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!!!
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.
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.
When I logged off on Sunday, I didn’t think it would be almost a week before I got a chance to write another blog. The heat is on!!! Camping, the 4th of July, and lots of daylilies have happened since I last posted.
And, this summer is slow. Some of the early bloomers no-showed. I am currently in the low 100s with plants that have scapes, are in bloom, or have finished blooming. Forty one out of 198 have bloomed so far this season. That’s 21%. So, it’s either going to be a wild late summer peak or a boring season. Likely somewhere in-between.
Until the Last Daylily Blooms + Hypertufa Planter Sale on Etsy
Just a quick reminder that all of my Etsy shop daylily artwork – wall art, clocks, pots, paintings – is on sale “Until the Last Daylily Blooms” in my yard. If you follow this blog, you know the photos and paintings are original Colorado artwork. On July 21st, this discount goes from 25% to 30% off. On August 20th to goes from 30% to 35% off. In September it will jump to 40% off. Will I still have blooms in mid to late October? IDK but if I do, my art will be 45% off. How low can you go??? Don’t miss the bus!!! Click here or on the photo below for the specific listing – and be sure to check out all my sale items.
Original wood panel painting of Skinwalker daylily from my Etsy Shop.
I also make hypertufa (a mix of Portland cement, sphagnum moss, and vermiculate) planters that are 25% off on Etsy during July. My planters are too small for daylilies, but I know many of us adore a wide variety of flora. Hypertufa is porous, similar to terra cotta. So, it lets the roots breath. It has thick walls for stability and can be left outdoors in winter. I do put mine in a protected area (shed) for winter due to freeze, thaw. All of my handmade hypertufa pots are put in a vinegar bath for several days to assure that the pH is favorable to plants of all types. Planters can be used indoors or outdoors. I also make some fun art with hypertufa that is also on sale during July. Click here or on the photo to go to the listing – be sure to check out my other hypertufa pots and art that is on sale during July. Love this one of the cat petroglyph at Petrified Forest
Gradual increases in elevation as we climb to the peak. Today, it felt like the peak was not too much more of a climb. Grab your oxygen, here are the new blooms for today:
Cricket Call 7.7 (Ned Roberts spider #15)Maya Cha Cha 7.7 (Ned Roberts spider #16)Mayan Poppy 7.7Nona’s Garnet Spider 7.7Prairie Blue Eyes 7.7Prelude to Love 7.7Quilt Patch 7.7Return a Smile 7.7Rocky Mountain Pals 7.7 (Ned Roberts spider #17)
That’s 9 new, 44 in bloom today, and 70 total that have bloomed this year. That’s a 40% bloom rate and we are headed for around 90%. 70 down, almost 100 to go to reach that goal. Makes me tired but tomorrow, we climb, again. Good thing for our Rocky Mountain Pals.
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 6.26-7.10All American Chief 6.22-7.9Apache Bandana 6.30-7.10Autumn Jewels 7.16-presentAztec Firebird 7.8-7.31Baby Blue Eyes 7.6-7.27Baja 7.10-7.29Bella Boo 7.2-7.16Bela Lugosi 7.4-7.26Big Red Rhyme (NOID) 6.22-7.11Black Arrowhead 7.6-7.30Blackthorne 7.6-7.13Black Eyed Susan 7.4-7.19Black Ice 7.4-7.18Blue Beat 7.9-7.17Buttered Popcorn 7.7-7-25Candy Cane Dreams 7.1-7.19Canyon Colors 6.15-presentCatherine Irene 6.24-7.13Chaco 6.27-presentCheddar Cheese 7.3-7.17Cherokee Star 7.9-8.1Cheyenne Eyes 7.6-7.19Chief Four Fingers 6.12-7.15Chokecherry Mountain 7.5-7.27Chorus Line 7.6-presendClassy Lady 7.6-7.29Coburg Fright Wig 7.11-7.30Comanche Princess 6.18-7.11Coral Taco 7.2-7.16Cricket Call 7.3-7.17Cripple Creek 7.19-presentDancing Maiden 7.16-presentDesert Icicle 7.26-presentDr Doom 7.30-presentDream Catcher 7.14-presentDream Keeper 6.11-7.1Early Bird Cardinal 6.27-7.13Echo Canyon 6.21-7.10El Desperado 7.17-presentFairytale Pink 7.11-7.17Feather Woman 7.5-7.9Fine Time Lucille 7.10-7.17Fol de Rol 7.4-7.17Fooled Me 7.10-7.16Frans Hals 7.15-present“Fringe Benefit” 6.27-7.12 (mislabeled bonus)Funny Valentine 6.20-7.8Ghost Ranch 7.12-7.17Glen Eyrie 7.25-7.30 (started while I was on vaca 7.19-24)
Golden Eclipse 7.16-present
