July, she flies. In fact, all of daylily season flies. Every year. It seems like the time between Saratoga Springtime and Purple Corndancer is about a week. But, in reality, it’s generally late May through sometime in August or September.
I have had several bloom since my last post on July 6th. We are getting into middle-late bloomers now. The temps have been close to or at 100 degrees daily for several days with minimal humidity. The smoke has cleared some, but the daily poor air quailty reports continue. And, we had about 10 minutes of rain a couple days ago – the first in weeks.
While droughts are common here in the high desert of the Colorado Plateau, this year is different. According to Drought.gov, this is the most severe drought period the region has experienced since at least 800 CE, beating out droughts that led Ancestral Puebloan cultures to abandon the Four Corners region.
And, despite that, my daylilies have done OK. Not great, but OK enough that I am at a 61% bloom rate for the year so far. The sad part is that it is my Southwestern Roadtrip Garden that is hardest hit. And, that is where my favorite cultivators live – my Ned Robert’s spiders and others that bear high desert names. The list of what hasn’t bloomed is bigger than the list of what has – at least for that garden.
I am planning to do some hardcore rehab of my pots in the Southwestern Roadtrip Garden this fall. And, the winter looks good for snow so far. Hopefully, my high desert spiders will be back in 2027.
Here are all my cultivators that have bloomed since July 7th. Enjoy!
Apache Uprising 7.10Autum Minaret 7.13Aztec Firebird 7.15Black Arrowhead 7.11Coburg Fright Wig 7.11Cowardly Lion of Zo 7.7Cripple Creek 7.15Dancing Maiden 7.14Fairytale Pink 7.10Fooled Me 7.8Ghost Ranch 7.14Glen Eyrie 7.8Golden Eclipse 7.13Indian Sky 7.8Ink Heart 7.8Just Plumb Happy 7.11Marque Moon 7.10Nosferatu 7.10Prairie Blue Eyes 7.11Raspberry Propeller 7.15Red Riddle (NOID) 7.10Shape Shifter 7.8Skinwalker 7.10Taco Twister 7.10Treasure of the Southwest 7.11Western Sandstone 7.12Winds of Love I 7.13Zuni Thunderbird 7.15
I should add, that I have had about 34 of my Ned Roberts spiders bloom so far this year. That’s a gift. Last year, I had about 50. I still have a few left to bloom. But, it won’t be close to last year. I will do a whole blog on this once they have all bloomed.
Until next week,
Keep on blooming, Cathy Hartt, DNP (Daylily Nerd Person)
Visit my Art from the Hartt website for some great garden and daylily art from the high desert of the Colorado Plateau.
It’s hard to believe another week has passed in the daylily garden. Today, our blog mascot, The Colorado Kid, bloomed for the first time this year. And, another old favorite also came into bloom today: Route 66. I am living my road trip in the garden today.
However, today also brought another day of unhealthy smoke from the fire near Ouray, CO – the Gold Mountain Fire. The smoke makes the whole garden look like it’s in a haze in the morning. Normally, the smoke lifts as the heat comes in. Today, it didn’t lift much.
My garden in the smoke this morning. The camera doesn’t capture the haze that is up close, but it is everywhere.
What does wildfire smoke 24/7 due to daylily buds? To answer that, let’s back-up to the cause of the fires. Colorado is in a bad drought year after receiving minimal snowfall last winter and little rain during the spring or summer. Snowmelt is where Colorado gets the bulk of its water, so when there isn’t snow it creates a serious drought situation. Then, the fire season starts in the Western US because everything is too dry – and the hot, dry, windy weather arrives along with dry lightening. With the fires comes the dense blankets of smoke.
Beautiful but smoky sunset from our campground last week. This is near Blue Mesa, CO and is also smoke from the Gold Mountain Fire.
Montrose has had horrible air quality for several days since the Gold Mountain Fire started near Ouray, but there are other fires compounding the situation. (I heard today they don’t expect to get the Ouray fire entirely out until snow falls in October!) The particles in the air contain chemical vapers that can cause bud blast. They also dry out the air further. So, watching buds blast is the combined impact of the drought, the hot/dry weather, and the chemical vapers. The plant gives-up on blooming in order to save energy. It’s sad to watch the buds melt like butter.
Fortunately, many of my daylilies are blooming anyway. But, several only have 1-2 buds this year. My Southwestern Garden is the hardest hit. Because it is in the easement, it needs more fertilizer and moisture than the ones that get some help from my sprinkler system. My bloom rate out there will probably not hit 50% this year. I can’t fertilize until it cools down and we get some moisture. Sadly, that is where the bulk of my Ned Robert’s spiders are planted. Better luck next year!
