The Last Dozen Daylilies

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018Leave a comment

Today, we got a late burst of activity in the daylily garden. A nice dozen showed up today. Given I only have 11 with buds left, I believe it is the last dozen. And, we had several finales. Now comes the time that I contemplate what to do with the ones that have never bloomed. Do I toss them and put divisions of some of my more reliable ones in their place? Or give them another year? Or a little of both?

Finales:

El Desperado 8.8 – blooming since 7.10

Cherokee Star 8.8 – blooming since 7.16

Orange Vols 8.8 – blooming since 7.23

Other bloomers today:

Pink and Cream 8.8

Mini Pearl 8.8

Indian Sky 8.8

Heirloom Heaven 8.8

Blue Beat 8.8

Dream Catcher 8.8

Navajo Curls 8.8

Purple Corn Dancer 8.8

Royal Palace Prince 8.8

The next dozen will be next June. I start to plan poinsettia and amaryllis forcing . . . oh, one of my amaryllises is putting up a scape right now. The ugly daylily.

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.

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.

Alabama Jubilee 6/27

Apache Bandana 6/29

Aztec Firebird 7/1

Black Arrowhead 6/30

Black Ice 6/27

Bluegrass Music 6/27

Canyon Colors 6/30

Catherine Irene 6/30

Chaco Canyon 6/30

Cheyenne Eyes 6/29

Chokecherry Mountain 6/26

Comanche Princess 6/26

Dark Mystery (noid) 6/29

Dream Keeper 6/25

Early Bird Cardinal 7/1

Electric Lizard 6/30

Funny Valentine 6/30

Happy Hopi 6/30

Happy Returns 6/29

Holy Sombrero 6/28

Hopi Jewel 6/27

Indian Love Call 6/28

Inwood 6/30

Jungle Queen 6/29

Lady Fingers 7/1

Laughing Feather 6/27

Mesa Verde 6/29

Mini Pearl 6/30

Navajo Rodeo 7/1

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7/1

Papa Longlegs 6/30

Passionate Returns 6/29

Petite Petticoats 6/29

Pink and Cream 6/26

Pink Rain Dance 6/26

Prairie Blue Eyes 6/25

Pueblo Dancer 6/30

Purple Many Faces 6/29

Purple Mystique 6/30

Red Riddle 6/30

Return a Smile 7/1

Rocky Mountain Pals 6/29

Route 66 6/27

Ruby Spider 6/29

Ruby Stella 6/30

Saratoga Springtime 6/28

Soco Gap 7/1

Stella de Oro 6/26

Strutter’s Ball 6/29

Talon 6/29

The Colorado Kid 6/29

Thin Man 7/1

Treasure of the Southwest 7/1

Wild Horses 6/29

Wineberry Candy 6/26

Yellow Punch 6/26

Zuni Eye 6/26

Zuni Thunderbird 6/30

Overload!

June 30, 2018June 30, 2018Leave a comment

Here comes the peak. Thirty-seven bloomers today – Six new ones. Well, five, but I am going to highlight Papa Long Legs, again. Because his first bloom was not his best. So, here he is today. He totally lives up to his name!

Papa Long Legs 6/30

And, as I said yesterday, Happy Hopi was in the blooming process. She ended up with some awesome blooms today – I have never seen her before in my yard. Another first. I am now up to 21 Ned Roberts spiders that have bloomed. I hope to double that. But, I only had like 12 all of last year. So, those buried pots matter.

Happy Hopi 6/30

The other new Roberts spider (another very first bloom) is Black Arrowhead. She reminds me of Apache Bandana. Somewhere I have all the genetics for this family of daylily – I need to look to see who is related to who. But, probably not until the peak slows some.

Black Arrowhead 6/30

The next two are family flowers. In the Walkway Garden, I have a small Family Garden section. It is inspiring, spiritual, and sad to me . . . all at once. Many of my family have passed (I am the baby of the family whose mom was nearly 40 when she gave birth). Others and just estranged or distant. I wish it was different, but I have always been the resilient one. Sometimes that means aging solo. But the garden brings me to a place of remembering the positives I got from my family.

