Papa Long Legs visits for Father’s Day!

June 15, 2017Leave a comment

Wow, tonight I am blogging from my laptop and using my Canon photos! Getting into the daylily season routine. At least as much as possible when I work until 10 PM. Fortunately, I work from home so can run out quickly and snap photos here and there.

Today, Papa Long Legs bloomed for the first time in my yard! And, he is officially the first bloom in my Southwest named daylily garden. I am unsure how much daddy longlegs spiders are Southwestern, really. Although, they certainly inhabit the region. I love the Ned Roberts (hybridizer) spider daylilies, and I am fortunate to have a whole garden where they dominate. So, when I go through the lists of his blooms, I pick everything that reminds me of my home area. And, honestly, I have a lot of these creatures in my yard. Watching these ones bloom is amazing, it takes a couple hours.

Anytime one takes a space that has been a rock garden on top of W. Colorado adobe earth, one risks. It is hard, clay that is so basic (pH) that the nutrients lock-up in it. Amendments help, but not for very long. Most of my daylilies in that garden are growing, several have scapes. A few struggle. Why? I seem to always find a lot of clay soil in the roots when I dig these ones up. I also find roots of other species of plants that infiltrate everything in my mature yard. I’m trying something new and cutting the whole bottom out of cheap pots and burying them with the strugglers inside. And, good soil. Hoping for some moisture retention and root guard protection. Taking care of those who don’t flourish is the work of a true gardener. Here on the Colorado Plateau, I have my work cut out as the nurse of the daylilies.

Happy Cinco de Mayo: A Southwest Road Trip in My Garden!

May 6, 2017Leave a comment

My southwest named daylily garden is in. I added around 20 new blooms this year. My garden is a dream come true. I never dreamed I’d actually find all of these. Next, blow out the elm seeds and mulch.

These kids are an investment. So, labeling and mapping are key to maintaining that. I experimented with various labels. Nothing has held up well through winter. I found these metal ones on Amazon. The reviews said the paint may have to be redone every spring. I sprayed mine with engine spray. We’ll see.

I love the names. It’s like having a road trip on a garden 🙂

Spring has sprung, the daylilies has riz. I wonder where the sunlight is?

April 27, 2017Leave a comment

It’s late April, although it feels more like February outside this week. None the less, I planted about 10 new daylilies in my Southwest garden last weekend. The daylilies here all have Southwest or Colorado names . . . Mostly from hybridizer, Ned Roberts. Close to 100 varities! I have about a dozen more to add this weekend. Then, it will be essentially complete. Here are the roots that came last week . . . I love the smell of them.

With this many specialty plants, I’ve found it a challenge to know what’s where. I’ve put many hours into garden labels, and just created this map. I love all the Southwestern names. Sadly, though, my labels are not going to hold up much longer. The map is a great adjunct to the project. Such adventures! Reminds my of working in the (newborn) nursery.

I just want some warmth! Sadly, so did my poinsettias. I thought I’d have 16, then 14, then 12. Now, may be 8? They were starting to form leaves in March. But, April has been colder and not enough solar energy for them to continue to try to put out new growth. They were so close to sprouting, too. Right now, I feel the same way. Go daylilies!

A Time to Every Purpose

September 28, 2016September 28, 2016Leave a comment

Today, Ruby Stella bloomed. She only has two buds left and freeze is headed our way soon. I was thinking of firsts and lasts today. My first daylily bloomed in March . . . in zone 6A. Indian Sky was accidentally forced on my porch and produced two blooms. She did not rebloom this year.

Indian Sky – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

My first in-yard bloom was another container that was forced a bit early from winter on the porch – Electric Lizard.

Electric Lizard – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

My first planted in the dirt daylily to bloom was Dream Keeper (6/13) – this is my daughter’s choice for a painting for her birthday.

Dream Keeper – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, the last . . . Miss Ruby Stella from today. Last, but not least.

Ruby Stella – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

They spanned seven months . . . maybe we make it to October? Then, eight.

The other thing I hope spans a lot of months are the new labels. What a project to make these for every daylily, not just the 50 or so southwestern garden ones that I blogged about earlier this month. They have held up, so I am giving it a shot. I just want labels that last more than a month or two. So, we will see. Fingers crossed.

PS – I did become a Doctor of Nursing Practice. And, then I went on a camping road trip through SE Utah. New job starts next week. Time to get cracking with some winter strong labels!

The Art of Labels

September 4, 2016September 4, 2016Leave a comment

It used to be that I adopted miscellaneous daylilies and planted th em in amidst my other flowers without much thought. What’s in a name, after all, as long as the flower is hardy. Then, I started collecting them. Some I got for the names. Others, I just needed to organize. So, I got cool software called Plantstep to manage my habit. One part I like about the software is that you can print labels for each flower. However, with inkjet, they never lasted long. And, I have enough now that relabeling is a major chore. What to do?

