It is a drought in the high desert this year. Every day it seems I get a fire weather warning from Montrose County. It’s been consistently in the high 80s to mid 90s with very low (single digit) humidity. And, the daylilies are blooming, anyway. They bloom in their little pots that keep the desert tree roots out and the moisture in. They bloom in the middle of my rock easement on the alkaline, hard, clay soil. They bloom in the high UV until they melt into translucent shadows of themselves.
This is not the land where daylilies flourish in huge patches that can be divided and sold or shared at any volume. It’s the land of the Colorado Plateau with Arches, Monument Valley, Zion, Canyonlands and Horseshoe Bend. It’s the land where they film western movies. How many daylilies have you ever seen in a John Wayne movie?
So, it’s late and I don’t have a lot of time to blog. But, I don’t want to get behind. In the last week – here are the new faces (premier blooms for this year’s cycle) in my hot, dry desert garden:
That’s 18 in a week! Peak may come early because of the drought. It feels like it went from 0 to 60 in a New York Minute. Can’t wait to see what happens next week. Hope I can stay caught up!
July is here, and with it comes peak season. I don’t think we are quite to peak yet, but it is approaching quickly. My day starts with photographing each daylily in bloom. Then I feed dogs, irrigate, jog for an hour. When I return, I sit on the front porch and edit the photos. Then, I put them in folders online and post to my personal Facebook page. By then, it’s 2 PM and time for breakfast!
I have had a bunch of new ones since my last post. I will put them in a gallery below. I’ve had 50 new ones since my last post last week!!!
I have had 73 cultivators bloom so far this season out of approximately 190. I lost some last winter. I really need to update my inventory in the software program. Based on those numbers, my bloom rate is about 38% currently. My hope is for 80% this season.
Today, the rain came. Finally! I am hoping for a good monsoon season. We need it. The drought lingers and is growing to the north. So many wildfires out west. I’m surprised that my daylilies are as happy as they are all things considered.
I adore daylily season. But it is always a lot of work that takes a chunk of the day with the photography. However, at this elevation, heat and humidity, the blooms don’t last long. Somedays, they are pretty faded by noon. They look like melted wax to me.
It’s a very different summer with my civic volunteer work. I adore my mornings on the porch editing daylily photos. Finding balance is hard in a “drought of time.”
Catcha next week. I hope your 4th of July garden brings you joy. Sometimes, we are best to focus on the small things right before our eyes and feel gratitude.
My daylily booms are circa a month behind normal. The interesting thing I’m seeing is that in the shift from cold spring (May=March) to hot, dry summer, some of my early bloomers seem to be sitting this season out. Mother Nature telling them it’s not time to saying “it’s too late now, you missed your window. “
Had some nice new ones today, though. Alabama Jubilee, Mesa Verde, Mount Echo Sunrise, Nurse’s Stethoscope, and Chaco Canyon. Nurse’s Stethoscope is the one I suggested the name for to the hybridizer. Always nice to see her back. Here is my Instagram reel with the photos of these cultivators and their first blooms for 2023.
I have 100s of scapes. They are everywhere. Like little aliens running through the garden.
But, today only brought four new “eyes” to the 2022 blooming cultivators.
Bluegrass Music hasn’t bloomed in a couple years. One of my first near blues – except she is very purple. I just had to have her! And, some grower charged me $50 for 2 scrawny fans.
Bluegrass Music 6.30Passionate Returns 6.30Ruby Spider 6.30Alabama Jubilee 6.30
The others were reds and oranges. Today, I saw a post from 10 years ago on Facebook memories about Ruby Spider’s first bloom. I just loved the huge bloom. Ten years ago, I had like 5 daylilies. Crazy.
