I never adapted to Daylight Savings Time this year. It’s been a variety of factors – my own circadian rhythm, an evening Etsy revamp, new routines, etc. But, I need to start springing ahead – or is that summering ahead? Why? Because the daylilies are blooming at increasing rates this week. And, daylily season is like an online class – don’t get behind or you never catch up.

My season started with Saratoga Springtime on 5.23: the same day I started selling my art from home-based events. The same day I started a new injection (Tymlos) for my osteoporosis. (Gardening builds bone) The week after oral surgery. Two days before my first camping trip. And it the midst of the chaos, daylily season quietly started with a windblown bloom from my early bird cultivator.

On 5.31, Dream Keeper started blooming. My first Ned Roberts cultivator to join the 2026 bloom cycle. On 6.5.26 she threw a polymerous bloom with extra petals. This may have happened in response to our drought and low humidity – a sort of stress reaction. It is super pretty, though.

The third one to join the season was my simple yellow Stella. Her first bloom was on 6.2.26.

It felt like a lul. Like I could ignor the daylilies while I reorganized my business. Ha ha – the daylilies aren’t waiting. This week, amidst 3 on-ground events for my business, the blooms started coming. First, on 6/12, Return A Smile returned along with The Potter’s Touch. A day later, Ruby spider joined the small crowd – on the day of my 5th on-ground sale.

Today, I thought I would have a breather after the business event – but no dice. I spied with my little eye more action in my Southwest Garden daylily bed more cultivators. Canyon Colors was visible as I walked towards the garden with her rounded bloom shape and soft sandstone colors. As I drew closer, I noticed Land of Enchantment dancing in front of my banana yucca. I stepped into the wire garden fence in the easement to capture their photos when I noticed the first Comanche Princess in bloom.

And, I said, “That’s it!. It’s daylily savings time, again!”

Balancing a summer on-ground business with daylilies, hiking, camping, and everything else “summer” is kind of crazy, but I am committed to keeping the blog going this summer. IDK if I’ll post weekly or twice a week – I am keeping it a little soft until I see how things unfold.

As far as my business, it started as a hobby, painting daylilies on tiles to make coasters. The first years, I painted daylilies on ornaments and pots. But, as time went on, the focus shifted to my acrylic pour and cement projects – including adorable garden gnomes. This summer, I am going back to the daylily tiles as soon as I find time to sit and paint in a quiet, uninterrupted setting for a few hours.

I will be combining my acrylic pour backgrounds with daylilies painted in the foregrounds. The backgrounds with feature high desert colors – like sandstone and sage. And, the cultivators I will be painting will feature my daylilies with Southwest names. Ones like Dream Keeper, Canyon Colors, Land of Enchantment, and Comanche Princess.

I still have some cool daylily pots for sale (not for daylilies, but for houseplants and succulents). I will attach a few photos with listing links for those interested. These are terra cotta pots painted in a base of chalk paint. Then I add my stunning daylily painting over the chalk so it pops! So much fun.

Visit the above pot listings and more at my Etsy Shop: Mesa Stone Planters section.

I wish all the daylily lovers out there a happy blooming season! What’s blooming in your garden right now?

Keep on blooming, Cathy Hartt