Tag: Fringe Benefit

Late June/Early July Daylily Blooms: A Peak Season Update

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July is here, and with it comes peak season. I don’t think we are quite to peak yet, but it is approaching quickly. My day starts with photographing each daylily in bloom. Then I feed dogs, irrigate, jog for an hour. When I return, I sit on the front porch and edit the photos. Then, I put them in folders online and post to my personal Facebook page. By then, it’s 2 PM and time for breakfast!

I have had a bunch of new ones since my last post. I will put them in a gallery below. I’ve had 50 new ones since my last post last week!!!

Alabama Jubilee first bloom 7.2.25
Apache Beacon first bloom 7.1.25
Baby Blue Eyes first bloom 6.27.25
Bela Lugosi first bloom 6.28.25
Blackthorn first bloom 6.28.25
Buttered Popcorn first bloom 6.29.25
Canyon Colors first bloom 6.25.25
Catherine Irene first bloom 6.24.25
Chaco Canyon first bloom 6.27.25
Chief Four Fingers first bloom 6.27.25
Chorus Line first bloom 7.2.25
Cricket Call first bloom 7.1.25
Early Bird Cardinal first bloom 6.28
Echo Canyon first bloom 7.2.25
Fine Time Lucille first bloom 7.2.25
“Fringe Benefit” (mislabeled) first bloom 6.28.25
Funny Valentine first bloom 6.24.25
Grape Smash first bloom 7.3.25
Holy Sombrero first bloom 7.3.25
Indian Love Call first bloom 6.24.25
Inwood first bloom 6.25.25
Jog On first bloom 6.27.25
Lady Fingers 6.24.25
Lime Frost 6.26.25

I have had 73 cultivators bloom so far this season out of approximately 190. I lost some last winter. I really need to update my inventory in the software program. Based on those numbers, my bloom rate is about 38% currently. My hope is for 80% this season.

Longlesson Showoff first bloom 6.24.25
Lullaby Baby first bloom 7.2.25
Mauna Loa first bloom 6.28.25
Maya Cha Cha first bloom 7.2.25
Melon Balls first bloom 6.28.25
Mount Echo Sunrise first bloom 6.26.25
Nona’s Garnet Spider first bloom 7.3.25
Nurse’s Stethoscope first bloom 6.29.25
Oh Erica first bloom 7.2.25
Ojo de Dios first bloom 6.24.25
Pandora’s Box first bloom 6.28.24
Papa Longlegs first bloom 8.29.24
Pardon Me first bloom 7.3.25
Passionate Returns first bloom 7.2.25
Pick of the Litter first bloom 7.2.25
Prairie Blue Eyes first bloom 7.3.25
Pueblo Dreamer first bloom 7.2.25
Purple Many Faces first bloom 7.3.25
Purple Moonrise first bloom 7.2.25
NOID “Purple Mystique” first bloom 6.26.25
Quilt Patch first bloom 7.2.25
Royal Palace Prince (maybe) first bloom 6.29.25
South Seas first bloom 7.2.25
Strutter’s Ball first bloom 6.27.25
Thin Man first bloom 6.27.25
Titan Skye first bloom 6.28.25

Today, the rain came. Finally! I am hoping for a good monsoon season. We need it. The drought lingers and is growing to the north. So many wildfires out west. I’m surprised that my daylilies are as happy as they are all things considered.

I adore daylily season. But it is always a lot of work that takes a chunk of the day with the photography. However, at this elevation, heat and humidity, the blooms don’t last long. Somedays, they are pretty faded by noon. They look like melted wax to me.

It’s a very different summer with my civic volunteer work. I adore my mornings on the porch editing daylily photos. Finding balance is hard in a “drought of time.”

Catcha next week. I hope your 4th of July garden brings you joy. Sometimes, we are best to focus on the small things right before our eyes and feel gratitude.

How Many Daylilies (or Cats or Dogs) Is Too Many?

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Cats, Dogs, Daylilies, and Addictions

As with cats or dogs, the answer to the “how many daylilies is to many” question varies depending on the situation. I know daylily growers that have acres and acres of gorgeous flowers and they have the support to keep them healthy. For me, I won’t go above 200 varieties. (Of those varieties, I had 4 new ones today: “Fringe Benefit“, Collier, Holy Sombrero, and Hesperus. I will include photos throughout the text.)

“Fringe Benefit” was on the label of this bonus daylily. She isn’t Fringe Benefit, but I call her that, anyway.

