Worth the Wait!

August 11, 2019August 11, 2019Leave a comment

Today. Two dozen still bloom. One Premier – Carlotta. She has a story. She was a bonus plant early in my daylily root days. She was planted in our adobe dirt overwhelmed with the bluebells. When I transplanted to pots, she was seedling size. Today comes her first bloom. Much better than the pictures. She is lacy and flowing. I like her.

Chaco Canyon – who did not bloom in 2019 until yesterday – threw an extra petal today. I’ve not seen her do that before. Also, worth the wait.

And, here it is, bedtime, again.

The Shrunken Days of August

August 10, 2019Leave a comment

My eyes are so tired that they drip with tears. I woke up before dawn, but dawn is getting later. And, my sprinklers now go off after dark in the evening even though I have not reset the time. Work starts earlier and ends later. Things always seem chaotic at the start of a school year. I am tireder than is healthy – it impacts my wellbeing. I can’t push the envelope the way I use to. Neither can the sun — it begins its rest cycle. I feel a bit sad because I don’t like the cold, dark side of the year. Mostly, though, I feel tired.

So, I had two Premiers today that I want to talk about before sleep. Frans Hals is one of my early mail order daylilies. It has been moved around the yard a few times. I thought this was the most beautiful daylily I had ever seen – this and Best Seller. I believe they were in my first batch of roots. Now, it looks kind of ordinary. Still, a nice late bloomer.

Frans Hals 8/9

And, my apologies to Chaco Canyon and Kachina Dancer. I got them mixed up. The one that bloomed earlier is Kachina Dancer. Chaco Canyon was divided and I thought her division had put out some small flowers – but it was Kachina Dancer. My main Chaco lost a scape to a storm in the spring – but managed to send out a re-bloom spike that opened today. Clearly, a different flower.

Chaco Canyon 8/9

Kachina Dancer – July, 2019

Thirty-two today. I have broken records nearly every day for a month. As the days shrink, so will the daylilies. Perhaps we all need a rest.

Oh – and my Apple Blossom Amaryllis baby bulbs (mom was pregnant about 3 years ago) finally bloomed! Merry Christmas – Winter Solstice is coming.

Apple Blossom Amaryllis 8/9

50 Startling Southwest Spider Daylilies!

August 1, 20191 Comment

Only 40 something daylilies today and no Premiers. So, it leaves time to talk about some of my daylily categories. I have talked a lot about my Ned Roberts spiders. I originally started collecting them after seeing Kokopelli on the Lily Auction – I love the Southwest and had to have her (I got the bid)! From there, I added more = lots more. At first, it was all fully Southwest names. Then, I gathered some animal and insect names to my Ned collection. And, some stellar names. IDK, is Dancing Maiden a name from the Southwest?

So, tonight, I will show you my purely Southwest named daylilies – the obvious names from the Southwest. But, first, Mildred Mitchell had an extra petal today – a genetic flaw that made her look pretty cool.

OK – Here are my Southwest Ned Roberts spiders. (These are the ones that have bloomed the last two years. Mostly this year, except Kokopelli did not bloom this year – which is unusual).

Adios Albuquerque – 2019

Apache Bandana – 2019

Apache Beacon – 2019

Aztec Firebirds – 2019

Black Arrowhead – 2019

Chaco Canyon – 2019

Cheyenne Eyes – 2019

Chief Four Fingers – 2019

Chokecherry Mountain – 2019

Comanche Princess – 2019

Coral Taco – 2019

Desert Icicle

Dream Catcher

Echo Canyon – 2019

Feather Woman – 2019

Ghost Ranch – 2019

Glen Eyrie – 2019

Happy Hopi – 2019

Iktomi – 2019

Kachina Firecracker – 2019

Kokopelli – 2018

Land of Enchantment – 2019

Laughing Feather – 2019

Mama Cuna – 2019

Maya Cha Cha – 2019

Medicine Feather – 2019

Mount Echo Sunrise – 2019

Navajo Curls – 2018

Navajo Grey Hills – 2019

Navajo Rodeo – 2019

Ojo de Dios – 2019

Pink Enchalada – 2019

Pink Rain Dance – 2019

Purple Corndancer – 2018

Purple Many Faces – 2019

Purple Thunderbird – 2019

Santa Fe Christmas

Shape Shifter – 2019

Skinwalker – 2019

Spirit of the Morning – 2019

Star Over Milagro – 2019

Taco Twister – 2019

Talon – 2019

Truchas Sunrise – 2019

Twirling Pinata – 2018

Wild Rose Fandango – 2019

Zuni Eye – 2019

Zuni Thunderbird – 2019

Counting Flowers on the Wall; That Don’t Bother Me At All!

