Daylily Care: Tackling Weed Infestation and Pot Maintenance

June 26, 2024Leave a comment

What happened today was a couple first blooms for the season – Comanche Princess and a NOID that I call Dark Mystery. But that’s not all . . .

Today, I wrestled daylily pots! Nothing is as frustrating as grass and creeping bellflower in my pots! Desert daylilies need water – so I have drip systems for 90% of my daylily pots. It is like velcro for grass seeds, grassroots (despite having weed fabric under each pot), and the bellflower. Additionally, the bellflower has tuberous roots that look very much like daylily roots – but lighter in color. Left unattended, they can eventually crowd the daylily out. (Tips for keeping weeds out of pots.)

Unfortunately, chemical choices are limited because the roots of these plants intertwine with the daylily. I have had some luck with the coir rounds – but they wear out in a couple of years and are somewhat expensive in bulk.

I extract the inhabitants of the pot and slowly pull soil and roots away until I expose the daylily roots. Then, I hydro-wash the daylily to get any remaining alien roots off (hopefully) and I repot in new soil. It is a time-consuming process and the pot’s old dirt must be discarded. If you know of an easier way – please post a reply and share your expertise. It is my least favorite part about my daylilies.

Video showing daylily root system.

But, I digress. The day started with me wanting to get the high-bloom fertilizer that I talked about in the blog yesterday. I decided to daylily shop while at the nursery because I had some strugglers that needed to be replaced. I stopped at three nurseries and only one had any daylilies that I don’t already have. So, I got the fertilizer, 2 new daylilies, and some filler plants.

Video on how to fertilize daylilies.

When I got home, I freed the strugglers from their grass and moved them to a different spot to (hopefully) recuperate. I filled the pots with the new daylilies. Now, we wait. I’ll fertilize tomorrow before the storm on Thursday – and I will talk about that in my next post.

Daylily Art Sale on Etsy: Until the Last Daylily Blooms

Don’t forget my daylily art sale. This original painting of Mama Cuna on a wood panel is perfect for the daylily lover’s decor! Click here or on the photo below for the Etsy shop listing.

Daylily Software: Streamlining Cultivator Management and Tracking Bloom Cycles

June 25, 20242 Comments

The daylily bloom season continues to dribble along. I have nearly 80 scapes (or cultivators with scapes). Still, many early bloomers have not put out scapes. I am unsure what to do – I might try some high-bloom fertilizer before the monsoons hit full force. But just a little bit of fertilizer because the timing isn’t optimal. I rarely intervene like this, but after two years of high bloom rate, I feel the soil may need a little nutrition. I also don’t like to use much fertilizer when the temps are getting so high, but the rains would help.

I had one new cultivator today: Orchid Moonrise. I was surprised, as this one is usually not a super early bird. I love the purple color of this Ned Roberts spider. My fourth Ned spider this season, the others were Burgundy Crab, Kokopelli, and Fried Green Tomatoes.

I got a new computer last spring (2023) and I discovered tonight that I never moved my daylily software from my old computer. Yes – I have a software program just for my daylilies. Last year, I didn’t use it! The shift from a regular career to a “retirement” small business takes a lot of energy. I got it moved over tonight and trying to update all my cultivators. I have lost some the last two summers – and I need to take those out. I added a couple new ones last year that need to be added.

I have a system where I add a photo from each year labeled with the year. That helps me keep track of what is blooming and what is struggling. The software also lets you put a location – plus I have a daylily map of my main gardens. It also needs to be updated. This is super handy if you lose the plant pot label.

If you grow daylilies and are interested in affordable software – check out this website. They also have a Facebook page and Kent, the software developer, is very responsive to customer service requests. It is seriously awesome. There are also videos on the website if you are interested in more info.

The other good thing about the software is that I can tell when a cultivator normally blooms in my yard each year. Last year, the peak was mid-July to early August. There is hope that things may pick up this year.

Don’t forget that I have my “Until the Last Daylily Blooms” sale on daylily art in my Etsy shop all summer. Check out these prints of my handpainted pictures of my daylily collection! Great wall decor for the daylily lover! Visit this link or click the photo to visit the listing.

Growing Daylilies in Pots in High Desert: My Experience, Tips, and a Valentine

June 23, 2024Leave a comment

Today started muggy, and then the thunder and rain returned. Uncharacteristically wet for the Western Slope of Colorado’s high desert. I haven’t counted daylily scapes since before the storm – so I will make a point to do that tomorrow. There are several earlier bloomers without scapes yet – so I do think the lack of snow in my yard last winter will influence the bloom rate.

Funny Valentine first bloom for 2024 6.22

Today’s one and only cultivator to have a first bloom for 2024 was Funny Valentine. I have had this plant for a long time and it always produces a lot of blooms.

One word on why I grow almost all my daylilies in pots – I live in the high desert where our average monthly rainfall is under an inch. This is also the clay soil of the Colorado Plateau, once an ocean floor. I have 2 big barriers to soil amendment. The first is that I live on a half lot downtown – that means my space is limited and the yard I do have is close to my home. Also close to my home are all my utility lines and my sprinkler system. Digging, let alone rototilling, is done with all caution. The soil is hard and filled with roots.

My Southwest daylily garden during peak season in 2022. This is my largest garden. Not much space for almost 200 varieties.

That brings me to my second barrier – roots. Trees and shrubs adapt to the high desert by having smart roots. I started my Southwest named daylily garden in amended soil. I had high hopes because I had planted 3 daylilies in that spot the previous year and watered regularly – they did great. My pilot study was a success!