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 6.26-7.10All American Chief 6.22-7.9Apache Bandana 6.30-7.10Autumn Jewels 7.16-presentAztec Firebird 7.8-7.31Baby Blue Eyes 7.6-7.27Baja 7.10-7.29Bella Boo 7.2-7.16Bela Lugosi 7.4-7.26Big Red Rhyme (NOID) 6.22-7.11Black Arrowhead 7.6-7.30Blackthorne 7.6-7.13Black Eyed Susan 7.4-7.19Black Ice 7.4-7.18Blue Beat 7.9-7.17Buttered Popcorn 7.7-7-25Candy Cane Dreams 7.1-7.19Canyon Colors 6.15-presentCatherine Irene 6.24-7.13Chaco 6.27-presentCheddar Cheese 7.3-7.17Cherokee Star 7.9-8.1Cheyenne Eyes 7.6-7.19Chief Four Fingers 6.12-7.15Chokecherry Mountain 7.5-7.27Chorus Line 7.6-presendClassy Lady 7.6-7.29Coburg Fright Wig 7.11-7.30Comanche Princess 6.18-7.11Coral Taco 7.2-7.16Cricket Call 7.3-7.17Cripple Creek 7.19-presentDancing Maiden 7.16-presentDesert Icicle 7.26-presentDr Doom 7.30-presentDream Catcher 7.14-presentDream Keeper 6.11-7.1Early Bird Cardinal 6.27-7.13Echo Canyon 6.21-7.10El Desperado 7.17-presentFairytale Pink 7.11-7.17Feather Woman 7.5-7.9Fine Time Lucille 7.10-7.17Fol de Rol 7.4-7.17Fooled Me 7.10-7.16Frans Hals 7.15-present“Fringe Benefit” 6.27-7.12 (mislabeled bonus)Funny Valentine 6.20-7.8Ghost Ranch 7.12-7.17Glen Eyrie 7.25-7.30 (started while I was on vaca 7.19-24)
Golden Eclipse 7.16-present
Happy Hopi 7.7-7.31Happy Returns 6.27-7.12Heavenly Curls 7.5-7.17Heirloom Heaven 7.25-presentHesperus 7.12-presentHoly Sombrero 7.7-7.25Hopi Jewel 6.27-7.17Iktomi 7.9-7.29Indian Love Call 7.13-7.27Indian Sky 7.13-presentIndian Giver 6.30-7.17Inwood 6.22-7.12Jungle Queen 7.1-7.19-24? Finished during vacationJust Plumb Happy 7.4-7.15Kachina Dancer 6.30-7.16Kokopelli 6.25-7.19Lacy Doily 7.3-7.16Lady Fingers 6.23-7.19Land of Enchantment 6.23-7.11Lime Frost 7.11-7.16Lobo Lucy 7.13-7.31Longlesson Showoff 7.5.7.18Lullaby Baby 7.7 to presentMama Cuna 7.11-presentMarque Moon 7.13-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)Mauna Loa 6.27-7.10Maya Cha Cha 7.4-7.19Medicine Feather 7.5-7.18Melon Balls 7.6-7.15Mesa Verde 6.15-7.13Mini Pearl 6.26-7.31Mount Echo Sunrise 6.28-7.19
I Dig The Mamas And The Papas At “The Trip, “ Sunset Strip In L.A. And They Got A Good Thing Goin’ When The Words Don’t Get In The Way.
I chuckle today at the double meaning in the old Peter, Paul and Mary song. I do dig the Mamas and the Papas – literally and figuratively. Mama Cuna and Papa Longlegs, that is. Well, hey, today they showed up on the same day so the song has been in my head all day. See the featured photo for the cultivator blooms together today.
And, all day, I have been working in the daylily garden or on my photos because another record was broken today . . . 69 cultivators in bloom. It is partially bloom rate and partially bud count. These guys are blooming for weeks instead of days. I do have other things I need to do . . . I am glad I cleaned the house before this hit!
OK, so in addition to Mama Cuna of the Mamas and Papas, I had 6 premiers today – 7 total. We are still on top of the Grand Daylily Mesa with the blooms – this high plateau is like watching COVID cases last summer – but hopefully it dies down without a real epidemic because I have altitude sickness already.
