Oops-a-Daylily! It’s Bloom Time in the High-Desert

June 29, 2026Leave a comment

Hello Daylily Fans,

Another week has sailed by in the garden. I have 34 gorgeous daylilies that showed their faces (or throats) for the first time this season since last Sunday.

The daylilies are stunning but the real surprise is that they have survived “fire weather” watches and warnings nearly every day this week. For our friends in China and anyone not on the Colorado Plateau – that means low relative humidity, warm temperatures and gusty wind. We did have a couple days of rain last week – it was a nice break.

Of course, fire weather means it’s wildfire season. We have had a couple major fires close by this week – the Snyder Fire near McInnis Canyons and the Gold Mountain Fire outside Ouray. I’m near the airport and there is a constant buzz of firefighting traffic over my home all day the last couple of days going to Ouray. Sadly, three firefighters died fighting the Snyder Fire – so these flower pictures are dedicated to them and their loved ones.

What does fire weather do to daylilies? It melts them. Or at least they look melted by noon. They fade, get translucent – some more than others. Butthey were made for humid ditches, not high-desert droughts. It also means they have dealt with high winds that have ripped off petals and the smoke isn’t good for anyone.

My win this week is a first ever bloom on Fulva – the original ditch lily. She is rumored to be invasive but in the desert, she is pretty tame. I planted her 3 places in my yard as an experiment. This year, the plant near the sprinkler head is the one that finally bloomed! After 5 years. The second one is in a pot and does “ok” but is small and doesn’t bloom. The third is in a raised planter with the native plants and she looks like a seedling at year 5.

It’s been too busy. I am experimenting with my business and adding some new avenues for my art sales. My special needs senior rescue dogs get stressed with the heat and my busier summer schedule – I swear they are telling me to slow down. Of course, camping is happening. So, I miss a couple days a month of my blooms in June but I watch for cool blooms whereever we travel.

Don’t forget to stop by my Etsy shop. I have some cool garden gnomes that are handpainted to look like the Painted Wall at Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They are perfect companions for any daylily garden.

I’ll be back next week.

Until then, keep on blooming!

Cathy Hartt (Doctor of the Daylilies)

Drought Impact on Daylilies: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim Fire & Garden Update

July 12, 2025Leave a comment

Hi Daylily Lovers,

The South Rim Fire, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

I want to start by saying a few words about the drought that has been growing in Western Colorado all season. Yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, a “dry lightning” storm came through and set off multiple fires in our region. This is like striking a match to dry kindling.

Now, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is evacuated because of an active fire on the South Rim – about 15 miles away on the road – maybe 10 miles as the crow flies. The smoke and air quality are bad. The South Rim Fire is one of three very active fires in my county – the others are the Sow Belly Fire and the Deer Creek Fire. I can hear the aircraft humming almost constantly from my garden, about 2 miles from our airport.

Watch Duty screen shot 7.11.24 Montrose County, CO

So many daylily farmers live in places that get regular rain. Here, the daylilies often get their only water from my City water hose. But, beyond the daylilies, please keep our firefighters in your thoughts as they battle these blazes in 90+ degree weather and single-digit humidity.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park photo (credit Facebook) 7.11.25

Garden Update: First Blooms for 2025 Since July 4th

I’ve had a lot of bloomers since I last posted on July 4th. It’s hot now, too uncomfortable to garden. And, now there is smoke. But, I still manage to get out everyday for my photos and a jog around the neighborhood.

I hit peak bloom 2 days ago, with 60+ in bloom that day. As of today, I have had 113 total cultivators in bloom this season for a bloom rate of 60%. I am hoping to make it to 80% this season. If I keep all the current buds and add a few more, I’ll be OK. Bud blast happens in these conditions, thought. I need 39 more!

I continue with my community volunteer work. I feel that is my priority this summer, but I miss my more frequent and in-depth posts about daylily gardening. Fortunately, it has been a better bloom year than I expected with the drought. And, I am getting a couple of hours on my porch editing my photos every day. It is a joyful escape (even in the heat) from today’s politics. I am grateful for my daily daylily escape!

