high desert gardening – Colorado Kid Daylilies

Spring is in the air on the Colorado Plateau. Not just any spring. A dry spring with little rain and record highs in March. So, IDK yet what this means for the bloom rate. Drought years are never predictable but usually it is an early peak with fewer cultivators blooming and fewer blooms.

I am here today to finish up last year’s blog. I seriously dropped the ball because I took on a volunteer community job in the middle of bloom season and camping season. The blog got put at the bottom of this retired nurse-midwifes triage list.

It looks like my last real blog was July 19th, 2025. Let’s see what bloomed later last year.

For the 2026 line-up, those daylilies are high because we were hot in March, but we haven’t had a hell of a lot of rain to support them. It is at the stage now where pots need to be weeded, irrigation schedules need to be regular, and old leaves need to be removed from the garden. It’s time I put down the computer and get busy in the yard!

Since I know I have a lot of daylily lovers who pull up this page, I thought I would mention that I have some hand-painted terra cotta pots that are ideal for small succulents and houseplants. They are available through my Etsy shop, and I will put the photos with listing links below. I started painting these because I got so depressed after daylily season ended. I decided I could still look at daylily blooms every day!

Select tiny pots (2.5 inch) with Route 66, Cheddar Cheese, Primal Scream and Nosferatu

Later this summer, I will be bringing back my daylily coasters. These are hand-painted from my own photos. I use upcycled tiles that are heat sealed so you have a daylily for your coffee (or whatever you drink) every day. I will also have my signed prints from my daylily paintings. The tiles and prints will feature my southwestern-named daylilies, specifically. Which one do you think I should start with?

I will be warming up the blog as those daylilies grow – so please subscribe to follow my high desert daylilies through the season.

Keep on flourishing!

Visit my business website: Art from the Hartt

Pacific Moisture, Winter Watering, Rearranging Daylilies

More Pacific moisture today on the Colorado Plateau in Montrose, CO. It’s an unusual amount of moisture for us so far this summer. I have a feeling it will be too little too late to increase my daylily scape production. That winter watering matters when we don’t get much precipitation. Next year, I am going to put a reminder in my phone every 2 weeks starting in February to find a warm day to winter water. Lightbulb: When there is no ice build-up on my front porch in the winter, there isn’t enough moisture for the daylilies during these months.

The day started off warm and sunny, so I decided to slip away and buy the daylily that I passed up the other day (Collier) because one of my pots needed more daylily. Once I got home, I wrestled the crabgrass out of my beloved Canyon Colors daylily pot and was left with 4 scrawny fans. That is why I got Collier. The colors are fairly close, so I hope they each stand out – but I won’t get any blooms from Canyon Colors this year in the pot – fortunately, I have it in another area and it has scapes.

Then, I moved stuff around. I rescued Just Plumb Happy from the border garden and put her in a pot. She is also very scrawny and won’t bloom this year. I divided my Kwanso (ditch lily) and put some of it in my little front corner garden. Now, that plant is supposed to be slightly invasive (unlike its hybridized daylily offspring) but the high desert is no tropical ditch. She won’t bloom in the pot. I also put a couple fans in my native plant garden. Another day, another experiment. If she becomes invasive, I’ll regret what I did today.

Today’s First Blooms of the Season

I had a lot of first blooms of the season today. I’ll post my reel with all the names below. Pandora’s Box was added just a couple days ago. I have almost bought this daylily online so many times! I also want to mention All American Chief as being a favorite spider daylily today.

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A post shared by Cathy Hartt (@artfromthehartt)

Etsy Shop Daylily Art Sale

This is a friendly reminder about my “Until the Last Daylily Blooms” daylily art sale. How about these beautiful fun-shaped flat cards? These make great thank-you notes! Click here or on the photo to go to the listing.

And, I also have several houseplants on sale. The Tiger Kitten begonias are so pretty and hardy. Very easy care. Click here or on the photo to go to the listing.

If you need a small planter, I have a bunch! How about this cute red, white, and blue VW-type hippy bus for fun 4th of July decor? Click here or on the picture to go to the listing (email me if you like this specific bus because I am still in process with listing it.)