Cats

I got too many cats once. Well, not all at once. But, between 2006 and 2013, I collected 6 cats in addition to the one I started with. (The first cat, Serendipity, passed in 2013 before I added the 6th cat.) Since 2012, I have rehomed 3 (one to my grandson, two to friends) and another one, my beloved Soksabal, has passed. Almost 20 years later, I still have 2.

Chaco, Sage, Galveston, and Soksabai.

Cats need territories and my house isn’t that big. As I added cats and I also added behavior issues/fighting. The fighting was the main reason for rehoming. I also needed tons and tons of litter plus the associated time cleaning. And, cats smell. I am sorry, but they just do. People actually comment on it when they visit and I work hard to keep the pans clean!

Soksabai and Solstice.

Cats are reasonably inexpensive compared to dogs when it comes to vet expenses. I think I read 1 dog = 3 cats when it comes to vet bills. Cats also live forever. So, my oversupply would take years (decades) to clear had I not rehomed a few. (I am ready for no cats for a while after this group is done. Burnout plus they can’t travel. Although I miss Soksabai in the garden.)

Soksabai and Black Ice.

Dogs

Now that I have transitioned to be a dog person, I won’t ever go above 14 pounds/dog or above 3 dogs at a time. I learned my lesson – and the vet/food expenses are my limiting factor with my senior/special needs rescue girls. If you are a dog lover, please check out The Three Amigas/The Traveling Pup Crew Instagram Page to follow their adventures.

Cimarron, Kachina, and Kokopelli at Monument Valley on our Southwest road trip.

How Many X Is Too Many?

So, what questions do I as myself about getting another dog/cat now?

Collier.
  • Is there enough physical space for them to be happy? Cats in small territories are stressed!
  • Are there financial resources to support them to live their best life? Food, vet, etc.
  • Is there enough time to take on the responsibility? Feeding, walking, litter cleaning. At the point that it feels like a burden more often than a joy, then I have likely crossed a line.
  • Are there regulations that limit the number of pets you can have in your home?

Back to Daylilies

The same rules apply to daylilies, really.

Holy Sombrero.
  • Is there adequate physical space in the garden or yard? This means space with good soil, water and sunshine.
  • It costs money to grow daylilies even if you get them for free. Soil, fertilizer, etc cost money. I grow in pots because my soil is so bad and my tree roots are aggressively competitive. So, I had to purchase nearly 200 pots that are at least 12 inches in diameter. $$$. I live in the high desert so I water daily – and I live downtown on City water. Water is another cost and financial limitation.
  • Time is a big factor. It took hours and hours to dig 200 holes in clay soil and bury pots. The pots need winter care, soil, fertilizer, and weed management. I’m saving time on photography this year because my bloom rate is low (so far), but is that because I didn’t have time to do pot maintenance last year or to water last winter?
  • There are regulations – like property lines – that matter with daylilies. Or water restrictions. My Southwest Road Trip Garden is on the easement. My lot is small, there really isn’t a lot of other space for it. That’s another reason for pots, though, because the can be moved if the City has to dig. It is a limiting factor.
Hesperus.

It you have the space, money, time and aren’t violating any laws, then daylily addiction is perfectly legal. Go for it! There is even a Confessions of a Daylily Addict group on Facebook that you can join. (Yes, I am a member.)

Help Grow This Daylily Artist!

Don’t forget to check out the daylily art in my Etsy shop that is on-sale all summer, and into the fall (hopefully) – or until my last daylily blooms. I also have sales going on houseplants, hypertufa pots/art, and volume purchases. It really appreciate those who take a minute to click the link and visit my shop. I appreciate every click!!! I use my income to help afford my travel with my rescue dogs!

Fizzle, Not Sizzle

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It’s mid-July. I’m usually overwhelmed and a little exhausted from peak season. Not this year. I’ve only had over 30 on one day yesterday) and only had 2 first blooms for 2023 today. It feels like a fizzle this year – like it did when I had half as many daylilies.

Lime Frost first bloom 7.15

Anyway, today’s first blooms were Lime Frost and a NOID that was mislabeled as Fringe Benefit. Just photos today, no reel.

NOID “Fringe Benefit” first bloom 7.15

Happiness is Like a Butterfly

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The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. Sleep is similar. The header photo is All American Chief and friend 7.8.