July 20, 2019July 20, 20193 Comments

So, I had a record number of cultivators in bloom the day before my trip, but no time to blog. Tomorrow, I’m home but too late to see any blooms. So, here is the 7/16 batch. Honestly, I don’t remember which were new bloom, but I’ll try. It’ll be good to see what’s new on Sunday!

Premiers:

Apache Beacon 7/16

Inwood 7/17

Wild Rose Fandango 7/16

Coral Taco 7/16

Little Cadet 7/16

Winds of Love 7/16

Lacey Doily 7/16

Royal Palace Prince 7/16

Black Eyed Susan 7/16

Anasazi 7/16

Reruns – lots and lots of reruns:

Purple de Oro 7/16

Mauna Loa 7/16

Longlesson Show-off 7/16

South Seas 7/16

Isaac 7/16

Stephanie Returns 7/16

Passionate Returns 7/16

Prairie Wildfire 7/16

Catherine Irene 7/16

Strutter’s Ball 7/16

Prairie Blue Eyes 7/16

Red Riddle 7/16

Indian Love Call 7/16

Purple Many Faces 7/16

Iktomi 7/16

Indian Love Call 7/16

Chief Four Fingers 7/16

Zuni Thunderbird 7/16

Rocky Mountain Friends 7/16

Soco Gap 7/16

Black Ice 7/16

Maya Cha Cha 7/16

Purple Mystery 7/16

Ruby Spider 7/16

Comanche Princess 7/16

Mildred Mitchell 7/16

Thin Man 7/16

Lady Fingers 7/16

Papa Long Legs 7/16

Purple Grasshopper 7/16

Chaco Canyon 7/16

Happy Hopi 7/16

Feather Woman 7/16

Ojo de Dios 7/16

Canyon Colors 7/16

Cheddar Cheese 7/16

Mesa Verde 7/16

Primal Scream 7/16

The Colorado Kid 7/16

Melon Balls 7/16

Pardon Me 7/16

Cricket Call 7/16

Wineberry Candy 7/16

Raspberry Propeller 7/16

Route 66 7/16

Golden Stella 7/16

Yellow Punch 7/16

Early Bird Cardinal 7/16

Pink and Cream 7/16

Mini Pearl 7/16

Orange Flurry 7/16

Golden Stella 7/16

Cheyenne Eyes 7/16

Pink Enchilada 7/16

Apache Bandana 7/16

Here Come the Monsoons!

July 16, 2019Leave a comment

Today, I had 63 in bloom. It’s a record. Despite the wet, cold spring that did in a couple of my cultivars, my blooms so far are numerous. For a late start season, we are catching up! And, now, our monsoon rains are assisting with hydration.

I have several that are first blooms ever this year.

For time’s sake, I’m just doing Premiers tonight:

Lullaby Baby 7/15

Bluegrass Music 7/15

Blue Beet 7/15

Mildred Mitchell 7/15

Heavenly Curls 7/15

Medicine Feather 7/15

Black Ice 7/15

Maya Cha Cha 7/15

Indian Giver 7/15

Platinum Pink 7/15

Hesperus 7/15

Jungle Queen 7/15

Mauna Loa 7/15

Chaco Canyon 7/15

My lesson – water early and often. And, with any luck, the monsoons show up like they have this year.

A Celebration of Spiders! (Ned Roberts)

August 7, 20183 Comments

The days grow August-quiet. It seems a dream that I had nearly 60 blooms per day just a month ago. So, today, we will do finales. And, then, a roll-call of my Ned Roberts spiders.

Finales:

Chorus Line 8.5

Rosie’s Red 8.6

So, maybe if I do the Ned Roberts spider roll-call it will entice one more into bloom this year. My Ghost Ranch is a fall bloom, but I am having a rough time getting her to thrive here. Maybe some fish fertilizer? Our temps are still above average with little rain.

Ned Roberts Spiders for 2018 Season:

Adios Albuquerque

Apache Bandana

Aztec Firebird

Black Arrowhead

Black Ice

Chaco Canyon

Cheyenne Eyes

Chokecherry Mountain

Comanche Princess

Desert Icicle

Dream Catcher

Dream Keeper

Fox Ears

Happy Hopi

Iktomi

Kachina Firecracker

Kokopelli

Laughing Feather

Mama Cuna

Moon Over Chimayo

Navajo Curls

Navajo Rodeo

Papa Longlegs

Pink Rain Dance

Pueblo Dancer is her label, but she doesn’t look like that one. So???

