Tag: Art from the Hartt

Daylily Care: Tackling Weed Infestation and Pot Maintenance

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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.

Mama Cuna acrylic on wood panel.

Welcome to Summer 2024: A Flair For Florescence!

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Hello, fellow daylily lovers,

It is summer, again. I have had 3 daylilies bloom this season: Saratoga Springtime on 6.6, Burgundy Crab on 6.10, and Mesa Verde today. I have about 60-70 scapes. My bloom rate may be down this year because we didn’t get much local snow/groundwater last year. The mountains got a lot, but that doesn’t help my pots if I don’t turn on the hose.

Saratoga Springtime
Burgundy Crab
Mesa Verde

I feel that selling my beautiful begonias at Country Flair in Montrose, CO is creating some gardening burnout for me. A few of my daylilies are really struggling – I mean I may lose them. Others have grass or weeds in the pots and I didn’t repot this spring. I’m an artist first and foremost (after being a retired nurse/nurse-midwife and a wellbeing practitioner.) Oh, and rescue dog mom. Time flies and plants take time. Looking forward to the daylily blooms has always been a joy – but now that the begonias are a year-around job, I just don’t get the same dopamine fix.

Camping with my rescue dogs last weekend – Kachina, Cimarron, and Kokopelli

That creates a quandary about what to do with the blog this summer. I only posted for a month last year. Really? Why? Because I needed my time back for my business – plus camping, hiking, my travel blog, etc. I will try the Instagram reels, again, because that seemed to work OK. I always say I can keep going until the last bloom – I’ll try, again!

The good news is that I’m also going to be plugging some of my stunning daylily artwork that I sell in my Etsy shop. I am running a 25% off sale “until the last daylily blooms” – so come check that out! I have cards, wall art, clocks, and pots with daylily designs – all handmade!

Anyway, things are heating up – although today was cool and rainy. Not sure who is next. Maybe Kokopelli?

I’ve Seen It Rainin’ Fire In The Sky.

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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.

Please visit my website Www.artfromthehartt.com

Valentines and Show-offs

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Two more beautiful daylilies joined the 2023 party today: Funny Valentine and Longlesson Show-off.

Funny Valentine first bloom 7.3

Funny Valentine was one of my early landscaping daylilies. She produces a huge number of blooms from her pot.

Longlesson Show-off first bloom 7.3

Longlesson Show-off was a bonus daylily. I recently moved it to the back patio to give more room to some new favorites. I think the color is nicer in the new spot.

What will the 4th of July bring?

Visit my website http://www.ArtformtheHartt.com

Psychrophilic Daylilies of 2023

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It’s been a weird year. Not just the weather, but definitely the weather. Cold, wet spring. It felt like winter until it was summer – then BAM we get into fire weather with high winds and low humidity. I also lost my beloved soul dog, Sazi, in March. I adopted a new special needs senior in April and she had major surgery in May. Oh, and my art/houseplant business, Art from the Hartt, changed locations in May.

My dog, Kachina, and her new sister, Kokopelli

So, daylilies have been on the back burner. But, hey, it is July 1, and only 6 cultivators have bloomed so far this season, anyway. Mostly Saratoga Springtime – who bloomed on June 7th and is now finished. I lost almost all of the daylilies that I added last fall plus a couple old timers 😦 I added a few new ones from local nurseries to fill gaps – I am also using coleus as pot savers. I ordered a few new ones for fall, but I think I am out of space to nurture too many more.

Saratoga Springtime began blooming 6.7
Dream Keeper first bloom 6.25
Comanche Princess began blooming today (7.1)
Kokopelli began blooming 6.30
Open My Eyes began blooming 6.25
Stella de Oro began blooming 6.28

I can’t believe it has been nearly 11 months since my last blog. One would think I had 4 other websites and a bunch of social media to run. . . Wait, I do. LOL. Plus, it was past peak when I stopped blogging last year in early August and we are no where near peak today. Anyway, enjoy my list (with pictures) of cultivators that have come through the cold spring and into bloom. I call them psychrophilic.

Synchronous Seasons

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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!

