Groundhogs Day Lilies

I love that old movie Groundhogs Day. “Babe, I got you, babe.” Every day, he wakes up to the same day.

Indian Giver 6.25
Yellow 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.

Funny Valentine 6.25

All Hell is About to Break Loose!

No new daylilies in bloom today. What IS new is that I’m now officially retired. But, that’s not why all hell is going to break loose. Well, maybe.

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.

I wonder if all hell will break loose tomorrow?

Paradoxical Daylilies

Indian Giver was a bonus plant I got probably 6 years ago. It had water issues the first couple of years, both loves being in a buried pot. It was a delight when it finally bloomed. I love the purple with white edges. I wouldn’t call it a mini, but it’s a smaller bloom. She had her premiere bloom today.

Indian Giver 6.22

My other premier bloom was Happy Returns. She is a yellow, fragile Stella de Oro type daylily.

Happy Returns 6.22

Indian Giver is an old expression for one party thinking they are being given a gift, while the other party thinks it’s a trade. When the second party realizes it isn’t a trade, they take back the “gift.” We would call it scamming these days.

Happy Returns means to wish someone a good day or happy birthday. It’s an expression of hope that the joy will return many times.

The paradox is in the meanings of the names. One is an expression of anger and discontent. The other of goodwill and optimism. It hit me as funny as I posted these to Instagram this morning. Purple and yellow are also opposite colors. I smile at nature’s hidden message.

The monsoons should return tomorrow. We will see.

Slow Start and Creeping Bellflower

As my Facebook memories pop-up, I become aware how slow this year is as far as blooms. I have the same 4 in bloom as yesterday.

I counted 103 scapes yesterday and 111 today. So, I think it’s not far off. I’m still upset that so many of my new ones parished over the winter.

I wanted to talk a little about weeds. Creeping Bellflower is the nemesis of my front garden. I thought the pots would keep the things from spreading, but they also send seeds. This article has good info https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/campanula/removing-creeping-bellflower.htm

Photo of Creeping Bellflower in my walkway garden last year.

The worst part is their roots look like pale daylily roots, and they grow right into the daylily root structure so it looks like daylily root. They grow tall and smother the daylilies.

This year, I’d had enough but was hesitant about herbicides. So, I decided to smother them back. I put down thick landscape fabric (including under each pot) and mulched over that. I bought about $200 in the round pot disks made of coir. Most my pots have those. My other invader is grass, so this should help that, too.

The walkway garden today. Creeping Bellflower 90% gone.

So far, so good. I’ll keep you posted.

Happy Juneteenth Valentines!

It’s a camping weekend, so I missed whatever bloomed yesterday. But, when I returned, I found Funny Valentine’s first bloom. Nice to see this deep reds returning. This one has a zillion scapes, too.

Funny Valentine 6.19

It’s both Juneteenth and Father’s Day. My granddads both died before my birth. Dad was abusive and our relationship never healed (in this lifetime). I’m not married and my son-in-law wants me distant. But, I lived in Galveston so Juneteenth means something. So, happy Juneteenth Valentines.

Orange/Yellow Punch 6.19

Another premier is Orange Punch (or Yellow Punch). Lowe’s daylily I picked up several years ago and I don’t remember the name- just the Punch part.

Oh, and the monsoons arrived while we were in our tent, of course. I don’t mind rain on the tent and hoping this brings more scapes!

Saratoga Springtime and Stella keep blooming, as do my clematis. I think Apache Bandana is very close!