Kokopelli in 2016 – one of my pilot daylilies, along with Aztec Firebird and Dream Catcher.

So, I expanded and put in 50 daylilies – all with Southwestern-sounding names. I upgraded my irrigation. I had a bloom rate of only 20% in that garden the first year. The plants were scrawny. So, I dug a couple up and the tree roots were everywhere. Like greedy narcissists, they were not about to let the daylilies get good soil and water without competing for every inch. It has been a learning curve, but now not only is each cultivator in its own buried pot but there is weed guard between the soil and the pot.

Many times I have wondered why I am growing a plant that thrives in ditches in the high desert. Don’t worry, I have some wonderful potted aloe, agave, and yucca around the yard that come in for the winter, as well as some native varieties.

Don’t forget my Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale on Etsy – 25% off of daylily artwork through daylily bloom season! Check out these positive psychology quotes greeting cards – these are created with photos I take of my own daylilies. Here is the link to the listing (or click on the photo below.)

The Late Show

August 6, 2023August 6, 2023Leave a comment

Sorry, no blog for a few days. Had some evening social events. I’ve had several mid-late and late cultivators join the collection of 2023 blooms. Here we go.

Thursday 8.3 blooms in order: Purple Corn Dancer, Spirit of the Morning, and Zuni Eye. All Ned Roberts spiders on this day.

Friday 8.4 blooms in order: Heirloom Heaven, Shape Shifter, and Memories of OZ. Potpourri day as far as colors, shapes, hybridizers.

Only 2 today (8.5) – so regular photos. Had an orange and yellow theme.

Please visit my website Www.artfromthehartt.com

I’ve Seen It Rainin’ Fire In The Sky.

August 2, 2023August 2, 2023Leave a comment

Nice couple of days in the garden! Rain and much cooler weather – closer to average for us. And, today is Colorado Day. I had a beautiful The Colorado Kid in bloom today, too!

I’m having a Dog Days of Summer Sale at my store this month, so I still didn’t have much time in the garden but hopefully tomorrow. Check it out at my shop link at the bottom of the page. The items are or will be available on Etsy and 20% goes to Colorado rescue organizations.

I’ve had 4 with first blooms for 2023 the last two days. Mama Cuna has really short scapes this year and some bug 🐛 damage. Autumn Jewels, on the other hand, has a lot more buds than usual. In fact, she doesn’t bloom that often. Strange year, for sure.

Please enjoy my reel. In order of appearance: (7.31) Mama Cuna, (8.1) Royal Palace Prince, Autumn Jewels, and Indian Sky.

My Favorite Spiders!

July 31, 2023July 31, 20231 Comment

The last couple of days have been filled with several of my Ned Roberts spiders blooming for the first time this year. One side of my Southwest Garden has been so quiet because the early bloomers ghosted us. But, it’s filling up with mid-late bloomers!

I went to the Rodeo yesterday so didn’t post. It rained afterwards and again this afternoon. Finally, a break in the heat.

I combined yesterday and today into one reel. Names in order: (7/29) Desert Icicle, BlackArrowhead, (7/30 Skinwalker, KachinaFirecracker, Dancing Maiden, Cricket Call, Aztec Firebird, and GoldenEclipse.

Illusion in the Garden

July 29, 2023July 29, 2023Leave a comment

Another warm (hot with UV of 9) in the desert daylily garden. Four new mif-late season cultivators. Winds of Love is suck a cool daylily because she always looks like a painting to me. Like an illusion of perfection in my imperfect garden.

The rains still have not come. They seem more a forecaster’s illusion than science at the moment. Looks like maybe some cooling and rain next week. I’ve said that before.

Please enjoy my IG reel from today. In order: Marque Moon, Western Sandstone, Winds of Love, Zuni Thunderbird.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

July 28, 2023July 28, 2023Leave a comment

Today, mid-late season arrived in my yard with a bang. Eight new cultivators. Of note, this was Oh, Erica’s first healthy bloom after three years in my yard. She only has 2 buds, though. The desert if hard.

Titan Sky had the first bloom ever and I’m in love with the colors! My second Ghost Ranch plant bloomed for the first time – the first one died about 3 years ago. I got the new one 2 years ago. If you live in the tropics, it’s different here.

Please enjoy my Instagram with photos.

Cultivators in order: Oh Erica, Ghost Ranch, NOID seedling?, Glen Eyrie, Navajo Grey Hills, Titan Sky, Coburg Fright Wig, El Desperado.

It’s That Time, Again

July 23, 2023July 23, 2023Leave a comment

It’s daylily season, so I spend a fairly significant amount of time photographing and posting about my daylilies. I love my daylilies but I admit to getting a but burned out on all the posting chores during the peak. Still, my blooms only look good for a couple hours in this dry heat. The photos give me something to savor for a long time to come. PS if you have noticed shorter blogs and reels vs photos that’s why.

Today, only 3 cultivators opened for the first time this year. Cultivators in order: Moon Over Chimayo, Happy Hopi, and Fooled Me.

And, the Peak Goes On

July 22, 2023July 22, 2023Leave a comment

The peak continues to pop, but only 4 had first blooms for ’23 today. I have a several mid bloomers with young scapes and I keep wondering how this weird season will end.

Here is my reel. Daylilies in order: Baby Blue Eyes, Apache Bandana, Ruby Stella and Red Hot Returns.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

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