Coburg Fright Wig 7.11 – I ordered this years ago for my front garden when I was filling it out with daylilies.Fairy Tale Pink 7.11 – I believe this was a bonus several years ago. She is doing better with a drip system!Lime Frost 7.11 – I wouldn’t mind a lime frost from the 7.11 about now. She was mail order several years ago, I believe. I really need to move my daylily software to my functioning computer because it knows.Mama Cuna 7.11 – all wrapped up in the yucca. She has great big blooms.Nearly Wild 7.11 – She was a bonus and I think she got her name because she looks like her ditch lily ancestor. Purple de Oro 7.11 – A small grape colored bloom. I have never been super attached. Her pot is full of grass. Maybe I should put another mini in with her? Red Hot Returns 7.11 – A parent to Passionate Returns. Local nursery cultivator.
This is usually about the time of year when I see the peak fading and I hate my bloom rate so I head to the nursery for a couple that still have buds so I can have a few more blooms. I am not doing that this year – although there is a Ned Roberts that I may add to the collection next year. Help me, I am drowning in the Mamas and the Papas! Please, dig me out of these blooms!
So, here are the finales so far this year.
Saratoga Springtime finale 6.23Yellow Punch finale 7.4Stella finale 7.1Funny Valentine finale 7.8Petite Petticoats finale 7.10Alabama Jubilee finale 7.10Scorpio finale 6.29Mauna Loa finale 7.10Platinum Pink Pallet Whispers finale 7.2Land of Enchantment finale 7.11Apache Bandana finale 7.10Purple Moonrise finale 7.5Orchid Moonrise finale 7.8Dream Keeper finale 7.1Echo Canyon finale 7.10Comanche Princess finale 7.11NOID Big Red Rhyme finale 7.11NOID Red Riddle finale 7.9Feather Woman finale 7.11Pink and Cream finale 7.11
That is 117 in and 20 out, meaning I have 90 some actively blooming and others with premiers coming soon.
I’m back! My house is cleaner and I feel like I can pick-up the blog, again. Don’t worry, I spent my usual amount of time with my daylilies in the AM. I love getting photos of them – something to get out of bed for. After three years of a stressful job and a commute, I just had to clean because my poor home has been like a neglected garden. I needed to pull weeds and plant some new seeds.
I am going to show off my June blooms (A to Z) for June in this post. I am going to have a good bloom rate this year and it sort of scares me what peak will be like with all my plants so happy. Good thing the house is clean. I count 51 cultivators for June 2021. Last year, it was 50 in June – so close. I think I have about 180 cultivators now – almost 30% have bloomed.
Alabama Jubilee – premiered 6.26All American Chief premiered 6.22Apache Bandana premiered 6.30Big Red Rhyme (my NOID name for her) premiered 6.22Canyon Colors premiered 6.15Catherine Irene premiered 6.24Chaco Canyon premiered 6.27Chief Four Fingers premiered 6.27 (with some bug damage but more buds ahead)Comanche Princess premiered 6.18Dream Keeper premiered 6.11, finale was 7.1Early Bird Cardinal premiered 6.27Echo Canyon premiered 6.21“Fringe Benefit” premiered 6.27 (mislabeled bonus but I still call her that)Funny Valentine premiered 6.20Happy Returns – I believe the real cultivator is yellow and some of my gold ones are actually Stella – this one premiered 6.25Hopi Jewel premiered 6.27Indian Giver premiered 6.30Inwood premiered 6.22Kachina Dancer premiered 6.30Kokopelli premiered 6.25Lady Fingers premiered 6.23Land of Enchantment premiered 6.23Mauna Loa premiered 6.27Mesa Verde premiered 6.15Mini Pearl premiered 6.26Mount Echo Sunrise premiered 6.28Nurse’s Stethoscope (the only registered daylily I helped to name) premiered 6.24Ojo de Dios premiered 6.28Orchid Moonrise premiered 6.17Pardon Me premiered 6.30Passionate Returns premiered 6.28Petite Petticoats premiered 6.26Pink and Cream premiered 6.24Platinum Pink Pallet Whispers premiered 6.21Primal Scream premiered 6.25Purple Grasshopper premiered 6.11Purple Moonrise (larger bloom on the R, to the left is Orchid Moonrise) premier bloom 6.15Purple Mystic (my name for NOID) premiered 6.24Red Riddle (my name for NOID) premiered 6.23Return a Smile premiered 6.25Ruby Spider premiered 6.22Santa’s Pants premiered 6.26Saratoga Springtime premier 6/3, finale 6.23 – The star of early daylily season. A big, fancy yellow trumpet.Scorpio premier 6.26, finale 6.29. Only two buds for the first bloom ever after 5 years in my yard.South Seas premier 6.30Stella premier 6.7 and dwindling – I don’t think we have a finale yet but maybe.Stephanie Returns premier 6.30The Colorado Kid premier 6.23Wild Horses premier 6.15Yellow Punch premier 6.15Yellow Stella premier 6.18
Let’s close the book on June for 2021 – It’s a wrap!