More Jaundiced Trumpets

Jaundiced trumpets always start the daylily show. Screaming yellow jaundiced trumpets. It’s like a bad day in the newborn nursery, a little bit. And, since my last post, It has been pretty much the same two showing up to blow their hepatic little horns every day. Um, I don’t think bili lights are going to help them turn pink, orange, red, or purple. The warmth of the sunshine, however, is beginning to bring a bigger rainbow of color to my daylily garden. (Did I mention that I’m a nurse-midwife)

Dream Keeper 6.16.22

So, today my first Ned Roberts spider opened her eyes. Dream Keeper. Definitely not a jaundiced (yellow) trumpet. I love my Neds. My Southwest Road Trip Garden is moving slowly – only 20 scapes for 70+ cultivators so far. It’s that window where it could be the cold, dry, windy spring is just delaying the scapes or it eliminated them altogether. My other gardens have a higher percentage of scapes (unusual timing) but also get more water, so IDK yet.

Anyway, I mentioned I wanted to highlight a few of my non-daylily flowers this summer. So, here we go. Definitely, not all jaundiced trumpets.

Synchronous Seasons

It’s beginning to look a lot like summer! Today is 6/8. It was 8/6 when I wrote my last blog about daylilies blooming in my yard.

Saratoga Springtime premier bloom 6/3/22

Today isn’t the first day I had a bloom for the year. That was Friday – the same day we left on our first camping trip of the season. I sort of wish daylily season didn’t overlap with camping season. I always have to miss out on something. Last weekend, however, I did not miss out on the mountain wildflowers.

Stella de Oro premier bloom 6/7/22

I have actually been giving some thought to the blog this summer. I am going to simplify my photos and just use my cellphone – except maybe premiers or exceptional blooms. It takes way too much time to do photos of 60+ blooms/day on both cell and camera. I also want to include my other blooms around the yard somehow. And, I would like to spend more energy on providing gardening tips. Plus, some video.

Our wildflower hike on the Grand Mesa in Colorado

I retire next month – at least until I find part-time flexible work. But, I plan to spend a few months getting my Art from the Hartt (and The Midwife’s Nursery) business going. And, camping.

Colorado wildflowers on our hike

I bought several cool daylilies last fall to celebrate semi-retirement. They did horrible – and I bought from more than 1 reliable seller, so it is on my end. I fully lost 2, and have about half the others with one struggling fan. The ones doing well are also mostly one fan, but normal size. It was a dry winter followed by a cold spring. And, I didn’t winter water. Lessons learned. Perhaps the worst part is the name labels washed off the new plants so I have no idea what I lost and what is left, but they should all still have grower labels so I will do some digging and get new labels up.

Mountain wildflowers on our hike

Here is to a new season. And, my usual premier, Saratoga Springtime. I have ~30 scapes and it is going to be 90 degrees the next few days.

Why is it that wildflowers seem so tame compared to daylilies?

Welcome to summer!

July Daylily Round-up N-Z

Here is part 1 of this blog post These posts include all daylilies that were in bloom in July in my yard. Please see first post for more details.

Navajo Grey Hills 7.16-present
Nearly Wild 7.11-7.31
Nona’s Garnet Spider 7.5-7.18
Nosferatu 7.12-7.19 (end 7.19-7.24 during vaca)
Nurse’s Stethoscope 6.24-7.16
Oh Erica 7.17 (end 7.19-7.24 during vaca)
Ojo de Dios 6.28-7.15
Orange Flurry 7.10-7.26
Orange Vols 7.27-present
Orchid Moonrise 6.17-7.8
Papa Longlegs 7.2-7.17
Pardon Me 6.30-7.18
Passionate Returns 6.28-7.29
Petite Petticoats 6.26-7.10
Pink and Cream 6.24-7.11
Pink Enchalada 7.4-7.18
Pink Rain Dance 7.4-7.25
Pizza Crust (started week of 7.19)-present
Platinum Pink Pallet Whispers 6.21-7.2
Prairie Blue Eyes 7.1-7.27
Prelude to Love 7.3-8.1
Primal Scream 6.25-7.15
Pueblo Dreamer 7.5-7.19
Purple Corn Dancer 7.27-present
Purple de Oro 7.11-7.16
Purple Many Faces 7.17-7.27
Purple Thunderbird 7.26-present
Purple Grasshopper 6.11-present. Non-stop!
Purple Moonrise 6.15-7.5
“Purple Mystic” NOID 6.24-7.16
Quilt Patch 7.9-7.19
Raven Woodsong 7.8-present
Red Hot Returns 7.11-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.25 during vaca)
Red Riddle (NOID) 6.23-7.9
Return a Smile 6.25-7.14
Rocky Mountain Pals 7.9-7.28
Rosie’s Red 7.9-present
Route 66 7.1-7.19
Royal Braid 7.18 (ended 7.19-7.25 during vaca)
Royal Palace Prince 7.25-present
Ruby Spider 6.22-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)
Ruby Stella 7.5-present
Santa Fe Christmas (right) 7.2-7.26
Santa’s Pants 6.26-7.9
Skinwalker 6.19 to present
Soco Gap 7.3-7.19
South Seas 6.30-7.25
Spirit of the Morning 7.12-8.1 (unless I missed a bud)
Stella 6.7-7.1
Stephanie Returns 6.30-7.28
Strutters Ball 7.5-7.27
Taco Twister 7.12-present
Talon 7.5-7.18
The Colorado Kid 6.23-7.18
Thin Man 7.3-7.18
Treasure of the Southwest 7.15-present
Truchas Sunrise 7.10-7.19