Until next week, keep blooming! Cathy H

Code Red

July 27, 2023Leave a comment

I’ve had 3 red and 1 orange daylily have their premiere blooms for 2023 since my last blog 2 days ago. It’s hot and by evening i look like my cooked daylilies. Enjoy!

Please visit my website Www.artfromthehartt.com

Que sera, sera

July 7, 2022Leave a comment

Whatever will be, will be. Such is the lesson of the daylily garden.

Look, I’m exhausted today so quick run down on my premiers today. Then, zzzzz!

I will say a word about my garden’s family section. I have Stephanie Returns, Oh Erica, Isaac, Mayan Poppy (for Maia), Mini Pearl (actually, my grandmother’s name), Catherine Irene (mom’s name), and Santa’s Pants (dad played Santa for years in Estes Park). So, today, Isaac bloomed. It’s a sweet, simple bloom. A bit of a unique shape for a daylily. Kind of like a tulip. I love the green eye. Just right for my grandson.

The other newbies were all reds with yellow eyes 👀.

As for tomorrow, Que sera, sera

July Daylily Roundup A-M

August 1, 2021August 1, 20212 Comments

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.

“Fringe Benefit” 6.27-7.12 (mislabeled bonus)

Glen Eyrie 7.25-7.30 (started while I was on vaca 7.19-24)

Golden Eclipse 7.16-present

Jungle Queen 7.1-7.19-24? Finished during vacation

Marque Moon 7.13-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)

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.

Records Broken

July 11, 20211 Comment

I remember my sister had a gold colored Chipmunks record when I was a kid. Dad got frustrated by Alvin, Theodore and Simon. The record was broken. We will leave it right there.

Yesterday, Grand Junction reached 107 degrees for the first time in written weather history. And, today I woke up to 68 cultivators. I believe that’s a new record. My computer is choking on the picture files, too.

Today brought 5 premiers. I need to post from my phone while my computer deletes files.

Orange Flurry 7.10 – another bonus, I believe

Fooled Me 7.10 – An early xeroscaping plant

Truchas Sunrise- 7.10 – A nice Roberts spiders that makes me long for my road trip in a couple of weeks.

Baja 7.10 – I have had this one a while. Nice velvet bloom.

So, looks like we are still on top of the Mesa. We will see what tomorrow brings.

July’s Colorful Parade

July 31, 20203 Comments

Are you ready for a beautiful July parade? Here goes – a listing of all of my daylilies that had first blooms in July. I count 81. Enjoy!

Catching Up is Hard to Do

July 19, 2020July 19, 2020Leave a comment

I spent some time today trying to re-orient myself to the new lot of daylilies that are in bloom since I got home from my road trip. I got the spent scapes cut off and tried to make a list of finales. I would like to make a list of all the ones with scapes not yet bloomed and all the ones that aren’t trying.

Anyway, I went back through the 7.8 and 7.16 photos and found more premiers. Plus, there were 5 premiers today (at least first bloom since I got home). The total is 114 that have bloomed. That’s a 67% bloom rate. To hit 80%, we will need 37 cultivators to bloom. Twenty-three more. That’s tight but we can hope. I’ll count unbloomed scapes tomorrow.

Here are the premiers from today:

And, to backtrack, here are the premiers from 7.16.20 that I finally had time to look at today. I always come home to rain – so these guys look like they just showered.

Autumn Jewels looks sad but she bloomed 7.16.1

Papa Long Legs first and last bloom 7.16.20

So, that is it . . . back to a normal pace except work starts Monday. However, I am suppose to have July off so I plan to work from home unless they demand otherwise. Plus, I am waiting out the two-week COVID risk.

I worked on transplanting succulent cuttings and transplanting a few succulents into larger pots. I don’t have tons of love left for my orchids . . . so I use those pots but fill the holes with moss. It takes a while but it is relaxing.