So, today a first bloom of Catherine Irene. My mom’s name was Catherine Irene. This flower has done so much better in a buried container . . . first bloom after 3 summers here. She is a pretty little mini!

Catherine Irene 6/30

And, speaking of minis, Mini Pearl showed up today. My mom’s mom (my grandma) was named Mini Pearl. She is a reliable bloomer and I am sure I will need to divide her come fall.

Mini Pearl 6/30

I also had my first Electric Lizard for the year. This plant struggles in my yard. Only 2 buds this year. None last year, I don’t think. One the year prior. I love this bloom and wish it liked me better. Maybe more miracle grow this fall?

Electric Lizard 6/30

Last, but not least, is cute little Early Bird Cardinal. She has been a reliable bloomer over the years, although only gave me a couple blooms last year. Many buds this year. I was thinking the one I named Red Riddle might be an Early Bird Cardinal – but I don’t think so now. Look at the side-by-side of today’s blooms. I think Early Bird is smaller, rounder, and rufflier. I don’t know for sure, thought.

Early Bird Cardinal 6/30

Red Riddle 6/30

OK – other bloomers (are you ready?) – Purple Many Faces, Indian Love Call, Pink Rain Dance, Cheyenne Eyes, Navajo Rodeo, Chokecherry Mountain, Cherokee Princess, Hopi Jewel, Holy Sombrero, Pueblo Dancer, Black Ice, Soco Gap, Aztec Firebird, Zuni Thunderbird, Prairie Blue Eyes, Red Riddle, Purple Mystique, Mesa Verde, Canyon Colors, Bluegrass Music, The Colorado Kid, Happy Returns, Lady Fingers, Yellow Punch, Jungle Queen, Route 66, Ruby Stella, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Strutter’s Ball, Wild Horses, Inwood, Chaco Canyon, Funny Valentine, and Return a Smile.

Tomorrow, it will be quite a roll-call for the week. But next week will be even crazier. And fitting in medical appointments . . . But, I would not miss the peak bloom for the world. Tomorrow, we will hear from Primal Scream!

So, that is 62 of 175 (ish) – 35% bloom rate so far. Man . . . we have a ways to go!

A Time to Every Purpose

September 28, 2016September 28, 2016Leave a comment

Today, Ruby Stella bloomed. She only has two buds left and freeze is headed our way soon. I was thinking of firsts and lasts today. My first daylily bloomed in March . . . in zone 6A. Indian Sky was accidentally forced on my porch and produced two blooms. She did not rebloom this year.

Indian Sky – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

My first in-yard bloom was another container that was forced a bit early from winter on the porch – Electric Lizard.

Electric Lizard – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

My first planted in the dirt daylily to bloom was Dream Keeper (6/13) – this is my daughter’s choice for a painting for her birthday.

Dream Keeper – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, the last . . . Miss Ruby Stella from today. Last, but not least.

Ruby Stella – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

They spanned seven months . . . maybe we make it to October? Then, eight.

The other thing I hope spans a lot of months are the new labels. What a project to make these for every daylily, not just the 50 or so southwestern garden ones that I blogged about earlier this month. They have held up, so I am giving it a shot. I just want labels that last more than a month or two. So, we will see. Fingers crossed.

PS – I did become a Doctor of Nursing Practice. And, then I went on a camping road trip through SE Utah. New job starts next week. Time to get cracking with some winter strong labels!

A Little Piece of Heaven in my Yard

August 17, 2016Leave a comment

Today, Heirloom Heaven bloomed for the first time. This little one was one of my first root plantings last year.

Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

It is a miniature, at least this first bloom cycle. Here it is with my petite finger:

Heirloom Heaven with my finger for proportion

Other blooms were my orange/yellow combos. Frans Hals:

Frans Hals – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, Orange Flurry:

Orange Flurry – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Oh, and Stella, of course:

Yella Stella – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Today also brought the first of a couple fall plantings. I got one called Painted Petroglyph on fall sale at Shady Rest Gardens. It is not a Robert’s cultivator, but it still belongs in my Southwest garden. It is beautiful. Live long and prosper little one. I also replaced Navajo Rodeo – love the fall sales! I added a few more fans of Electric Lizard, as mine are still anemic.

