The Art of Labels

September 4, 2016September 4, 2016Leave a comment

It used to be that I adopted miscellaneous daylilies and planted th em in amidst my other flowers without much thought. What’s in a name, after all, as long as the flower is hardy. Then, I started collecting them. Some I got for the names. Others, I just needed to organize. So, I got cool software called Plantstep to manage my habit. One part I like about the software is that you can print labels for each flower. However, with inkjet, they never lasted long. And, I have enough now that relabeling is a major chore. What to do?

My first thought was to paint names on my plastic labels . .prime, outdoor paint, polyurethane. I especially wanted my Roberts southwestern garden to have sustainable labels until I learn the blooms. Somewhere in the process, I began to wonder if you could seal the inkjet labels with the polyurethane. It worked! (I googled it later, and they use the process to seal inkjet photographs).

So, I decided that my Southwest garden will have two-sided labels. One side is painted, the other is a plasticized label. I’m only half done – it is a multi-step process. But, I have a good start with the first batch in. I think I will just use the plasticized labels on the other gardens for now. It is an experiment . . . we will see what spring brings. (I like that I painted the label with the color of each bloom.)

My blooms for today are Heirloom Heaven (almost done for this cycle):

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

And, Red Hot Returns (darn thrips are back):

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Best of all, it looks like Ruby Stella is sending up yet another scape! This may be my graduation day flower!!! Rock on Ruby. 2016 came in with the yellows and is going out with the reds.

My new Ruby scape!!!

Fall Blooms and Roots

September 1, 2016Leave a comment

Time flies . . . it has been a couple of weeks since I posted. A lot has happened. I am less than two weeks away from my doctorate. And, I believe I have a full-time job in my future. A couple cultivators are still in bloom, and I have new roots in the ground. Perhaps returning to school is like planting new roots. You give them water, soil, sunshine, and fertilizer. Then, in time they bloom. Blooms are like jobs – the reward for the TLC given to the roots.

Today’s blooms were Heirloom Heaven:

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

And, Red Hot Returns (with less thrip damage than before):

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

As promised, here are the Painted Petroglyph roots from a couple weeks ago next to the photo from a few days ago:

Progress toward that 2017 bloom. Like submitting an assignment . . . it takes time.

Fall is here and my attention is turning to my winter indoor blooms. My amaryllis bulbs and poinsettia need to go dark soon. I got a new mum, Thanksgiving cactus, and designer begonia. My Gerber Daisy is in bloom, as is my azalea. Oh, and those geraniums. They tend to be my winter bloomers. I will probably blog about those some over the winter.

I’m also working on my fall daylily fertilizing program. My re-bloomers ran out of steam this year, so that is a sign that they need more nutrients. I have added some great Ned Roberts roots to my Southwest daylily patch – Glen Eyrie, Adios Albuquerque, Twirling Pinata, and Truchas Sunrise. I got extra fans (as bonuses) of Echo Canyon and Desert Icicle that will thicken up my existing plants. My Navajo Rodeo roots are booming this time. And, I think I am already getting my spring daylily order planned. That paycheck will be great to feed my daylily habit.

The Scapes of Late August

August 22, 2016Leave a comment

Today, my granddaughter, Maia, turned 10. Today, my daughter started nurse practitioner school. Today, I interviewed for a job. And, today Ruby Stella started sending up a new scape. It is late August. Back to school time. And, I still have scapes. I might – just might – make it to freeze. In spring these things are thick as fur on an angora. Now, I savor each one. When I brought Ruby home, she had one bud left . . . that has been a month ago. A sign that the earth is still alive.

Ruby Stella scape from today – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Actual blooms today were Heirloom Heaven:

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

Red Hot Returns:

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

My last Orange Flurry in wth my big old Banana Yucca:

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

And, both colors of Stella:

It is threatening to rain . . . it is suppose to be raining. At least it is cool. Not a drop on my desert daylilies yet, though. Come on, August showers bring September growth. Getting strong for the spring.

A Good Day . . . in the Daylilies

August 22, 2016Leave a comment

Today started with an email from one of my resilience websites. I have seen this before – but it is still as beautiful. I wish I had the patience for time-lapse of these blooms. If you want to feel a little positive emotion and wonder, give this a few minutes.

So, here are my weekend miracles. Frans Hals:

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

Orange Flurry:

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

Red Hot Returns:

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Stella:

Golden Stella de Oro – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Not bad for late August. PS – I could have sworn that Heirloom Heaven bloomed yesterday but no photos – I must have missed it somehow.

Today brought a light application of Mir-Acid. (Miracle Grow for acid loving plants). My soil here is so basic that it won’t change. The base in the soil quickly neutralizes the acid. The iron is bound at that pH, so it can’t be absorbed. Anemic daylilies. Mulch, manure, peat moss, acidifiers can all help. They probably won’t change the pH for long (if at all), but they do boost the availability of nutrients. The joy of living in an ancient sea bed. It’s trial and error. I am grateful for the lessons of my garden. It makes me feel like a hands-on healer, again. A good day.

Tiptoe Through the 2016 Daylilies with Me!

August 21, 2016Leave a comment

I may be dating myself, but I will never forget Tiny Tim singing Tiptoe through the Tulips on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in. When I decided to make this compilation of all my 2016 cultivators (all have bloomed, although some still have scapes/buds), it was a little like tiptoeing through my garden. The song came to mind. I would like to redo this with the day of the first and last bloom (in blooming order) sometime this winter when it is minus something and I need a daylily fix. It serves a purpose of not just lifting the spirit, but providing a timeline for predicting future years. So, here is the movie.

PS – My blooms today were Red Hot Returns, Frans Hals, Heirloom Heaven, and Orange Flurry. Mostly, though, my work was fertilizing pots and moving one daylily to a sunnier spot. I was just reading up on it, and I do think I need to give these guys some nutrition twice a year. It is the desert, after all. I need this foliage to be a bit less anemic when the spring comes around, again. It is all a learning curve.

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.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: Heirloom Heaven

The Art of Labels

Fall Blooms and Roots

The Scapes of Late August

A Good Day . . . in the Daylilies

Tiptoe Through the 2016 Daylilies with Me!

A Little Piece of Heaven in my Yard