Despite the barriers, the daylilies show there resilience by continuing to bloom daily. Here are my new bloomers this week:
Buttered Popcorn 7.4.26Cheddar Cheese 7.4.26Cherokee Star 6.30.26Classy Lady 7.2.26Echo Canyon 7.4.26NOID “Fringe Benefit” 6.30.26Hesperus 7.2.26Irresistible Charm 6.30.26Kachina Firecracker 7.4.26Kiva Dancer 6.30.26Mayan Poppy 7.2.26Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.1.26 (only 1 bud and I missed it 😦 )Oh, Erica 7.2.26Pandora’s Box 7.5.26Pick of the Litter 7.3.26Pueblo Dreamer 7.4.26 Rosie’s Red 7.2.26Route 66 7.6.26Santa’s Pants 7.3.26South Seas 7.3.26Talon 7.2.26The Colorado Kid 7.6.26Titan Sky 7.2.26Twirling Pinata 6.30.26Wild Rose Fandango 7.4.26Winds of Love II 7.5.26
That’s 26 new ones this week, folks! Last week I posted 34. The week before that, 18. And the first post was 9. That adds up to 87. I have about 189 total, so a 46% bloom rate. Could it be peak has come and gone already? I fear that may be true this year. When daylilies only have a few buds, the peak comes fast and dies fast. That’s a drought year pattern in the high desert.
Let’s see what the next week brings. But, even if the monsoons were to come, it is too late for the daylilies that have saved their energy to survive the drought to bloom this year.
Don’t let the smoke stop you from blooming this week,
Cathy Hartt
Please take a moment to visit my art business page, Art from the Hartt. and see what I am working on this summer. I have some great garden gnomes up for adoption!
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.
Apache Bandana 6.26.26Apache Beacon 6.29.26Baby Blue Eyes 6.28.26Baja 6.29.26Bela Lugosi 6.25.26Better Off Blue 6.26.26Bluegrass Music 6.25.26Burgundy Crab 6.23.36Candycane Dreams 6.26.26Chaco Canyon 6.22.26Cheyenne Eyes 6.29.26Chorus Line 6.25.26Coral Taco 6.27.26Dr. Doom 6.29.26Fulva 6.25.26Grape Smash 6.26.26Heron’s Cove 6.29.26Indian Love Call 6.22.26Inwood 6.24.26Jog On 6.26.26Kachina Dancer 6.29.26Lady Fingers 6.24.26Lime Frost 6.26.26Lullaby Baby 6.26.26Mauna Loa 6.22.26Melon Balls 6.27.26Mini Pearl 6.25.26Nona’s Garnet Spider 6.29.26Off to See the Wizard 6.25.26Painted Petroglyph 6.23.26Papa Longlegs 6.24.26Red Bird Mary 6.24.26Stephanie Returns 6.24.26Wildwood Flower 6.23.26
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.
It’s gotten hot, and my yard is exploding with many daylilies. Peak season is still a couple of weeks away, and I have about 130 cultivators with scapes! I lost a couple over the winter, so I need to update my total number one of these days.
All American Chief first bloom 6.22Bluegrass Music first bloom 6.23Burgundy Crab first bloom 6.18Candy Cane Dreams first bloom 6.22Comanche Princess first bloom 6.21NOID Dark Mystery first bloom 6.20Happy Returns first bloom 6.21Hopi Jewell first bloom 6.20Jungle Queen first bloom 6.16Land of Enchantment first bloom 6.23Orchid Moonrise first bloom 6.21Prairie Wildfire first bloom 6.19Primal Scream first bloom 6.23NOID Red Riddle first bloom 6.22Return a Smile first bloom 6.18Ruby Spider first bloom 6.18Stephanie Returns first bloom 6.23The Potter’s Touch first bloom 6.23Wild Horses first bloom 6.16Yellow Punch first bloom 6.22
Wow! That’s 20 more cultivators in bloom since my first post of the year! My very large array is getting larger! Today, I celebrate 3 years retired from 40 years of nursing. Quite a retirement anniversary bouquet.
I will say that some of my buds opened funny today – Stephanie Returns and Bluegrass Music both look like they wanted to sleep in. We have had days of fire weather with highs in the 90s, wind speeds 35+ MPH, and humidity under 15% (often single digits). And, we are still in extreme drought here (although no water restrictions yet). I think the buds get dried out! I will also say that the super ruffled blooms just don’t open right in such low humidity. I stay away from super ruffles now.