Our Spring Plant Sale List

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These plants will go on sale starting April 2022. Plants ordered in April will be shipped (without a heat pack) in early May to avoid the risk of cold weather. Once a plant is in-stock on Etsy, I will link it here. Most plants are 10% off during the April pre-order event! Grab yours now!

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates. Also, favorite my shop on #Etsy for the latest listings.

Begonias are the love of The Midwife’s Nursery! I grow and sell begonias that do well in most climates. I use descriptors and/or official names for my plant list. See listing photos by clicking the links.

Slide show photos show listing photos – please click the link for Etsy listing photos.

Coleus (more varieties coming soon – named by colors): See listing photos by clicking links

Slide show #1 Pink and cream large leaf, #2 Mauve tipped leaf, #3 Orange leaf Carnival, #4 Pink vein leaf, #5 Purple ruffle leaf, #6 Rose tipped leaf (more photos coming soon)

Succulents: See listing photos by clicking links

Slide show #1 Crested cactus, #2 Happy Bean, #3 Epiphyllum Queen of the Night (white)

Miscellaneous Houseplants/ Bromeliads: See listing photos by clicking links

Daylilies and Garden Plants: See listing photos by clicking links

This page will be updated frequently during the growing season. I will be adding daylilies, iris, bromeliads, and more. As I am a small home-based business, quantities/availability can change quickly. My Etsy shop has the most current listings. Happy gardening.

Mama Cuna and the Banana Yucca

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There are a zillion daylily gardens that are larger than my little half lot. What makes my garden a little unique (other than my collection of Roberts spiders) is the Southwestern native plants.

Mama Cuna cuddling tha banana yucca in my yard – nearly finished painting

I absolutely adore my daylily-yucca combination photos. Mama Cuna is one of my favorite because of her huge blooms size and purple-red color. It’s a stunning mix with the green-aqua banana yucca leaves.

The first petal appears on the wood

So, this photo of Mama Cuna caught my eye for a painting. This is an 8×8 inch wood panel with lively acrylic paint. The rock bed background is always a fun challenge. And, those cool curly cue yucca spines.

The yucca taking form.

I’ll be listing both the painting and photo prints to my Etsy store tomorrow 11/3/21. Perfect Christmas present for a daylily lover! Www.etsy.com/shop/ArtfromtheHartt

Now, for the rocks and yucca spines.

Winter Blooms: Daylily paintings and photo prints!

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Hi guys, sorry I’ve been so quiet the last few weeks. Semi-retirement is crazy so far. Started a business and running 2 programs for my part-time day job.

My Etsy Store is hopping. And, I’ve gotten lots of artwork done. I’m going to share some of my work below just to brighten your day. If you see something you like, please visit my Etsy store!

Skinwalker 8×8 painting (photo prints coming soon)
Daylily ornaments featuring Candy Cane Dreams, Santa Fe Christmas, Desert Icicle and Santa’s Pants
Nurse’s Stethoscope photo print from original painting 8×8
Canyon Colors photo print from original painting 8×8
Land of Enchantment photo print from original painting 8×8

More coming soon!

Fall Daylily Sale! We got spiders!

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I have exciting news! My Etsy Store is up and running. And, I am having a Fall Daylily Sale. I actually divided several of my Ned Roberts spiders. I have the following listed on Etsy for sale (link to my shop click here):

Aztec Firebird

Cheyenne Eyes

Comanche Princess

Desert Icicle

Dream Catcher

Land of Enchantment

Laughing Feather

Lobo Lucy

Moon Over Chimayo

Ojo de Dios

Shape Shifter

Purple Many Faces

Spirit of the Morning

Star over Milagro

Winds of Love

So, what have I been up to the last month? Starting my business on Etsy and working in nursing academic leadership 3 days a week. Some year, I am going to blog every day in August! I have Purple Grasshopper still in bloom – she was one of the first and will be the last. It is like she is on steroids this year.

Anyway, please visit my Etsy Shop for photos and more info on the daylily sale. It only goes until 9.11 due to the fact the freeze will get here in October. If the daylily you are interested doesn’t have a listing, please email me at cathy.hartt55@gmail.com to see if I have it available. Growing in fairly small pots means I usually only get 2-4 extra fans when I divide.

I will be back with my end of month list of bloomers for August in a couple days. See you then!

Visit Art from the Hartt on Etsy!