Busy day today with 50 new blooms. Here we go:

Bela Lugosi 7.8
Blue Beat 7.8
“Fringe Benefit” mislabeled bonus NOID 7.8
Pink Enchilada 7.8 (Ned Roberts spider #18)
Wild Rose Fandango 7.8 (Ned Roberts spider #19)

I need to go chase butterflies 🦋. We will see what tomorrow hatches.

July Daylily Roundup A-M

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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.

Alabama Jubilee 6.26-7.10
All American Chief 6.22-7.9
Apache Bandana 6.30-7.10
Autumn Jewels 7.16-present
Aztec Firebird 7.8-7.31
Baby Blue Eyes 7.6-7.27
Baja 7.10-7.29
Bella Boo 7.2-7.16
Bela Lugosi 7.4-7.26
Big Red Rhyme (NOID) 6.22-7.11
Black Arrowhead 7.6-7.30
Blackthorne 7.6-7.13
Black Eyed Susan 7.4-7.19
Black Ice 7.4-7.18
Blue Beat 7.9-7.17
Buttered Popcorn 7.7-7-25
Candy Cane Dreams 7.1-7.19
Canyon Colors 6.15-present
Catherine Irene 6.24-7.13
Chaco 6.27-present
Cheddar Cheese 7.3-7.17
Cherokee Star 7.9-8.1
Cheyenne Eyes 7.6-7.19
Chief Four Fingers 6.12-7.15
Chokecherry Mountain 7.5-7.27
Chorus Line 7.6-presend
Classy Lady 7.6-7.29
Coburg Fright Wig 7.11-7.30
Comanche Princess 6.18-7.11
Coral Taco 7.2-7.16
Cricket Call 7.3-7.17
Cripple Creek 7.19-present
Dancing Maiden 7.16-present
Desert Icicle 7.26-present
Dr Doom 7.30-present
Dream Catcher 7.14-present
Dream Keeper 6.11-7.1
Early Bird Cardinal 6.27-7.13
Echo Canyon 6.21-7.10
El Desperado 7.17-present
Fairytale Pink 7.11-7.17
Feather Woman 7.5-7.9
Fine Time Lucille 7.10-7.17
Fol de Rol 7.4-7.17
Fooled Me 7.10-7.16
Frans Hals 7.15-present
“Fringe Benefit” 6.27-7.12 (mislabeled bonus)
Funny Valentine 6.20-7.8
Ghost Ranch 7.12-7.17
Glen Eyrie 7.25-7.30 (started while I was on vaca 7.19-24)

Golden Eclipse 7.16-present

Happy Hopi 7.7-7.31
Happy Returns 6.27-7.12
Heavenly Curls 7.5-7.17
Heirloom Heaven 7.25-present
Hesperus 7.12-present
Holy Sombrero 7.7-7.25
Hopi Jewel 6.27-7.17
Iktomi 7.9-7.29
Indian Love Call 7.13-7.27
Indian Sky 7.13-present
Indian Giver 6.30-7.17
Inwood 6.22-7.12
Jungle Queen 7.1-7.19-24? Finished during vacation
Just Plumb Happy 7.4-7.15
Kachina Dancer 6.30-7.16
Kokopelli 6.25-7.19
Lacy Doily 7.3-7.16
Lady Fingers 6.23-7.19
Land of Enchantment 6.23-7.11
Lime Frost 7.11-7.16
Lobo Lucy 7.13-7.31
Longlesson Showoff 7.5.7.18
Lullaby Baby 7.7 to present
Mama Cuna 7.11-present
Marque Moon 7.13-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)
Mauna Loa 6.27-7.10
Maya Cha Cha 7.4-7.19
Medicine Feather 7.5-7.18
Melon Balls 7.6-7.15
Mesa Verde 6.15-7.13
Mini Pearl 6.26-7.31
Mount Echo Sunrise 6.28-7.19

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.

Out Came the Sun . . .

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. . . and dried up all the rain. And, I ended up with over 60 cultivators, again!

Rain is a rare thing here in Western Colorado. The US average is 38 inches of rain a year, we get 11 on a good year here in Montrose. The South, where many of my bloomers came from, gets an average of 45 inches or more. Rain is a good thing – it brings the temps down, too.

Today, we will get back to the high 80s and it is sunny. We are sunny here 245 days/year. That is 40 more days than the national average. My daylilies probably wonder what planet they landed on.

Anyway – I had 3 premiers and 5 finales. The output is higher than the intake, which means we are on the downside of peak but it hasn’t really shown in our bloom count yet. It is like hospitalizations vs positive tests with COVID. It takes a while for the change to show up in both areas.