My community work consumes me. I don’t feel as retired as I did last year. I have always made time for the daylily blog. This year, I feel what I am doing is time-sensitive, and I need to balance my time with that in mind. I am not doing daily Instagram posts this year. I think I will update my latest blooms and gardening tips here about once a week.
Tip for today: Deserts don’t have ruffles! They have ridges.
Which of my blooms from this blog is your favorite?
And so it begins! The 2025 daylily season began on May 28th with Saratoga Springtime. Always my first!
Saratoga Springtime 6.2.25
First, I am naming this bloom season “A Very Large Array of Daylilies” in honor of our recent road trip through New Mexico and Arizona with a stop at the Very Large Array (of telescopes). I wonder if daylilies can be used to talk to aliens? (The movie Contact was filmed there.)
My dogs, Kokopelli, Kachina, and Cimarron during our visit do the Very Large Array.
The season started a week or two early this year. This is likely because of the drought. It has been a dry winter and spring so far. My lawn is still semi-brown. I got out a couple of weeks ago and started my drippers to add to the sprinkler water.
Life on the edge of an extreme drought – in April!
Drought tends to bring the daylilies out early, but negatively impacts the overall bloom rate. So, we will see what happens. I currently have about two dozen cultivators with scapes.
This year, I had a lot of weeds in my pots. It is so discouraging to see this because I have nearly 200 pots and digging weeds out is costly in time and money because of soil replacement. I have creeping bellflower that is an invasive weed. The roots of the bellflower resemble daylily roots and they grow into the daylily and choke it out. Pulling them just causes roots to break and spreads the plant.
I decided to get more of the coir rounds (small tree rings) because covering bellflower is somewhat effective. I used these rounds several years ago, and they have helped, but they break down over a few years. The downside is my daylilies don’t spread – but they don’t die, either. They are not for everyone, but growing in a desert in pots – especially with invasive bellflower – they work.
Stella de Oro 6.2.25
Other bloomers so far are Stella de Oro and Dream Keeper. Stella is the generic daylily that is so common in flowerbeds. I like her because she is an early and repeat bloomer. Like most early bloomers, she is a yellow trumpet. (So is Saratoga Springtime.)
Dream Keeper 6.3.25.
Dream Keeper did not bloom last year, so I am happy to see lots of buds on several scapes. She is my first Ned Roberts daylily of the year. For those who may be new to my blog, I have a decent collection of of Ned’s spiders. Last year, my blooms were low for the garden where most of these are located.
As far as the 4 new cultivators I added last year, I lost 2 of them. I lost at least two others. I will blame the drought and the fact that I had some minor medical challenges this winter. I wasn’t focused on watering. I need to do inventory and labeling this summer (hopefully).
This post starts the blog. I generally won’t be doing daily posts this year because I am involved in a lot of civic volunteer work this summer. I will plan weekly, except for during peak. IDK if I will have a set day of the week. We will take it one post at a time. Just wanted to get started on the VERY LARGE ARRAY!
It’s September. How on earth did that happen? The days are growing shorter and cooler. Glad for the cool – but dread the time change and cold months.
I had a few more blooms in August – the 20th and 22nd.
Four-Corners Adventure Ends Daylily Season
The 22nd was the day we left for a 2-Corners camping adventure. It’s so fun to see the Ancient Pueblo Ruins. My love of the Southwest shows in my selection of daylilies!
Since returning, I had 1 bloom on September 1st. I have no scapes. This year will either end early or late. We will wait and see. But as of right now, Navajo Curls is my latest bloom for 2024. The scape got broken in the monsoon a few days before, but bloomed she did.
Broken but blooming: My last bloom from Navajo Curls on 9.1.24
Until The Last Daylily Blooms Sale Ends September 20th!
The Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale continues until September 20th – if I have no scapes by then, the sale ends. If I get a late, late scape, then I will resume the sale as previously outlined. This sale means 35% off purchases on selected merchandise including:
If you entered the “guess the date of the last daylily bloom” contest – I am waiting until freeze and if no new blooms by then, I will give everyone (who entered) the choice of a new plant or a 40% off coupon.
New Daylily Roots: Looking Ahead To Bloom Season 2025
I did get my daylily roots from Doris at Shady Rest Gardens on Saturday.
Daylily roots taking a re-hydration swim before being planted in my yard today.
I generally soak my roots in a big pot to rehydrate them for a day or two before planting. This year, I decided to convert my two squash pots to daylilies because the squash have not done well. You can see how I place the roots in the pot. I cover them and trim the plant back. It’s magic to watch the leaves put out new growth before freeze.