Happy Hopi 7.7-7.31Happy Returns 6.27-7.12Heavenly Curls 7.5-7.17Heirloom Heaven 7.25-presentHesperus 7.12-presentHoly Sombrero 7.7-7.25Hopi Jewel 6.27-7.17Iktomi 7.9-7.29Indian Love Call 7.13-7.27Indian Sky 7.13-presentIndian Giver 6.30-7.17Inwood 6.22-7.12Jungle Queen 7.1-7.19-24? Finished during vacationJust Plumb Happy 7.4-7.15Kachina Dancer 6.30-7.16Kokopelli 6.25-7.19Lacy Doily 7.3-7.16Lady Fingers 6.23-7.19Land of Enchantment 6.23-7.11Lime Frost 7.11-7.16Lobo Lucy 7.13-7.31Longlesson Showoff 7.5.7.18Lullaby Baby 7.7 to presentMama Cuna 7.11-presentMarque Moon 7.13-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)Mauna Loa 6.27-7.10Maya Cha Cha 7.4-7.19Medicine Feather 7.5-7.18Melon Balls 7.6-7.15Mesa Verde 6.15-7.13Mini Pearl 6.26-7.31Mount Echo Sunrise 6.28-7.19
Today started with a parade and will end with fireworks. Must be July 4th, In between, I visited my daylilies. I think in July in Colorado (or the desert States) that we should call them 7-11 lilies, because after about 11 AM, the blooms start to melt. I mean, they literally look like melting wax to me. Our UV is just so high for them here when the humidity drops towards the single digits. Maybe that is why I take so many photos and paint the blooms. There is no hanging out with them all day because it is just too hot and I melt, too.
Anyway – I had 43 in bloom today, including 3 premiers. No finales today. Oh, and add Maya Cha Cha = who premiered yesterday but I missed her photo with the camera. I actually take pictures with both cell and camera. I post the cell shots to my Facebook page ASAP. That is a great back-up to the camera and helps me remember what is what if I get behind on camera shots. Maya is on the phone yesterday, but not in my computer library. I guess that puts us at 76, which is a patriotic number.
Bella Lugosi premier 7.4Just Plum Happy premier 7.4 – One of my very first daylilies. I divided her and put half in the boarder garden. The potted half died this year, but the one in the ground is doing OK.Lullaby Baby premier 7.4 – a favorite pastel daylilyMaya Cha Cha premier 7.3Pink Enchilada premier 7.4Pink Rain Dance premier 7.4
It is hard to believe only 40% of my daylilies have bloomed. I probably have a dozen or so without scapes so who knows if they will skip or be late? If they don’t bloom – that means we have 92 more premiers and our bloom rate will be 93%. That’s an A in my book. I am just waiting for water cost to shoot up because they declared a state of drought emergency in my part of the State yesterday.
Hi all – When it is Saturday and it hasn’t been the fun day that I planned. COVID had driven the world mad – and they seem to all be mad at me. So, how about a little Ned Robert’s daylily therapy? I fell in love with Ned’s southwestern named daylilies after finding Kokopelli on Lily Auction 5 years ago. I have a collection of 70 ish now. I am including a few from 2019 if they didn’t bloom this year. Comment with your favorite! Direct from Montrose, Colorado . . .
Adios Albuquerque 2019Apache Bandana 2019Apache Beacon (w Dream Catcher) 2019Aztec Firebird 7.19.20BlackArrowhead 7.19.20Black Ice 7.21.20Chaco Canyon 7.29.20Cheyenne Eyes 6.30.20Chief Four Fingers 2019Chokecherry Mountain 7.20.20Comanche Princess 6.26.20Coral Taco 6.30.20Cricket Call 2019Coyote Laughs 7.20.20Cripple Creek 7.21.20Dancing Maiden 7.20.1Desert Icicle 8.8.20Dream Catcher 7.28.20Dream Keeper 6.6.20Feather Woman 2019Fox Ears 2019Ghost Ranch 2019Echo Canyon 6.25.20Glen Eyrie 7.21.20Golden Eclipse 7.30.20Happy Hopi 7.3.20Iktomi 7.21.20Kachina Firecracker 7.30.20Kachina Dancer 7.20.20Kiva Dancer 7.1.20Kokopelli 7.20.20Land of Enchantment 6.20.20Laughing Feather 6.26.20Lobo Lucy 7.19.20Mama Cuna 8.4.20Mauna Loa 6.26.20Maya Cha Cha 7.17.20Medicine Feather 2019Moon over Chimayo 8.8.20Mount Echo Sunrise 6.23.20Navajo Curls 8.4.20Navajo Grey Hills 7.23.20Navajo Rodeo 2019Ojo De Dios 6.23.20Papa Longlegs 7.18.20Pink Enchilada 7.5.20Pink Rain Dance 7.2.20Purple Corn Dancer 8.5.20Purple Grasshopper 2019Purple Many Faces 6.24.20Purple Thunderbird 8.5.20Raspberry Propeller 7.17.20Raven Woodsong 8.8.20Rocky Mountain Pals 7.17.20Santa Fe ChristmasShape Shifter 7.27.20Skinwalker 7.29.20Spirit of the Morning 7.23.20Star Over MilagroTaco Twister 7.20.20Talon 7.27.20Twirling Pinata 7.27.20Wild Rose Fandango 2019Winds of Love 7.22.20Zuni Eye 2019Zuni Thunderbird 7.22.20
Today, I had 39 cultivators in bloom. I may miss the peak over the next week – but until I am retired and can choose to separate my summer camping trip from daylily peak . . .
