Switched at Birth?

June 26, 2017June 26, 2017Leave a comment

I went camping this weekend, so there was one day that I missed my blooms. I got home today at 4, and rounded the corner to my outside porch. I start counting blooms, and I spy a new one for the year. But it is totally the wrong color. It is mauve and white, I was expecting light yellow. What’s the deal?

Last year, I planted my two New Mexico named daylilies in the same pot. I labeled them (I thought). Last year, Ghost Ranch bloomed. So, one of the two plants is decidedly larger. So much so that the smaller one got its own pot to see if I can beef it up a tad. I thought Ghost Ranch was the one in the big pot. Apparently not, because the bloom looks like Chaco Canyon. It is odd, I still can’t figure it out. Chaco blooms early and Ghost Ranch is later. So, we will see. Maybe the fans are mixed now.

Anyway, remember when I said I would only post photos of new blooms? I have a few today. Please know that it was 4 PM when I got home so some of the blooms are past their prime. But, the garden explodes in color.

Here is Hopi Jewel:

Isaac:

Lady Fingers:

Prairie Wildfire:

Red Hot Returns:

Chama Valley

Tomorrow there are several possibilities for new faces. I think Wild Horses, Inwood (I missed the first bloom on Saturday), Mesa Verde, Stephanie Returns, Pink Enchilada, and Soco Gap are close. Any guesses????

First bloom: The Yellow Trumpets

June 8, 2017June 8, 2017Leave a comment

Today brought my first bloom of 2017. A golden Stella de Oro. Well, more like two Stellas. Simple yellow trumpets are the early birds. Happy Returns will join, soon. So will Ruby Spider . . .the one in a container on my patio. It gets hot back there. That bunch is always a couple weeks ahead.

While Stella led the way, more scapes became visible. Indian Love Call, Pink Enchilada, Stephanie Returns, Isaac, Early Bird Cardinal, Mesa Verde, Heron’s Cove, Red Hot Returns, Lady Fingers, Royal Palace Prince, and Prairie Wildfire. And, a tiger that the nursery wasn’t sure what it was . . . So, I got a big discount. The list grows. I’m hoping for a 75% bloom year.

This blog will be different this year. Last year, I was finishing up my doctorate. I had a lot of flexibility to be in the garden and playing with photos. This year, I work 45+ hours a week for Western Governors University. I’m committed to the blog, but it needs a new approach. Because, sleep is good.

The longest blooming daylilies in my yard!

April 3, 2017April 3, 2017Leave a comment

As my daylilies begin to grow taller and taller, I begin to imagine the season ahead. I have a system for numbering photos that allows me to know start and stop blooming dates. As far as blooming for several weeks, I have several top performers.

The winner is probably Red Hot Returns, which started in August and was blooming in early November.

Ruby Stella also bloomed from early August into early November.

Of my peak season bloomers, several lasted for over a month with lots and lots of summer blooms.

Mesa Verde was profuse and bloomed for a month from 6/26 to 7/24

My old favorite, Ruby Spider, bloomed from 6/24 to 7/22. Not bad.

PrimalScream cheated a little with two different plants in two different locations. But all in all she lasted from 6/25 to 8/4!!!

South Seas rolled in from 7/11 – 8/4 (and I was out of town the week prior, so I may have missed a couple blooms.

And, lastly, Soco Gap produced big, gorgeous blooms from to 7/6 to 8/2.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017Leave a comment

Daylilies for 2017 ordered. Unless Solstice, my cat, killed the potted ones that she dug up. So, I wait for spring.

My Amaryllis are done. The bulk of my poinsettias are hibernating, at least to some degree. I have over a dozen and figured I’d loose a few by spring. So far, all still have green stems.

They have been spending warm days on my fiber glass back porch. It’s on the south side, so makes a good ggreenhouse. My evergreen daylilies are out there. Man, I hope Mesa Verde, Canyon Colors, and Wild Horses are resilient. Not happy with my beloved Solstice a out this. For now, we wait for growth.

I’ll update when the new growth comes. I’ll be putting the poinsettia pots in with the daylilies. Can’t wait.

Put the Lime in the Coconut!

July 24, 2016July 24, 2016Leave a comment

My computer just blitzed my first post – all but the last caption done. I think I could use a little lime in the coconut right now. At any rate, that song was going through my head this AM when I started looking at my garden. I think it was the sight of Lime Frost surrounded by two near-white daylilies, Marque Moon and Lullaby Baby. I guess the song was about a cure for morning sickness??? (Well, that is not my problem, although I treated it a lot during my midwifery practice years.) The new bloom, Melon Balls, sort of added to the fruity theme. This was a gift plant – and it looks like melon balls floating in my drink!