Premiers . . .

Zuni Eye 7.15 – Never has a high bud count but the size of the bloom makes up for it. This is Zuni Eye next to Purple Grasshopper for size comparison. I love this big guy!
Treasure of the Southwest 7.15 – A late first bloom for this guy. Guessing the move to the pot. I have several that need to be divided now because of their pot confinement.
Frans Hals 7.15 – And, my later bloomers are starting to show up. Frans Hals use to be my season finale daylily. I got him when I first started mail order. I thought it was the most beautiful daylily I ever saw and wondered why anyone would want anything else. LOL. Seriously.

Finales . . .

Return a Smile 7.14 Finale
NOID Fringe Benefit 7.14 finale
Ojo de Dios 7.15 finale
Chief Four Fingers 7.15 finale
Primal Scream 7.15 finale

Weirdly, Bella Boo, Purple Mystic, and Just Plum happy put out blooms today after I said finale. It isn’t a rebloom, it is me missing a bud.

Next week is my camping road trip. I will only be out of the garden for 4 days. Honestly, I am ready to take some scenic photos and get a little breather from the garden. Yeez, though – my hedge needs to be trimmed before I go. I can tell we got rain.

June Daylily Blooms A-Y (no Z yet)!

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I’m back! My house is cleaner and I feel like I can pick-up the blog, again. Don’t worry, I spent my usual amount of time with my daylilies in the AM. I love getting photos of them – something to get out of bed for. After three years of a stressful job and a commute, I just had to clean because my poor home has been like a neglected garden. I needed to pull weeds and plant some new seeds.

I am going to show off my June blooms (A to Z) for June in this post. I am going to have a good bloom rate this year and it sort of scares me what peak will be like with all my plants so happy. Good thing the house is clean. I count 51 cultivators for June 2021. Last year, it was 50 in June – so close. I think I have about 180 cultivators now – almost 30% have bloomed.

Alabama Jubilee – premiered 6.26
All American Chief premiered 6.22
Apache Bandana premiered 6.30
Big Red Rhyme (my NOID name for her) premiered 6.22
Canyon Colors premiered 6.15
Catherine Irene premiered 6.24
Chaco Canyon premiered 6.27
Chief Four Fingers premiered 6.27 (with some bug damage but more buds ahead)
Comanche Princess premiered 6.18
Dream Keeper premiered 6.11, finale was 7.1
Early Bird Cardinal premiered 6.27
Echo Canyon premiered 6.21
“Fringe Benefit” premiered 6.27 (mislabeled bonus but I still call her that)
Funny Valentine premiered 6.20
Happy Returns – I believe the real cultivator is yellow and some of my gold ones are actually Stella – this one premiered 6.25
Hopi Jewel premiered 6.27
Indian Giver premiered 6.30
Inwood premiered 6.22
Kachina Dancer premiered 6.30
Kokopelli premiered 6.25
Lady Fingers premiered 6.23
Land of Enchantment premiered 6.23
Mauna Loa premiered 6.27
Mesa Verde premiered 6.15
Mini Pearl premiered 6.26
Mount Echo Sunrise premiered 6.28
Nurse’s Stethoscope (the only registered daylily I helped to name) premiered 6.24
Ojo de Dios premiered 6.28
Orchid Moonrise premiered 6.17
Pardon Me premiered 6.30
Passionate Returns premiered 6.28
Petite Petticoats premiered 6.26
Pink and Cream premiered 6.24
Platinum Pink Pallet Whispers premiered 6.21
Primal Scream premiered 6.25
Purple Grasshopper premiered 6.11
Purple Moonrise (larger bloom on the R, to the left is Orchid Moonrise) premier bloom 6.15
Purple Mystic (my name for NOID) premiered 6.24
Red Riddle (my name for NOID) premiered 6.23
Return a Smile premiered 6.25
Ruby Spider premiered 6.22
Santa’s Pants premiered 6.26
Saratoga Springtime premier 6/3, finale 6.23 – The star of early daylily season. A big, fancy yellow trumpet.
Scorpio premier 6.26, finale 6.29. Only two buds for the first bloom ever after 5 years in my yard.
South Seas premier 6.30
Stella premier 6.7 and dwindling – I don’t think we have a finale yet but maybe.
Stephanie Returns premier 6.30
The Colorado Kid premier 6.23
Wild Horses premier 6.15
Yellow Punch premier 6.15
Yellow Stella premier 6.18

Let’s close the book on June for 2021 – It’s a wrap!