Monarch Butterfly on Black Eyed Susan 7.5.20
I was looking at my cell photos and posting to Facebook when I remembered that I didn’t get a shot of Black Eyed Susan. I went back out front to get one and I got a surprise visit from a monarch. Camo colors.
Maya Cha Cha 7.5.20
I had 3 premiers today – two were Ned Roberts spiders back for another year. Maya Cha Cha is one of my favorite because it reminds me of my granddaughter, Maia. It is so beautiful – just like she is.
Twirling Pinata 7.5.20
Twirling Pinata showed up for the first time since 2018. Not sure that happened last year. Weirdly, Purple Grasshopper and Cricket Call are both scapeless this year. Not sure why that happens – sort of miss my purple bugs.
Pardon Me 7.5.20
And, a little mini that I like called Pardon Me. I have had her for a long time – way before I was collecting daylilies like I am now.
Wild Horses 7.5.20
I had two finales – Kokopelli and Wild Horses. See ya next year!
Kokopelli 7.5.20
Tomorrow, I have an early appointment with my nurse practitioner. Best log off. Tomorrow – more serendipity.
Today is my granddaughter, Maia’s, birthday. I limit my words on the anniversary of her birth. Honestly, there are no words for all I feel about her
Adios Albuquerque 8.22
I will say I had a nice bouquet for her today. And, I wanted to see if my computer would run smoother on WordPress tonight. The blog post I did yesterday crashes the app on my phone . . . I don’t know why.
Fox Ears 8.22
Anyway – enjoy Maia’s flowers. The featured photo is Maya Cha Cha – not in bloom today but a great tribute to my beautiful granddaughter.
Frans Hals 8.22
PS – Blogging is a bit easier with this new Lenova 300e tonight – but there is still something funky about Microsoft Edge and WordPress. Is it just me?
As I download, upload, and edit photos every night, I try to think of some meaningful focus for this blog. Tonight, I am tired and what strikes me are the lovely lady names of some of today’s bloomers. They all look like they are dancing to me, too.
Classy Lady caught my eye first thing!
Classy Lady 8/6
Dancing Maiden is getting some great, flowing blooms now.
Dancing Maiden 8/6
Rosie’s Red always adds such color to the front garden.
Rosie’s Red 8/6
Nona’s Garnet Spider is doing morning yoga.
Nona’s Garnet Spider 8/6
Maya Cha Cha is always an eye-catching gal ready to meet the day with a smile.
Maya Cha Cha 8/6
Lobo Lucy is a fine redhead.
Lobo Lucy 8/6
Black-eyed Susan shines on.
Black-Eyed Susan 8/6
And, Ruby Stella is a non-stop bloomer this summer!
Ruby Stella 8/6
The top photo is Spirit of the Morning, who woke up dancing a beautiful ballet.
And, amidst my flourishing daylilies who have not been bug sprayed or fertilized all summer due to my busy schedule are my Christmas plants. My baby amaryllis bulbs of 3 years ago are sending up spikes now! But, my poinsettias still look like they are frozen in early June. New leaves, but small. I started fertilizing . . . but I usually bring these in late August to start the bloom cycle and these guys are nowhere close to ready. Well, one is big and full. Two are small size but not pigmy. Three are pigmy. What to do with them if they don’t correct in the next few weeks??? Was it the cold spring??? And, oh, the fall daylily chores start to cross my mind – maybe move a couple that haven’t bloomed or add a front garden drip system. A gardener’s mind is always dancing.
Colorado Kid Daylilies 