Last year, I posted all my blooms each week on Sunday since it is too much to do daily. This year, I am going to try to do a recap at the end of the month. So, for June 2020, we had the following 50:
Daylilies of Corona: June Blooms
Tag: All American Chief
Pink Spiders, Red Flags, and Things that Go Bump in the Night
Today was another red flag day with a fair amount of wind. Nothing like we have had a few times this spring – but decidedly dry and breezy. And, as the clouds do so often in drought years, the grey clouds seem to tease as they drift by, only leaving a few drops of moisture behind.
The premiers today were mostly pink spiders. And, pink Ned Roberts spiders, at that. Now, trying to photograph a spider daylily with wind gusts up to 30 MPH is interesting. I am like a dentist trying to tell the wind to hold it’s breath until I snap the picture. My patient is non-compliant.
First premier pink spider was Rocky Mountain Pals. This daylily has a sweet story of being dedicated to the hybridizer’s cancer treatment team. I told the story to a co-worker today because she is battling cancer.
Next, big old Pink Rain Dance catches my eye. She is a huge bloom and such a great pastel pink. I can only guess Ned Roberts named her during a drought year in the Southwest.
Funky named Pink Enchilada was also in my pack of pink premier spiders. Another big. floppy spider from my Roberts collection. I suppose they are all cousins, or something.
My last premier is an older daylily that deserves some credit for a bit of near blue – which didn’t happen much during the time she was hybridized. Prairie Blue Eyes opened her eyes for the first time in 2020 today.
I recounted scapes tonight and I think it is about 130 now. So, potentially a decent bloom rate. I can’t believe I’ll miss 6 days of it – but I will savor coming home to see the color.
As for things that go bump in the night – it is probably just my cats playing with their toys at 2 AM.
Be Like A Daylily
As I scribe this, I sit in my tent near Blue Mesa Lake in Colorado. The wind finally stopped. It’ll be cool tonight, low 40s.
Maybe the reason I like camping is the raw exposure to nature. It’s how my daylilies live. And, they don’t have sleeping bags for the cold nights or tents to protect they from the wind. No wonder drought years (50% of the time?) Take their toll on bud count and bloom rate.
I had some great premiers today. All American Chief was a bonus plant I got 6 years ago that finally bloomed last year. It reminds me of Ruby Spider.
Cheyenne Eyes is a pretty Robert’s spider with an interesting color combo.
Comanche Princess also has a premiere. I live her curly spider legs.
My other pot that says Happy Returns had a bloom. I think it’s a little more yellow that the other pot I have on them.
It’s 10. I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m usually up until after midnight. The melatonin of watching a sunset, maybe feeling the temp drop. We respond to nature’s signals just like the daylilies.
Happy Birthday, Erica. May you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you live with ease.
I’m Back and Overwhelmed by Daylilies
Life changes. This summer is so different from last year. Jobs, schedules, weather. So, I returned from Utah yesterday afternoon to an overwhelming thunderstorm that wiped out a lot of yesterday’s blooms. I decided to start fresh today, kind of. I leave for a work conference in Atlanta on Wednesday. Next Sunday, I can start my regular routine for daylily season. Lol.
So, a lot of Premier blooms (to me) today. Let’s start with my Ned Roberts spider collection:
Apache Bandana 7/14
Black Arrowhead 7/14
Chokecherry Mountain 7/14
Mount Echo Sunrise 7/14
Feather Woman 7/14
Navajo Rodeo 7/14
Rocky Mountain Pals 7/14
Talon 7/14
Zuni Thunderbird 7/14
Echo Canyon 7/14
Chief Four Fingers 7/14
Happy Hopi 7/14
Aztec Firebird 7/14
Laughing Feather 7/14
Iktomi 7/14
Pink Enchilada 7/14
Pink Rain Dance 7/14
Raspberry Propeller 7/14
And, the other Premier blooms:
Holy Sombrero 7/13
Isaac 7/14
Stephanie Returns 7/14
Catherine Irene 7/14
Pink and Cream 7/14
Early Bird Cardinal 7/14
Blue Beat 7/14
Primal Scream 7/14
Ruby Spider 7/14
Passionate Returns 7/14
Purple de Oro 7/14
Santa’s Pants 7/14
Lady Fingers 7/14
Red Riddle 7/14
Pardon Me 7/14
Prairie Blue Eyes 7/14
Route 66 7/14
Orange Flurry 7/14
Strutter’s Ball 7/14
Mini Pearl 7/14
Purple Mystery (hmmmmmm- Strutter’s Ball, perhaps?) 7/14
Wineberry Candy 7/14
Prairie Wildfire 7/14
That’s like almost 40 new cultivars since I left 9 days ago! Overwhelmed doesn’t say it with another trip coming up. I have no clue on bloom rate, but the cold, wet spring mostly seems to have helped.
Reruns:
Yellow Punch 7/14
Comanche Princess 7/14
Return a Smile 7/14
The Colorado Kid 7/14
Papa Long Legs 7/14
Land of Enchantment 7/14
Canyon Colors 7/14
Hopi Jewel 7/14
Ojo de Dios 7/14
Echo Canyon 7/14
Indian Love Call 7/14
Treasure of the Southwest 7/14
Yellow Stella 7/14
Funny Valentine 7/14
Petite Petticoats 7/14
Purple Many Faces 7/14
All American Chief 7/14
Ok, that’s enough. Battery is dead. Several Finales while gone: Saratoga Springtime, Dream Keeper, Chama Valley.
If you are going to miss the start of peak bloom, Utah is a great place to do it. Also amazing colors.
Sweet Seventeen
Wow, time flies when you’re having July. Almost road trip time. I won’t miss peak, I don’t think. But, it could be starting by the time I get back. I’ll be cutting down used scapes soon enough.
So, a couple quick stories. All American Chief gave me a first bloom ever after three years. He was a gift plant. I love that the sellers pick up my Southwest theme and send approximately named daylilies. Hopi Jewel has bloomed every year, but has a similar story.
Here are today’s Premieres:
All American Chief 7/3
Hopi Jewel 7/3
Return a Smile 7/3
Petite Petticoats 7/3
And, that makes for 13 Reruns:
The Colorado Kid 7/3
Echo Canyon 7/3
Saratoga Springtime 7/3
Canyon Colors 7/3
Mesa Verde 7/3
Navajo Blanket 7/3
Comanche Princess 7/3
Funny Valentine 7/3
Dream Keeper 7/3
Indian Love Call 7/3
Yellow Stella 7/3
Yellow Punch 7/3
Golden Stella 7/3
For the first time in years, Ruby Spider isn’t going to bloom on the 4th. I don’t I can do a shot with red, white and blue flowers together. Oh well, happy 4th!
Colorado Kid Daylilies 