Tag: garden

Daylily Software: Streamlining Cultivator Management and Tracking Bloom Cycles

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The daylily bloom season continues to dribble along. I have nearly 80 scapes (or cultivators with scapes). Still, many early bloomers have not put out scapes. I am unsure what to do – I might try some high-bloom fertilizer before the monsoons hit full force. But just a little bit of fertilizer because the timing isn’t optimal. I rarely intervene like this, but after two years of high bloom rate, I feel the soil may need a little nutrition. I also don’t like to use much fertilizer when the temps are getting so high, but the rains would help.

Orchid Moonrise

I had one new cultivator today: Orchid Moonrise. I was surprised, as this one is usually not a super early bird. I love the purple color of this Ned Roberts spider. My fourth Ned spider this season, the others were Burgundy Crab, Kokopelli, and Fried Green Tomatoes.

Fried Green Tomatoes in bloom today.

I got a new computer last spring (2023) and I discovered tonight that I never moved my daylily software from my old computer. Yes – I have a software program just for my daylilies. Last year, I didn’t use it! The shift from a regular career to a “retirement” small business takes a lot of energy. I got it moved over tonight and trying to update all my cultivators. I have lost some the last two summers – and I need to take those out. I added a couple new ones last year that need to be added.

I have a system where I add a photo from each year labeled with the year. That helps me keep track of what is blooming and what is struggling. The software also lets you put a location – plus I have a daylily map of my main gardens. It also needs to be updated. This is super handy if you lose the plant pot label.

My daylily map.

If you grow daylilies and are interested in affordable software – check out this website. They also have a Facebook page and Kent, the software developer, is very responsive to customer service requests. It is seriously awesome. There are also videos on the website if you are interested in more info.

The other good thing about the software is that I can tell when a cultivator normally blooms in my yard each year. Last year, the peak was mid-July to early August. There is hope that things may pick up this year.

Don’t forget that I have my “Until the Last Daylily Blooms” sale on daylily art in my Etsy shop all summer. Check out these prints of my handpainted pictures of my daylily collection! Great wall decor for the daylily lover! Visit this link or click the photo to visit the listing.

Growing Daylilies in Pots in High Desert: My Experience, Tips, and a Valentine

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Today started muggy, and then the thunder and rain returned. Uncharacteristically wet for the Western Slope of Colorado’s high desert. I haven’t counted daylily scapes since before the storm – so I will make a point to do that tomorrow. There are several earlier bloomers without scapes yet – so I do think the lack of snow in my yard last winter will influence the bloom rate.

Funny Valentine first bloom for 2024 6.22

Today’s one and only cultivator to have a first bloom for 2024 was Funny Valentine. I have had this plant for a long time and it always produces a lot of blooms.

One word on why I grow almost all my daylilies in pots – I live in the high desert where our average monthly rainfall is under an inch. This is also the clay soil of the Colorado Plateau, once an ocean floor. I have 2 big barriers to soil amendment. The first is that I live on a half lot downtown – that means my space is limited and the yard I do have is close to my home. Also close to my home are all my utility lines and my sprinkler system. Digging, let alone rototilling, is done with all caution. The soil is hard and filled with roots.

My Southwest daylily garden during peak season in 2022. This is my largest garden. Not much space for almost 200 varieties.

That brings me to my second barrier – roots. Trees and shrubs adapt to the high desert by having smart roots. I started my Southwest named daylily garden in amended soil. I had high hopes because I had planted 3 daylilies in that spot the previous year and watered regularly – they did great. My pilot study was a success!

Kokopelli in 2016 – one of my pilot daylilies, along with Aztec Firebird and Dream Catcher.

So, I expanded and put in 50 daylilies – all with Southwestern-sounding names. I upgraded my irrigation. I had a bloom rate of only 20% in that garden the first year. The plants were scrawny. So, I dug a couple up and the tree roots were everywhere. Like greedy narcissists, they were not about to let the daylilies get good soil and water without competing for every inch. It has been a learning curve, but now not only is each cultivator in its own buried pot but there is weed guard between the soil and the pot.

My garden path in early July, 2020.

Many times I have wondered why I am growing a plant that thrives in ditches in the high desert. Don’t worry, I have some wonderful potted aloe, agave, and yucca around the yard that come in for the winter, as well as some native varieties.

Don’t forget my Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale on Etsy – 25% off of daylily artwork through daylily bloom season! Check out these positive psychology quotes greeting cards – these are created with photos I take of my own daylilies. Here is the link to the listing (or click on the photo below.)

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?

The Long and the Short of it

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Today, when I walked outside for the first time, my garden smiled at me.  At first, I thought I wouldn’t have many blooms.  But, 15 or so cultivators is good.  I’m a bit on-edge today, waiting for some news.  I love the garden because it causes me to live in the moment.

So, some new faces today.  One of the new Ned Roberts spiders that I put in last fall joined the others that have bloomed in the new garden.  This is Dream Catcher – a sibling to Dream Keeper, which was one of my earliest bloomers.

 

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

 

And a much more traditional bloom reappeared for the first time in 2016 – Fooled Me.

 

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Fooled Me – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

 

Both are gorgeous orange colors, but the shapes are so different.  Daylilies are like dogs . . . there are long ones and short ones.  But, a dog is always a dog.

Another one I am highlighting today is Inwood.  Her first bloom was so misshapen that it was almost unrecognizable.  She only put out one scape, so savor and move her to more light.  Today’s blossom was perfect!

 

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Inwood – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

 

Oh, and I wanted to feature a couple of triplets: Blue Beat and South Seas.  I have mixed opinion on seeing more than one bud get used up in a day, but they are pretty in the moment.

 

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Blue Beat – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

 

 

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

 

And, the collage for today features the spiders at the top.  Just look at all the variety of shape and color.  Cheaper than therapy, and they smell good!

 

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From L to R: Top Row – Aztec Firebird, Dream Catcher, Ruby Spider, Lady Fingeres.  Middle Row – Blue Beat, Early Bird Cardinal, Indian Love Call, Inwood, Mesa Verde.  Bottom Row – Prairie Blue Eyes, Soco Gap, Mini Pearl, South Seas.