No U, No V – I need to fix that with some new flowers 🙂

Wild Horses 6.15-7.3
Wild Rose Fandango 7.1-7.19
Winds of Love 7.13-7.27
Wineberry Candy 7.4-7.13

No X, either!

Yellow Punch 6.15-7.4 (first encore 7.31)
Zuni Eye 7.15-present
Zuni Thunderbird 7.19-present

That is all for July, folks. Look for our Colorado Day (8/1) blooms up next!

July Daylily Roundup A-M

The next two posts are a listing of the daylilies that have bloomed ANYTIME during July – even if they started in June. It is a large list but also a colorful one. I believe only 3 of my cultivators were totally done in June – Saratoga Springtime, Scorpio and yellow Stella de Oro.

If you like Ned Roberts cultivators, you have come to the right place because I have about 70 of them, and most (except Navajo Curls and Adios Albuquerque) that are going to bloom the year have bloomed sometime during July.

I went to the rodeo here last night, so I am all practiced-up and ready to go.

Alabama Jubilee 6.26-7.10
All American Chief 6.22-7.9
Apache Bandana 6.30-7.10
Autumn Jewels 7.16-present
Aztec Firebird 7.8-7.31
Baby Blue Eyes 7.6-7.27
Baja 7.10-7.29
Bella Boo 7.2-7.16
Bela Lugosi 7.4-7.26
Big Red Rhyme (NOID) 6.22-7.11
Black Arrowhead 7.6-7.30
Blackthorne 7.6-7.13
Black Eyed Susan 7.4-7.19
Black Ice 7.4-7.18
Blue Beat 7.9-7.17
Buttered Popcorn 7.7-7-25
Candy Cane Dreams 7.1-7.19
Canyon Colors 6.15-present
Catherine Irene 6.24-7.13
Chaco 6.27-present
Cheddar Cheese 7.3-7.17
Cherokee Star 7.9-8.1
Cheyenne Eyes 7.6-7.19
Chief Four Fingers 6.12-7.15
Chokecherry Mountain 7.5-7.27
Chorus Line 7.6-presend
Classy Lady 7.6-7.29
Coburg Fright Wig 7.11-7.30
Comanche Princess 6.18-7.11
Coral Taco 7.2-7.16
Cricket Call 7.3-7.17
Cripple Creek 7.19-present
Dancing Maiden 7.16-present
Desert Icicle 7.26-present
Dr Doom 7.30-present
Dream Catcher 7.14-present
Dream Keeper 6.11-7.1
Early Bird Cardinal 6.27-7.13
Echo Canyon 6.21-7.10
El Desperado 7.17-present
Fairytale Pink 7.11-7.17
Feather Woman 7.5-7.9
Fine Time Lucille 7.10-7.17
Fol de Rol 7.4-7.17
Fooled Me 7.10-7.16
Frans Hals 7.15-present
“Fringe Benefit” 6.27-7.12 (mislabeled bonus)
Funny Valentine 6.20-7.8
Ghost Ranch 7.12-7.17
Glen Eyrie 7.25-7.30 (started while I was on vaca 7.19-24)