Melon Balls – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

That was the only new bloom today. The other one of that I am highlighting today is Mesa Verde. This cultivator has been blooming for a full month – and I have over 80 pictures of these gorgeous blooms. Unfortunately, today is the last bud unless she gets new life later in the summer. Every time I snap the shutter, I wonder how I will ever paint this on a Christmas present? Oh, I will. And, it will be a challenge to capture the full aura of this blossom.

Mesa Verde – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

The other highlight today is Zuni Thunderbird, one of my Ned Roberts babies. This one started with insect damaged blooms and I was less than impressed. But, the blooms have straightened out and the spots are mostly gone. I love the curls! This will be on a present, too, me thinks. (PS – Sounds like my tropical drink is up on the Colorado Plateau somewhere today!)

Zuni Thunderbird – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

So, for the collage today, I tried to get similar poses where the flower anatomy would allow me. Lucky 13 today. Now, off to do the work of a farmer and work on flower pot drainage.

L to R: Top Row – Lady Fingers, Zuni Thunderbird, Baja, Aztec Firebird, Dream Catcher. Second Row – Fooled Me, Lime Frost, Lullaby Baby, Marque Moon, South Seas. Bottom Row – Return a Smile, Mesa Verde, Melon Balls.

And, Yellow Spiders Everywhere!

July 21, 2016Leave a comment

It may sound like Alfred Hitchcock movie, but it is actually much better. Spider daylilies – Heavenly Curls, Desert Icicle, and Lady Fingers were all in bloom today and are featured in today’s collage (below).

The new bloom today is Marque Moon. I ended up accidentally buying two Marques last summer. I found the second one on super sale without a tag, and I thought it was a different flower. So, when I created my family section, I moved both Marques to a different part of the garden together. I used to think this was the most ruffled daylily ever! That was before I adopted Mesa Verde.

Marque Moon – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, I am mentioning the one I called Montrose Sunset again because I found out its real name (I think). I posted it to the American Hemerocallis Society Facebook page, and after some discussion, there was pretty good consensus that it is Orange Vols. And, once I heard the name, it sounded familiar. No more fugue state for you, little one. We figured out your real identity.

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

So, the collage is below. Twelve blooms. Actually, it’s a nice number. Variety, but not so many that I can’t savor each one.

From L to R: Top Row – South Seas, Orange Vols, Soco Gap. Row Two – Marque Moon, Heavenly Curls, Desert Icicle, Lady Fingers, Zuni Thunderbird. Bottom Row – Purple De Oro, Blue Beat, Happy Returns, Razzamattaz

And, so I shift back to homework. Still waiting. Staying in positive emotion as much as possible in order to broaden and build my resources. Thanks, daylilies.

The Long and the Short of it

July 18, 2016July 18, 2016Leave a comment

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

And, the Peak Goes On! (In Colorado)

July 17, 2016July 17, 2016Leave a comment

I walked out the door to over twice as many blooms as yesterday. Twenty-one! So, we are continuing to climb to the apex of the season. Interesting that in this bouquet that there are no new cultivators. So, what to talk about? Perhaps what the sun does to color in daylilies. I am no hybridizer, but I was a printer at one point much earlier in my life. I learned about color then . . . additive and subtractive.

It is my understanding that daylilies don’t have genes to make blue. So, the near blue flowers are a mosaic. Additive color is what I use when I paint my blooms. It is easy compared to subtractive color . . . which is done with light and filters. If I was issuing a somewhat educated guess, I would say this must be a subtractive process.

So, here is my stunning Blue Beat before the rays of sun hit it directly:

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

And here it is just 5-10 minutes later, as the first rays of sun found its pedals: ( It shifts from blue, green, and light pink to peach, yellow, and purple). I would love to hear a hybridizer’s take on this!

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

I had a lot of cool spiders today – Ruby Spider, Thin Man, Aztec Firebird, Zuni Thunderbird, and Desert Icicle. Here is one with Ruby and the Thin Man.

Ruby Spider with Thin Man in the distance – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Also, three out of five in my family garden are blooming today: Here are all three: Isaac (grandson), Mini Pearl (Minnie Pearl – grandma), and Stephanie (daughter). The colors are nice together. Maya Poppy (for granddaughter, Maia) is going to blend right in. Hopefully, soon. Catherine Irene, momma’s namesake, looks like it is waiting for now.