I didn’t order much this fall, but the daylilies keep me going. I am getting two new Roberts blooms, too. Twirling Pinata and Glen Eyrie. My daughter lives in Colorado Springs, so I couldn’t resist the second one. (Many of the Roberts cultivators were hybridized right there!) I love fall plantings because, by spring they act like they have been here forever! I think I will hit 80 cultivators that bloomed this summer. That’s just over 50%. Keep on mulching!

Oh, and keep on painting. I finally finished Chief Four Fingers in the wee hours.

A Classy Lady Comes to Town!

July 25, 2016July 25, 2016Leave a comment

Ah, now I think, perhaps, the season of blooms is slowing down a bit. At least as far as having a new cultivator every day or so. But, hey, today I had several plants with three or four blooms at once.

But, hold on! I did have a new girl today. Her name is Classy Lady. She was one of my fall auction purchases, along with Electric Lizard, Kokopelli, and Quilt Patch. It looks like Quilt Patch will be my only non-bloomer this year. I like this bloom – it has a shape like a gymnast. And, a nice color to match.

Classy Lady – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Now, for my multiples – Marque Moon, Zuni Thunderbird, and South Seas. The only down side is they burn buds fast this way.

Marque Moon – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Zuni Thunderbird – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

South Seas – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, today brought another visit from the monarch butterfly. This time, she chose the Mexican Daylily (Shellflower). I got several photos – the center of the collage is my favorite.

From L to R: Top Row – Chorus Line, Lullaby Baby, Pick of the Litter, Lime Frost. Row Two: Classy Lady, Mexican Daylily with Monarch Butterfly, Thin Man. Bottom Row: South Seas, Marque Moon, Stephanie Returns, Zuni Thunderbird.

Thank you, garden, for the therapy. Great positive emotion to get me through a Monday. Only 5 months until Christmas. I have a ton of painting to do this year 😉

First Frost! (and 26 daylilies)

July 23, 2016July 23, 2016Leave a comment

No, it’s really 88 degrees. It would be warmer if the monsoon clouds weren’t providing some shade. No real rain yet, but cooler than the last few weeks. In fact, cool enough for frost. Well, Lime Frost.

When I arranged daylilies last summer, I put plant labels and entered each location in my software. However, it doesn’t really sink in what is where until they bloom and then you remember to color. So, when I was checking for buds last night, I was surprised that Lime Frost looked full-term. This is booked as a very late season bloomer, but it is still mid-July. Oh, well, we had Desert Icicles so welcome to our delusion of cold weather.

Lime Frost – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Another brand new face is Autumn Jewel. This was a gift plant – this spring. A later gift plant, even. I love the bloom. It is a relative of El Desperado. It’s slated as another late bloomer. But, here it is anyway.

Autumn Jewel – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Fine Time Lucille is another brand new face today. I ordered her last summer when I was first learning the online order thing. The name sold this one . . . I have been humming the song all day.

Fine Time Lucille (with Primal Scream) – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, Skinwalker showed up in my Southwestern garden today . . . these first blooms are sometimes a little rough looking. Hoping for more soon from this one!

Skinwalker – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Of mention is that Electric Lizard, having been fertilized, put in another pale bloom. I now wonder if it has too much sun. I am getting some more fans at a summer sale, as I think it would look better a little fuller.

Electric Lizard – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

So, here is the collage with all 26 blooms. I tried for rainbow order, as I had both a near-blue and a green in bloom today.

From L to R: Top Row – Baja, Indian Love Call, Ruby Spider, Thin Man, Soco Gap. Second Row – Orange Vols, Primal Scream, Aztec Firebird, South Seas. Third Row – Mini Pearl, Mayan Poppy, Pick of the Litter. Fourth Row – Skinwalker, Electric Lizard, Dream Catcher, Lullaby Baby. Fifth Row – Lime Frost. Sixth Row – Blue Beat. Seventh Row – Stephanie Returns, Prairie Blue Eyes, Return A Smile, Fine Time Lucille. Eighth Row – Blackthorne, Zuni Thunderbird, Purple de Oro, Autumn Jewel.