July’s Colorful Parade

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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!

Apache Bandana 7.6.20
Autumn Jewels 7.22.20
Aztec Firebird 7.22.20
Baja 7.18.20
Bela Lugosi 7.22.20
Bella Boo 7.6.20
Black Arrowhead 7.19.20
Black Eyed Susan 7.2.20
Black Ice 7.22.20
Bold Tiger 7.26.20
Carlotta 7,30.20
Cheddar Cheese 7.4.20
Cherokee Star 7.6.20
Chokecherry Mountain 7.20.20
Chorus Line 7.29.20
Classy Lady 7.29.20
Coyote Laughs 7.17.20
Cripple Creek 7.29.20
Dancing Maiden 7.20.20
Desert Icicle 7.30.20
Dream Catcher 7.28.20
El Desperado 7.30.20
Fairy Tale Pink 7.22.20
Fine Time Lucille 7.19.20
Fooled Me 7.6.20
Frans Hals 7.22.20
Fringe Benefit 7.21.10
Glen Eyrie 7.29.30
Golden Eclipse 7.30.20
Happy Hopi 7.3.20
Heirloom Heaven 7.30.20
Heron’s Cove 7.3.1
Hesperus 7.29.30
Holy Sombrero 7.3.20
Hopi Jewel 7.17.1
Iktomi 7.30.20
Indian Giver 7.2.20
Indian Sky 7.28.20
Just Plum Happy 7.16.1
Kachina Firecracker 7.30.20
Kiva Dancer 7.4.20
Lacy Doily 7.7.1
Lime Frost 7.16.20
Lobo Lucy 7.21.20
Longlesson Showoff 7.20.20
Mama Cuna 7.22.20
Marque Moon 7.21.20
Maya Cha Cha 7.22.20
Navajo Grey Hills 7.30.20
Nona’s Garnet Spider 7.28.20
Nosferatu 7.27.20
Orange Flurry 7.26.20
Orange Vols 7.28.20
Painted Petroglyph 7.21.20
Papa Longlegs 7.16.20
Pardon Me 7.17.20
Passionate Returns 7.17.20
Prairie Wildfire 7.2.20
Prelude to Love 7.27.20
Purple de Oro 7.4.20
Raspberry Propeller 7.17.20
Raven Woodsong 7.18.20
Red Hot Returns 7.17.20
Red Mystery 7.17.20
Route 66 7.5.20
Royal Palace Prince 7.30.20
Ruby Stella 7.30.20
Shape Shifter 7.22.20
Skinwalker 7.29.20
Soco Gap 7.5.20
South Seas 7.17.20
Spirit of the Morning 7.27.20
Moon over Chimayo 7.20.20
Stephanie Returns 7.19.20
Taco Twister 7.21.20
Talon 7.27.20
Thin Man 7.4.20
Treasure of the Southwest 7.30.20
Twirling Pinata 7.29.20
Winds of Love 7.19.20
Zuni Thunderbird 7.22.20

Visions of New Mexico

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Today, I had two Premiers – both Ned Roberts spiders with names from the State to south of here – New Mexico. The first one, Navajo Grey Hills, I believe to be named after a trading post just south of Shiprock, NM (Four-Corners region). I drive that way sometimes but never noticed it . . . I need to keep a lookout.

Navajo Grey Hills 7.23.20

Star over Milagro is the other Premier of the day. Milagro is east of Albuquerque. Off our road trip circuit by a few miles.

Star Over Milagro

Let’s see – Orange Punch was an Encore today.

Yellow Punch 7.23.1

Finales – Stephanie Returns, Fringe Benefit, Longlesson Show-off, Black Arrowhead, and Cheyenne Eyes. I like about 25 blooms – it is a good amount but not overwhelming. And, the monsoons have been back all week.

Stephanie Returns 7.22.20
Fringe Benefit 7.22.20
Longlesson Show-off 7.22.20
Black Arrowhead 7.22.20
Cheyenne Eyes 7.23.20

Catching Up is Hard to Do

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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:

Iktomi 7.18.20
Raven Woodsong 7.18.20
Fringe Benefit 7.18.20
Frans Hals 7.18.20
Orange Flurry 7.18.1
Baja’s last bud 7.18.1

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
Desert Icicle 7.16.20
Indian Sky 7.16.20
Just Plum Happy 7.16.20
Lime Frost first and last bloom 7.16.20
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!