Golden Eclipse 7.16-present

Happy Hopi 7.7-7.31
Happy Returns 6.27-7.12
Heavenly Curls 7.5-7.17
Heirloom Heaven 7.25-present
Hesperus 7.12-present
Holy Sombrero 7.7-7.25
Hopi Jewel 6.27-7.17
Iktomi 7.9-7.29
Indian Love Call 7.13-7.27
Indian Sky 7.13-present
Indian Giver 6.30-7.17
Inwood 6.22-7.12
Jungle Queen 7.1-7.19-24? Finished during vacation
Just Plumb Happy 7.4-7.15
Kachina Dancer 6.30-7.16
Kokopelli 6.25-7.19
Lacy Doily 7.3-7.16
Lady Fingers 6.23-7.19
Land of Enchantment 6.23-7.11
Lime Frost 7.11-7.16
Lobo Lucy 7.13-7.31
Longlesson Showoff 7.5.7.18
Lullaby Baby 7.7 to present
Mama Cuna 7.11-present
Marque Moon 7.13-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)
Mauna Loa 6.27-7.10
Maya Cha Cha 7.4-7.19
Medicine Feather 7.5-7.18
Melon Balls 7.6-7.15
Mesa Verde 6.15-7.13
Mini Pearl 6.26-7.31
Mount Echo Sunrise 6.28-7.19

July Round-up N-Z – click here for more beautiful July blooms!

Please contact my business – Art and Nature from the Hartt for sales questions/availability.

Giant Yellow Monsters

It was a day of fewer premiers today. That was actually kind of nice – although, I had 56 total in bloom. I think 40 was my top bloom day on 7/2 last year. Maybe the peak will last a while longer this year?

Anyway – the common thread between the premiers today is that they are all BIG yellow flowers. I feel like photography robs them of their significance because it takes away the perspective. The first half of June is little, simple yellow flowers. Then comes the color diversity. And, in July, the Yellow Monsters arrive.

The three today are Happy Hopi (another Roberts spider), Holy Sombrero (an old bonus with huge ruffled blooms), and Buttered Popcorn (a new “local nursery” addition this year). Other giant yellow of July are Hesperus (waiting to bloom) and Cheddar Cheese (who is in bloom, but not today). There are some other notable yellow bloomers that are not small – Mount Echo Sunrise (fairly pale yellow), Lady Fingers, Cripple Creek, Skinwalker, Desert Icicle, Taco Twister and Navajo Curls. Maybe I will do a post on that collection once they all hatch. These aren’t trumpets – they are monsters!

Here are today’s premiers:

Buttered Popcorn 7.7
Happy Hopi 7.7
Holy Sombrero 7.7
Size comparison – Holy Sombrero next to my cell phone.

My routine is the same – I get up and take the photos with cell and camera following the same path everyday so I don’t miss anything (too often). Then I post to Facebook from my phone. I download photos from the Powershot and write the blog. Downloading the photos is painful because I get so sleepy – like fighting drugs but I don’t that that is from my thyroid tablet – just the heat.

Finales: I believe Orchid Moonrise is at finale. I will check for others as I cut scapes this week.

Oh, I got past my painter’s block and did a small coaster of Land of Enchantment. Not my best ever, but a start. I am keeping her as a symbol of getting unstuck and being semi retired! If you are interested in purchasing a daylily tile, please reach out to cathy.hartt55@gmail.com and or follow my Facebook page (link below).

Land of Enchantment coaster.