As peak lingers, I begin to think of next year. I want to do more work with the Southwest garden. Maybe some compost or manure around each plant. Loosen the soil around the roots and add the amendments. That area has been sterile of plants so long, it probably could use some bio additives. Pots, yes, some need to be relocated. Others need pebbles in the bottoms. It will be fun moving them inside the porch this winter – the evergreens. I have had 57 different cultivators bloom so far this year. Next year, 100 by this time! Let’s do it!

Black Ice on a Summer Day

June 24, 2016Leave a comment

Black ice reminds me of winter roads in Colorado. I live rural and often have had a hefty commute to work. Black ice is why I prefer to be off those roads by sundown. And, it has caused me to fall on my face walking the dogs a few times, too.

Today, though, Black Ice brings positive emotion. I love this new addition to my garden! First bloom today. It looks like black velvet to me. And, it spilled pollen down it’s front peddle. This is another Ned Roberts creation that is in my new Southwestern garden. Black Ice may not remind everyone of the Southwest. It does me. I live here.

Black Ice – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Other blooms are Early Bird Cardinal (That yard flag in the background has a red cardinal on it and next shot, I will untangle it for the photo. Those colors are very close!)

Early Bird Cardinal – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, huge old Ruby Spider!

Ruby Spider – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Lastly, poor frail Electric Lizard’s last bud (for now). I am cutting off its fans to see if it will thicken up. I am hopeful for a couple more blooms this year.

Electric Lizard – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

I have a bunch of buds that look nearly ready to bust. Wild Horses, Mesa Verde and Saratoga Springtime look the closest. It looks like more Black Ice is on the weather report for tomorrow (or soon), too. I can’t wait. It’s better than an Easter Egg hunt every morning!

Chameleon

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016Leave a comment

I had a chameleon when I was a kid. It is a curious thing how they can change color based on their surroundings. Funny little lizards.

Speaking of lizards that change colors, I posted a week or two ago about my first Electric Lizard bloom. It was early, and pretty anemic looking. I asked the daylily growers and was advised to fertilize. And, so I did. It lost some of its buds, but today it did send out another bloom. And, the colors have changed to deeper tones with more variation.

So, for review, here is what the photos on the web look like:

And, here was my first (very pale) bloom:

Electric Lizard – Early June 2016 – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies

And, here is today’s blossom:

So, it looks pretty frail but the color is definitely darkening. The frailty may be partial because it was just after sunrise (5:30 AM) and it had barely opened. I don’t get up anywhere near that early usually, but today I had an out of town conference for my doctorate clinical hours. By the time I got home, it had poured rain, and the blossom was withered. I think I will have another bloom from this one tomorrow.

After that, I am cutting the foliage to the ground to see if I can thicken it up a bit because even the fans look anemic and undersized. I did use slow release fertilizer plus a slow infusion of high-bloom Miracle Grow. It is obviously perking up some but has a ways to go before it looks like photo #1. I like the blooms that are picture perfect. But, I also like the feeling of being a farmer. I like experimenting to see what helps the flowers to flourish here in the high desert of the Colorado Plateau. I think of the Anasazi and wonder how on earth they grew corn and squash in this hard clay soil with so little rain. No garden soil, no water crystals, no hose. If they can do it, so can I.

Tomorrow, in addition to another Electric Lizard, I think I will have a Ned Roberts Black Ice bloom. I want to send a photo to the grower because she sent an awesome bonus plant despite my small order. I believe I may have a couple other new faces tomorrow. Before they open their buds, I must close my eyes. What a very long day.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: Electric Lizard

The Last Dozen Daylilies

It’s The Peak – Sunday Roll Call

July 1: Daylily Roll Call!

Overload!

A Time to Every Purpose

A Little Piece of Heaven in my Yard

A Classy Lady Comes to Town!

First Frost! (and 26 daylilies)

Black Ice on a Summer Day

Chameleon