little uncomfortable with the winds.  And, the landscape wasn’t as vibrant because of the dust.  But, I understood why the hybridizer (Ned Roberts) thought the place was worth naming a daylily after.

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Ghost Ranch Daylily in Bloom – 2019

My Ghost Ranch daylilies have struggled a bit.  I lost a couple.  Last year, I tried again.  And, they survived the winter.  So, I guess we will see what summer brings.  I hope the blooms with my favorite road trip names aren’t cancelled.

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Ghost Ranch Daylily in Bloom – 2016

I think I will kick-off my 2020 daylily blog with all of my road trip named daylilies – Adios Albuquerque, Anasazi, Aztec Firebird, Chaco Canyon, Cripple Creek, Glen Eyrie, Hesperus, Land of Enchantment, Mesa Verde, Mount Echo Sunrise, Route 66, Trochas Sunrise.  Oh, the places we will go – right in my own back yard.

 

Happy Nurses Daylilies

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I can’t believe it has been 4 months since I logged in to do a blog.  Work has been a bit over-the-top this term.  It seems there is never enough faculty to pump new blood into the profession.  And, then when Corona Virus hit, it meant moving our entire nursing program online.  Even clinicals have been virtual.

I have had more time at home, so I can run out and turn the water on and off on the daylilies.  They are getting big enough to start bearing scapes soon.  My cacti have moved out, and I am starting to slowly move some others out – knowing full-well that the weather will likely turn into springtime in the Rockies in the next couple of weeks.

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Nurses Stethoscope 2019

I thought that for Nurses Day, it would be fun to share some of my cultivators with medical sounding names.  Of course, the one I suggested the official name for – Nurses Stethoscope – is the first choice for a Nurses Day Daylily.

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Medicine Feather 2019

Medicine Feather is a runner up.  Medicine feathers are eagle feathers used in healing through lining up energy.

 

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Rocky Mountain Pals 2019

Rocky Mountain Pals was named in honor of the specialists who were treating the hybridizer.  Seems another appropriate cultivator to honor the nursing profession.

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Apache Bandana 2019

I am throwing one more in here for Corona Virus and all of my front line colleagues who need the PPE to provide safe care to all of us – Apache Bandana.

Seeing the color makes me excited for the first scapes . . . then blooms.  Nothing safer than one’s own garden.  Happy Nurses Day!

 

 

 

Where Have All the Daylilies Gone???

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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!!!

The Last Bud

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Hundreds of scapes. Hundreds more buds. Purple Corn Dancer is the finale of the finales. I think she will have her last bloom tomorrow.

And, so, I focus more on my houseplants. Landscaping a little, too. But, the blog will rest now. I’ll log on if I have some interesting houseplant blooms. But, until June 2020, the daylilies will rest.

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The Last of August

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.