Purple Corn Dancer

Purple Grasshopper

Purple Many Faces

Purple Moonrise

Purple Thunderbird

Raspberry Propeller

Raven Woodsong

Rocky Mountain Pals

Santa Fe Christmas

Shape Shifter

Skinwalker

Taco Twister

Talon

Twirling Pinata

Wild Rose Fandango

Zuni Eye

Zuni Thunderbird

Out of interest, here are my Ned Roberts spiders that bloomed last year but did not bloom this year:

Coral Taco 2017

Glen Eyrie

Pink Enchilada 2017

And, we had a few in 2016 that have not bloomed again:

Chief Four Fingers 2016

Ghost Ranch

Winds of Love 2016

I have around 64 of Ned’s spiders in my garden. I had 42 bloom this year or about 65%. Last year, I had 13 (about 20%) bloom. Marked improvement. All total, to date, I have had 48 (or 75%) bloom. That is a long way from 100%. But, marked improvement. I think some of the ones that bloomed in 2016 were put in that year (still flourishing from the nursery), struggled last year in the clay soil, and are recovering (growing new roots) this year in their pots. I am sure that the drought had an impact, as well.

So, for fun, here are the ones I have that have never bloomed (photos from the web):

Apache Beacon

Coyote Laughs

Cricket Call

Cripple Creek

Dancing Maiden

Echo Canyon

Feather Woman

Golden Eclipse

Kachina Dancer

Kiva Dancer

Land of Enchantment

Maya Cha Cha

Medicine Feather

Mount Echo Sunrise

Navajo Grey Hills

Ojo de Dios

Orchid Moonrise

The Real Pueblo Dancer

Spirit of the Morning

Star over Milagro

Truchas Sunrise

Wildwood Flower

We made improvements, but we have aways to go. That’s life

New Faces, Finales, and Roll Call

July 16, 2018July 16, 20181 Comment

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.

Adios Albuquerque 7.10

Alabama Jubilee 7.11

Anasazi 7.13

Aztec Firebird 7.14

Baja 7.14

Bela Lugosi 7.9

Black Arrowhead 7.10

Black Eyed Susan 7.14

Black Ice 7.10

Blue Beat 7.11

Bluegrass Music 7.11

Canyon Colors 7.15

Catherine Irene 7.15

Chaco Canyon 7.12

Cheddar Cheese 7.12

Cheyenne Eyes 7.8

Chorus Line 7.13

Classy Lady 7.14

Comanche Princess 7.11

Dark Mystery 7.12

Desert Icicle 7.15

Dream Catcher 7.15

Early Bird Cardinal 7.10

El Desperado 7.13

Fairytale Pink 7.14

Funny Valentine 7.10

Heavenly Curls 7.12

Heron’s Cove 7.13

Hesperus 7.15

Holy Sombrero 7.10

Indian Sky 7.15

Inwood 7.12

Isaac 7.12

Just Plum Happy 7.10

Kachina Firecracker 7.12

Lacy Doily 7.10

Lady Fingers 7.12

Laughing Feather 7.9

Lime Frost 7.15

Longlesson Showoff 7.13

Lullabye Baby 7.14

Mama Cuna 7.13

Marque Moon 7.15

Mellon Balls 7.11

Mesa Verde 7.13

Mildred Mitchell 7.15

Mini Pearl 7.15

Navajo Rodeo 7.13

Nosferatu 7.15

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.11

Papa Longlegs 7.15

Passionate Returns 7.10

Petite Petticoats 7.10

Pick of the Litter 7.14

Pink and Cream 7.11

Pink Rain Dance 7.11

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.10

Prairie Wildfire 7.11

Prelude to Love 7.15

Purple de Oro 7.14

Purple Grasshopper 7.11

Purple Mystic 7.11

Raspberry Propeller 7.14

Red Hot Returns 7.15

Red Riddle 7.10

Return a Smile 7.10

Route 66 7.13

Ruby Spider 7.14

Ruby Stella 7.15

Shape Shifter 7.13

Skinwalker 7.10

Soco Gap 7.14

South Seas 7.14

Stella de Oro 7.13

Stephanie Returns 7.14

Strutter’s Ball 7.11

Taco Twister 7.11

Talon 7.11

The Colorado Kid 7.10

Thin Man 7.15

Treasure of the Southwest 7.13

Wild Horses 7.11

Wineberry Candy 7.12

Yellow Punch 7.13

Zuni Thunderbird 7.13

It’s in the Genes!

July 12, 2018Leave a comment

Whew – the peak slowed just a bit today. No new blooms tonight. That is not to say that I didn’t have 50 blooms in my yard today . . . and we will have some new faces tomorrow. Today, I traveled out of town to meet my surgeon for a consult, so it was good to have less photo pressure!

So, a bit of a side trip tonight – let’s look at some genetics for my Ned Roberts spiders.