Just for the record, here is a list of all of the finales so far for 2020: Apache Uprising (I missed this one but it did bloom), Ruby Spider (today), Lime Frost, Return a Smile (unless she reblooms), Early Bird Cardinal, Prairie Wildfire, Catherine Irene, Thin Man, Comanche Princess, The Colorado Kid, Blue Beat, Mildred Mitchell, Mauna Loa, Mesa Verde, Heron’s Cove, Canyon Colors (today), Jungle Queen, Wineberry Candy, Just Plum Happy, Raspberry Propeller, Santa’s Pants, Red Mystery, Bella Boo, Nosferatwo, Coral Taco, Pink Enchalada, Pink Rain Dance, Zuni Eye (I missed this one but it did bloom), Papa Long Legs, Land of Enchantment, All American Chief, Purple Many Faces, Indian Love Call, Laughing Feather, Coyote Laughs, Kokopelli, Hopi Jewel, Mount Echo Sunrise, Holy Sombrero, Ojo De Dios, Rocky Mountain Pals, Kachina Firecracker, Kiva Dancer, Echo Canyon, Indian Giver, Funny Valentine, Wild Horses, Inwood, Primal Scream, Lacy Doily, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Canyon Colors (today), Kachina Dancer (today), Apache Bandana (today). Not bad for 6 weeks!

Colorado Day: My Top 10 Red Daylilies

August 2, 2019August 2, 20191 Comment

August 1st brought a cool day with rain. School starts next week, work is buzzing. But, I tell myself, we are still 6 weeks from fall and the short day, cool seasons. August 1st is also Colorado Day. Colorado means red. So, since I have no new cultivators today (but still 50+ in bloom), I thought I would share my top 10 red daylilies. Here they are in no particular order:

Ruby Spider – one of my oldest daylilies – 2019

Baja – another oldy but goodie (looks like velvet) – 2019

Route 66 – nice colors (she brings to mind my spring road trip) – 2019

Maya Cha Cha – This is for my Granddaughter, Maia! – 2019

Apache Bandana – an eye-catching flower – 2019

Santa’s Pants – a jolly old soul – 2019

Fox Ears – I simply love the shape! – 2019

Nurse’s Stethoscope – I helped name this one (my legacy) – 2019

Navajo Rodeo – I like the distinctive shape and the name – 2019

Kachina Firecracker – looks like red ribbons – 2019

What’s your favorite?

Show Me Your Stethoscope!

July 28, 2019July 28, 2019Leave a comment

I am a nurse and a midwife. Remember the “show me your stethoscope” incident on The View a few years back? It took over my Facebook feed for a few weeks – nurses united! During that time, I was pretty active on the American Daylily Society Facebook page. I had an idea – they should name a daylily Nurse’s Stethoscope. Well, one of the hybridizers who was also in healthcare picked-up on the suggestion and registered a daylily with that name.

It was a pretty daylily – beautiful, I thought. Except it was new on the market so out of my price range. Summer before last, I finally caved and bought it. It thrived last summer and gave me quite a show of blooms. But, she was one of the ones who struggled because of the cold, wet spring. Her scapes died back after sprouting. I put her in a smaller pot and moved her to the front yard for the summer. I crossed my fingers. She is coming back enough to have a couple buds. Once she blooms, I will fertilize. Glad to have her as one of my premiers today! My little daylily legacy!

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7/27

Another Premier was Kachina Firecracker, another Ned Roberts spider. I was putting her in my new daylily garden three years ago when I adopted my rescue dog, Kachina. There were two daylilies – Kachina Firecracker and Kachina Dancer. Kachina was a stray before going to the sanctuary, so they gave her the name Tina due to her small size (7 pounds of anxiety!) I was trying to think of a name for her that rhymed with Tina. It was the daylilies named Kachina that synapsed my choice of names for my mutt.

Kachina Firecracker 7/27

Last Premier is Baja – an old favorite. One of my early daylilies that just keeps coming back every summer.

Baja 7/27

I do find the taking photos of 70+ flowers every day for a few weeks is exhausting on top of the blogging. I start to dream of fall hikes in the canyon and watching Call the Midwife. For now, we will see what tomorrow brings. We had another gusher monsoon today, so I will see what is up when I awaken from much-needed sleep.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: Baja