All in the Family from L to R: Isaac, Mini Pearl, and Stephanie Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

So, here are today’s 21. Busiest day of 2016 so far. At least until I start trying to paint all of these for Christmas presents! Oh, help!

In alphabetical order from L to R: Top Row – Aztec Firebird, Blue Beat, Desert Icicle, Early Bird Cardinal, Isaac. Row Two – Lady Fingers, Mesa Verde, Mini Pearl, Pick of the Litter, Prelude to Love, Purple de Oro. Row Three – Razzamatazz, Return a Smile, Route 66, Ruby Spider, Soco Gap, South Seas. Bottom Row – Stephanie Returns, Thin Man, VooDoo Dancer and Zuni Thunderbird.

So, I am ready for a nap!

All in the Family

July 12, 2016July 12, 20161 Comment

As I typed in this title, I actually Googled to see if there is an Archie Bunker daylily. Fortunately, my search didn’t find any such flower. The title of this blog is because I want to talk about a section of my daylily garden with names from my family. Because today Stephanie Returns returned for 2016. My oldest daughter is a Stephanie, too. And, she returned to Colorado the year that I came across this cultivator at the local nursery.

Stephanie Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Following after mom, my Isaac daylily is close to a first ever bloom in my yard. Definitely tomorrow. Isaac is also my 3-year-old grandson’s name.

Isaac bud – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Mini Pearl was my grandma’s name, and I have a daylily by the same name with scapes, also added last year. Interestingly enough, there is a daylily named Catherine Irene which is also my mom’s first and middle name. I am still waiting on that one to send scapes. I have Mayan Poppy for my granddaughter, Maia. It also has scapes. I have a couple more to add in that section – I am waiting to see what space looks like after the first year. But, it is already a very special section of my garden. Right by my front door.

Other new faces for today are Razzamatazz, a pretty little purple bloom that I have had for a couple of years.

Razzamatazz – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

All-in-all, I have 12 full blooms and a very ready-to-bloom bud of Isaac. Today, I mixed-it-up and made the collage in alphabetical order. Lots of yellows and purples today.

From L to R. Top Row: Canyon Colors, Indian Love Call, Isaac, Lady Fingers. Row Two: Mesa Verde, Mildred Mitchell, Purple De Oro, Razzamatazz, Return A Smile. Bottom Row: Ruby Spider, Soco Gap, South Seas, and Stephanie Returns.

I have had 32 different cultivators bloom so far in 2016. That is somewhere around 25% of my daylily collection. I am hoping for 50% this year, because so many are new. And, the ones for $2 often take a couple years to bloom. My long-term goal is 80% per year. Time to quite, though, cause I am thinking like a doctor. And this is my get-away time.

The Daylily Dozen (plus one)

July 12, 2016July 12, 2016Leave a comment

Today, I finally had a dozen different daylilies in bloom in my yard. I limited photos, but it still took forever to go through them 😉 I decided to put today’s collage in some sort of order by color from purple to yellow.

I want to keep this short, but also share some new faces. First is a brand new face, Indian Love Call. It is a pretty dark bloom with thin peddles. Nice addition to the front yard.

Indian Love Call – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

The next one is “almost” brand new. I got South Seas toward the end of last season and I only got one bloom. I love the bright colors and large bloom size.

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

Then an old favorite, Route 66. I found this one the year that Route 66 was the epicenter of my Southwest road trip. The hybridizer created this one back when Route 66 was still more of an American dream trip. The colors are spot-on.

Route 66 – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Another new face today is my first “Mexican Daylily” that is really called a Shell Flower. These blooms got their nickname because each bloom only lasts one day. I love the beautiful pattern on the bottom. These are bulbs that I got for $1 at the grocery store in February (all 12 of them).

“Mexican Daylily” – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, finally, below is my Daylily Dozen. It is of note that Colorado Kid almost looks like a different flower now that it is hot. It is up with the dark reds but was a pink in earlier blossoms.

From L to R. Top Row: Kokopelli, Purple de Oro, Black Ice, The Colorado Kid. Row two: Indian Love Call, Route 66, Ruby Spider, Early Bird Cardinal. Bottom Row: Mesa Verde, South Seas, Primal Scream, Lady Fingers.

What’s up for tomorrow? Lucky 13.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: Mesa Verde

Switched at Birth?

First bloom: The Yellow Trumpets

The longest blooming daylilies in my yard!

Out of the frying pan, into the fire

Put the Lime in the Coconut!

And, Yellow Spiders Everywhere!

The Long and the Short of it

And, the Peak Goes On! (In Colorado)

All in the Family

The Daylily Dozen (plus one)