I put my two new OZ daylilies in the squash pots and my two new Ned Roberts daylilies in the large multi-species pots I have out front. I want to get covers for the tops of the pots that are not buried this year.
The daylilies dwindle and I am back to creating new art! Each day still starts with a walk through the blooming daylilies to get photos. It is just a lot easier (and less spectacular) when there are only a couple blooming. And, my Art from the Hartt is back in production because I need colorful adventures to survive!
To encourage my rebloomers, I used liquid fertilizer yesterday and today. I gave about 1/3rd of the pots some organic fertilizer in their water. The rest got Miracle Grow spray today. This should help the plants fill out and rejuvenate before they go dormant.
Kachina FirecrackerNavajo CurlsNOID Ned Roberts SpiderPurple Corn DancerRaven WoodsongRosie’s RedSimmering ElephantsSkinwalker
I think part of my problem this year is that I didn’t do any fall care. I also need to put more soil in a few pots this fall – plus I plan time-released fertilizer next month. The weather is cooling off and we have some rain the next several days, so I picked the spray type since it is still summer.
Until the Last Daylily Blooms Art Sale Prices Drop Again This Week
On the 20th of August, my Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale prices drop to 35% off select items in my Etsy Shop. These prices drop to 40% off is I still have a daylily in bloom on September 20th. My sale ends within 72 hours of my last daylily bloom! Don’t wait!
What is on sale starting August 20th?
Most of my hypertufa art is included in the August 20-Sept 19th sale prices. This includes pots, leaf castings, leaf castings and pet memorials!!!
All of my hand painted tile clocks. There are stunning pour paint on tile and wood styles (various sizes) and landscape clocks. I even have one daylily clock.
My daylily wall art is part of the sale. Hand painted daylily wood panels and signed prints to help you see daylilies 365 days a year!
My daylily terra cotta pots are on sale. These are an adorable way to show your daylily love with a year around houseplant or succulent.
I wanted to spend a minute on the adorable hypertufa pumpkins that I just made. These stunning fall art pieces would look awesome in the yard for Halloween or on the table for Thanksgiving. I have several in process – so more designs will be added to Etsy soon! Great for garden lovers who want some fall color in their lives! Learn more about the pumpkins on my art blog – Art from the Hartt.
More Sale Merchandise Planned for September
I have more autumn themed art that I will add to the Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale IN A MONTH on September 20th – if my daylilies are still blooming. The art is so new it isn’t listed (of finished) yet! I have everything from paw art to candle holders to succulent planters coming to the sale if those daylilies keep blooming! Sneak preview below.
I will run the sale through September 2nd regardless to give the rebloomers a little time. If I end the sale and get a very late scape – we will restart the sale where we left off!
Don’t Forget to Enter the Give Away TODAY!
I also have the give-away of $35 if you email a guess on the day the last daylily will bloom. Entries are due by midnight September 2nd. Email me at cathy@artfromthehartt.com with your guess (the day my last daylily blooms for 2024) and put daylily in the topic to enter. More info on the contest here – click.
As the daylilies slacken-off, life begins to revert to default mode. I have been busy in the Art from the Hartt studio and at my shop. Plus, my other blogs needed a lot of attention. Not to worry, the daylilies are still blooming.
Adios Albuquerque
Since my last post, I have had first-of-the-season blooms from Adios Albuquerque, Navajo Curls, and Indian Sky. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I have any other unbloomed scapes. I do see a rebloom scape on Happy Returns, though – so the first of my rebloomers.
Navajo Curls
I want to encourage some rebloomers this year, so I am going to do another fertilizer experiment next week with liquid Bloom fertilizer. I am using an organic liquid because it is still pretty warm and I think it is a little safer in regards to burning the roots. Liquid fertilizer is often recommended for midseason application. I also need to trim up any spent scapes so the plant can focus needed energy on reblooming.
Indian Sky
Rebloomers Matter: My Art Giveaway (ENTER TODAY)!
Ok, folks, I am sweating it because I need rebloomers in order for my Until the Last Daylily Blooms sale to be a success. And – I need readers like you to ENTER THE CONTEST! There is no cost and potentially a $35 coupon to spend in my Etsy shop! I am doing this to help more people know about my Art from the Hartt business.
Art from the Hartt Until The Last Daylily Blooms Giveaway! Enter Today!!!
Here are the details: All you have to do is guess the day that the last daylily will bloom in my yard and email your guess to Cathy@artfromthehartt.com by no later than September first – put “daylily” in the subject line. You need to pick a date that occurs later than September first in order to be entered, so the first date you can pick is September 2nd.