It is time for Sunday roll call. But first, a couple cool new Roberts Spiders. Meet Mount Echo Sunrise – She is a big spider that reminds me of Dream Catcher. This is her first-ever bloom in my yard – I put her in a couple years ago.
Then there is Sante Fe Christmas – And she looks like a Christmas bow. Red, green with curly petals. I really love her – too bad she lost her other buds. Despite the improved bloom rate, the drought has taken a toll.
Next up – Finales. Of course, Santa Fe Christmas is a finale today 😦
Primal Scream is another finale.
Primal Scream 7.10
Jungle Queen had finale blooms on both pots I have of her.
Jungle Queen 7.12
Iktomi is another finale. I have enjoyed seeing the patterns in her offspring.
Iktomi 7.9
Happy Hopi gave a finale bloom today. I really enjoyed her big, bold, blonde blooms.
Happy Hopi 7.12
Now, on to our roll call. These are the blooms from 7/9 through today. But, first, we have about 12 with unbloomed scapes remaining and mid-50s with no bloom/no scape. We are at 107 cultivators (+/-). Add 12, and we get close to 120. I am still hoping for 130 total this year.
Well, I tried to post on Friday night, but no internet. Saturday, some internet, but my phone is crashing all of the apps since the last android update. Yes, right in the middle of peak season.
So, here are the new faces from Friday
Skinwalker 7.6.18
Echo Canyon 7.6
Iktomi 7.6
Chorus Line
Blue Beat 7.6
Bella Lugosi 7.6
And here are Sunday’s additions:
Lacy Doily 7.8
Nosferatu 7.8
Red Hot Returns 7.8
South Seas 7.8
So, that is 10 new additions since my last post – and I missed a couple of new faces while camping yesterday, but they will have another chance. For now, let me finish roll call. All daylilies that bloomed between 7/2 and today – here we go. Which is your favorite?
It is Sunday and the peak is starting. It will probably take me an hour to get this bog with all the photos for the week published. I am doing it this way so that each daylily comes up on a couple searches of the blog. My job entails creating about 20 template emails a day for the following day – it is a lot of looking up progress and pasting from my last note. Not a creative’s dream. So, when I save my drafts for the day, I have a blank email to note that it is a new day – and that email is always named after a daylily. The most creative 5 minutes/day of my job is picking this daylily. The collages just don’t work.
So – We will start with the newbies. Primal Scream is in bloom for the 3rd year. Last year, the blooms were small and anemic. She is now in an above ground put inside the Walkway Garden. I hoped for more scapes, but 2 is OK for this year, gives the fall transplant. Nothing beats her vibrant color.
Primal Scream 7/1
Indian Giver was a newbie in the Southwest Garden. She is a small daylily and was a bonus plant 3 years ago. She only gets a couple buds every year. She needs to be dug up and put in a buried pot, but the yucca is close, so not sure how I will get this done. I would like to have more blooms. She is adorable.
Indian Giver 7/1
Last but not least, from my Family Garden is Stephanie Returns. This flower makes my heart sad. Losing a family member who is still alive is horrid. Losing several is bitter and cruel. Please don’t tell people you understand or offer advise while you are surrounded with family. Please don’t tell people God is giving you this lesson for some reason or other. Do bookmark this page and come back here and look at this flower and help send positive vibes to anyone in the universe who had ever known the heartbreak such a loss can bring.
Stephanie Returns 7/1
OK – Enough heavy stuff. Onward to the roll call. Here go the A-Z blooms from 6/25 through today. Enjoy.
Colorado Kid Daylilies 