According to the Lakota, Iktomi is a spider trickster spirit and hero. I liked the name, so had to have the cultivator in my Southwest Garden. Iktomi is the parent of several of my other daylilies. Let’s see if we can see the family resemblance.

Here is Iktomi:

Iktomi 2018

Apache Bandana is a child of Iktomi:

Apache Bandana 2018

Chaco Canyon is another kid:

Chaco Canyon 2018

Dream Keeper has Iktomi and Dream Catcher as parents:

Dream Keeper 2018

Black Arrowhead is another offspring:

Black Arrowhead 2018

Laughing Feather is also in the sibling mix:

Laughing Feather 2018

I think the resemblance is kind of cool – they all have the midrib strips, although Dream Keeper looks more like Dream Catcher than Iktomi to me. What do you think?

Dream Catcher 2018

OK – Here is another one. Remember our Chokecherry Mountain?

Chokecherry Mountain 2018

Well, she is the offspring of Talon . . . do you see it?

Talon 2018

Sort of interesting to see side-by-side. Of course, I am a midwife. I don’t think I would ever want to try to hybridize, though. Never say never. I really like the look of all my Ned Roberts spiders . . . I wish I had his creativity.

Oh, and I have a confession. I got confused on labels – the photos I posted of Echo Canyon are really Kachina Firecracker. So sorry! She has the stripes but is not a child of Iktomi.

Kachina Firecracker 2018

OK – so bloomers today were: South Seas, Papa Longlegs, Comanche Princess, Navajo Rodeo, Taco Twister, Desert Icicle, Aztec Firebird, Purple Grasshopper, Pink Rain Dance, Soco Gap, Cheyenne Eyes, Talon, Mesa Verde, Canyon Colors, Heron’s Cove, Purple de Oro, Cheddar Cheese, Nosferatu, Purple Mystique, Prairie Blue Eyes, Wineberry Candy, Bluegrass Music, Blue Beat, The Colorado Kid, Mildred Mitchell, Mellow Balls, Chorus Line, Return a Smile, Longlesson Show-off, Passionate Returns, Anasazi, Indian Sky, Lady Fingers, Black Eyed Susan, Pick of the Litter, Prairie Wildfire, Stephanie Returns, Yellow Punch, Pink and Cream, Ruby Stella, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Strutter’s Ball, Wild Horses. I think that is it . . . tomorrow, more new faces!

It’s The Peak – Sunday Roll Call

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018Leave a comment

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?

Alabama Jubilee 7.3

Aztec Firebird 7.8

Black Arrowhead 7.2

Black Eyed Susan 7.6

Black Ice 7.5

Bluegrass Music 7.3

Canyon Colors 7.5

Catherine Irene 7.6

Chaco Canyon 7.5

Cheyenne Eyes 7.6

Chokecherry Mountain 7.3

Comanche Princess 7.6

Dark Mystery 7.5

Dream Catcher 7.5

Early Bird Cardinal 7.3

Electric Lizard 7.6

Funny Valentine 7.8

Happy Hopi 7.6

Happy Returns 7.3

Heron’s Cove 7.5

Holy Sombrero 7.5

Hopi Jewel 7.3

Indian Giver 7.3

Inwood 7.6

Isaac 7.5

Jungle Queen 7.8

Just Plum Happy 7.3

Lady Fingers 7.5

Laughing Feather 7.2

Longlesson Show-off 7.6

Lullaby Baby 7.8

Mellon Balls 7.5

Mesa Verde 7.4

Mildred Mitchell 7.5

Mini Pearl 7.5

Navajo Rodeo 7.8

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.8

PaPa Longlegs 7.6

Passionate Returns 7.6

Petite Petticoats 7.3

Pick of the Litter 7.5

Pink and Cream 7.6

Pink Raindance 7.4

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.5

Prairie Wildfire 7.6

Prelude to Love 7.5

Primal Scream 7.4

Purple de Oro 7.6

Purple Grasshopper 7.4

Purple Many Faces 7.5

Purple Mystique 7.5

Raven Woodsong 7.4

Red Riddle 7.5

Return a Smile 7.6

Route 66 7.4

Ruby Spider 7.8

Ruby Stella 7.5

Shape Shifter 7.6

Soco Gap 7.5

Stella 7.5

Stephanie Returns 7.5

Strutter’s Ball 7.5

Taco Twister 7.6

Talon 7.8

The Colorado Kid 7.6

Thin Man 7.5

Treasure of the Southwest 7.4

Wild Horses 7.5

Wild Rose Fandango 7.4

Wineberry Candy 7.4

Yellow Punch 7.6

Zuni Thunderbird 7.4

July 1: Daylily Roll Call!

July 1, 2018Leave a comment

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.