My first thought was to paint names on my plastic labels . .prime, outdoor paint, polyurethane. I especially wanted my Roberts southwestern garden to have sustainable labels until I learn the blooms. Somewhere in the process, I began to wonder if you could seal the inkjet labels with the polyurethane. It worked! (I googled it later, and they use the process to seal inkjet photographs).

So, I decided that my Southwest garden will have two-sided labels. One side is painted, the other is a plasticized label. I’m only half done – it is a multi-step process. But, I have a good start with the first batch in. I think I will just use the plasticized labels on the other gardens for now. It is an experiment . . . we will see what spring brings. (I like that I painted the label with the color of each bloom.)

My blooms for today are Heirloom Heaven (almost done for this cycle):

Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, Red Hot Returns (darn thrips are back):

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Best of all, it looks like Ruby Stella is sending up yet another scape! This may be my graduation day flower!!! Rock on Ruby. 2016 came in with the yellows and is going out with the reds.

My new Ruby scape!!!

Just a Painter Passing Through in History

September 2, 2016September 2, 20161 Comment

“If you want to know my secret don’t come runnin’ after me
For I am just a painter passing through in history” – Gordon Lightfoot

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be” – Abraham Maslow

Painting of Kokopelli by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, so it is. Yesterday, I painted Kokopelli. One of my early bloomers is now always in bloom in my house. It settles my nerves. Lots going on in my life – but I slept like a baby.

I woke up to a pretty bloom from Red Hot Returns. Nice way to start the day.

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Fall Blooms and Roots

September 1, 2016Leave a comment

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.

Tiptoe Through the 2016 Daylilies with Me!

August 21, 2016Leave a comment

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.

Red Hot Returns

August 17, 2016August 17, 2016Leave a comment

This daylily name reminds me of a politician’s IRS filing. It was added to the front lawn daylily area because my others are all mid-only bloomers. I like the red and green combo. It has a brand new scape, which is cool because Stella dropped hers for now. (PS – I believe this is the last new cultivator to bloom this year unless someone surprises me.)

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Speaking of Stella, she did show up today.

Stella de Oro – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

I haven’t talked about my daylily helpers. Meet my dogs, Maizzy and Kachina. Maizzy is named for my grandkids, Maia and Isaac. And, Kachina was named Tina in the shelter. I had just planted Kachina Firecracker and Kachina Dancer when I got her – so her name was changed to Kachina. Named for a doll and a daylily. She lives up to both names.

Daylily Dogs – Maizzy and Kachina (in that order)

So, it is back to the hunt, for me. And, this time it isn’t Ned Roberts daylilies. Well, not exclusively, anyway.

A Little Piece of Heaven in my Yard

August 17, 2016Leave a comment

Today, Heirloom Heaven bloomed for the first time. This little one was one of my first root plantings last year.

Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

It is a miniature, at least this first bloom cycle. Here it is with my petite finger:

Heirloom Heaven with my finger for proportion

Other blooms were my orange/yellow combos. Frans Hals:

Frans Hals – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, Orange Flurry:

Orange Flurry – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Oh, and Stella, of course:

Yella Stella – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Today also brought the first of a couple fall plantings. I got one called Painted Petroglyph on fall sale at Shady Rest Gardens. It is not a Robert’s cultivator, but it still belongs in my Southwest garden. It is beautiful. Live long and prosper little one. I also replaced Navajo Rodeo – love the fall sales! I added a few more fans of Electric Lizard, as mine are still anemic.

I didn’t order much this fall, but the daylilies keep me going. I am getting two new Roberts blooms, too. Twirling Pinata and Glen Eyrie. My daughter lives in Colorado Springs, so I couldn’t resist the second one. (Many of the Roberts cultivators were hybridized right there!) I love fall plantings because, by spring they act like they have been here forever! I think I will hit 80 cultivators that bloomed this summer. That’s just over 50%. Keep on mulching!

Oh, and keep on painting. I finally finished Chief Four Fingers in the wee hours.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Category: Ned Roberts Daylily

Papa Long Legs visits for Father’s Day!

Happy Cinco de Mayo: A Southwest Road Trip in My Garden!

Spring has sprung, the daylilies has riz. I wonder where the sunlight is?

A Time to Every Purpose

The Art of Labels

Just a Painter Passing Through in History

“If you want to know my secret don’t come runnin’ after me
For I am just a painter passing through in history” – Gordon Lightfoot

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be” – Abraham Maslow

Fall Blooms and Roots

Tiptoe Through the 2016 Daylilies with Me!

Red Hot Returns

A Little Piece of Heaven in my Yard

“If you want to know my secret don’t come runnin’ after me For I am just a painter passing through in history” – Gordon Lightfoot

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be” – Abraham Maslow

“If you want to know my secret don’t come runnin’ after me
For I am just a painter passing through in history” – Gordon Lightfoot