I typically have some blooms throughout September. Last year my last bloom was October 30th. I have had blooms up until Thanksgiving. If I get a very late scape, I may put it in the lean-to at night to protect it from freezing. However, it is rare to get a new scape once the freeze happens. Our date of first freeze is generally around October 1st. Zone 6 Colorado. That’s all the hints that I am giving!
Purple Corn Dancer: One of my favorite late bloomers.
The entry closest to the actual date of the last daylily bloom will win. In the case of a tie, the winning entries will receive a coupon code for $17.50 each. (I do not sell my email list or use it to send spam.)
Last Year’s Last Bloom: Open My Eyes (October 30th.)
One entry per customer. Winner will be notified within a week of the last daylily bloom and will be sent a code to use in my Etsy Shop valid through January 1, 2025.
What If There Are No Rebloomers?
I hope I didn’t jinx myself by running this sale. What if there are no rebloomers? What if the scapes I have now are the last ones of the season? I think the best way to handle this is to give a 20% off coupon to all people who entered the contest if there are no blooms on September 2nd or later. In that case, everyone wins!!! Coupons will expire January 1, 2025 – these will be great to use for Christmas!!!
Purple Thunderbird: Another stunning late bloomer
Come on, Bloom fertilizer, work some magic.
Cool Stuff You Could Win!
Daylily art – of course! Wall art, paintings, signed prints, pots and more.
Pour knobs – colorful hand painted fluid art door knobs (coming soon to Etsy.)
Fall palette hand painted tiles
Hand painted fluid art pumpkins
Stunning pour paint tile and wood pallet clocks
Handmade pots and planters for succulents and houseplants
Daylily and wildflower greeting cards
Yard art and pet memorials!
Visit my shop Art from the Hartt to see the possibilities – you can apply the $35 to any item in my shop!!!!
You have nothing to lose – just drop an email to cathy@artfromthehartt.com with “daylily” in the heading with your guess. Be sure to send in your entry before midnight on September 1st.
Recycled Habitat for Humanity tile turned into a colorful, hand painted coaster.
I am working on fall seasonal decor right now that will be added. For more info on my art – please follow my art process blog at Art from the Hartt.
The Savings Are Happening Now!
Don’t wait for the $35 prize! The shop now has several items at 30% off. This goes up to 35% off in about a week – and I will be throwing in more items! What would you like to see added to the sale items?
I am posting a quick update. Several mid-late bloomers in the past week. I haven’t posted here because of brain fog (no AC), little dogs, other blogs (I have 4 active) and old frogs. I am just going to do a quick post to catch-up.
My 3 Special Needs/Senior Rescues Keep Me Busy!
On 7.24, Ghost Ranch bloomed with the first decent sized blooms ever in my yard. I replaced the first plant a couple years ago because it died. I also had a NOID Red Spider that may be another Skinwalker or Winds of Love, but doesn’t perfectly match either. It was suppose to be Coyote Laughs, but it clearly isn’t. I also had reliable El Desperado.
It’s an interesting year – I am still in the low 20s every day. My highest day was in the 30s or low 40s – nothing like 60-70. It has been a slow, steady season.
I am going to go to weekly with this blog now that the season is slowing. I will continue to blog until the last daylily blooms, but frequency will decrease as the yard slows. I need to get back to life!
And, a quick reminder about my Until the Last Daylily Blooms Etsy sale! I use my earnings to help support my rescue dogs, so I appreciate readers who take the time to visit my shop. Thank you!
Life can change in a moment. A couple of years ago, an online friend who I met through a Facebook daylily group called Daylily Lovers and I did a daylily exchange. He lived in the same USDA zone but in the eastern US. I’m out west. I sent him Saratoga Springtime and he sent me Autumn Minaret. I guess we were looking for daylilies from opposite seasons to add to our yards.
Autumn Minaret
The daylily he sent didn’t do much last year, so today is the first ever bloom for Autumn Minaret. I want to dedicate this post to my friend. So much happened to him so quickly. I doubt he will ever see this post but I wonder how he are doing. The flower will always remind me of his love of daylilies.
Readers – Have you ever exchanged daylilies with a friend? How did it go? Please share the experience! Did you stay local or ship the daylily roots? Do you recommend daylily exchanges to others?
Until the Last Daylily Blooms: Skinwalker Painting and Signed Prints
Immerse yourself in the serene beauty of nature with this exquisite, original hand-painted daylily wall art. Capturing the delicate forms of Skinwalker, a yellow daylily with subtle pink edging, this piece serves as a charming accent for any room.
Colorado Kid Daylilies 