Yesterday, the rains came. Many daylily growers live where that happens often enough that it isn’t out of the ordinary. In Western Colorado, it’s usually out of the ordinary.
Today, all hell started breaking loose. In other words, I had a record number of first blooms for the season. Where to start? Maybe alphabetical.
I best get some sleep. Once it starts, there is no stopping it. Come hell or high water. Because, I think the bloom rate is going to be high this year.
Are you ready for a beautiful July parade? Here goes – a listing of all of my daylilies that had first blooms in July. I count 81. Enjoy!
So many people wonder why I am so into daylilies. Afterall, they only last one day. I have orchids, but I am growing pretty bored and letting them go – maybe because the blooms last so long that, after a while, you stop noticing.
Novel experience (as long as it is positive) boosts human wellbeing. We get a dopamine rush when we see something new! Novel experiences boost our memory and improve our longevity. I’m a creative – I need novel experiences to feel alive.
It is funny, because life was in a horrible rut before the novel coronavirus entered my life. Suddenly, the world turned upside-down. My onground job went online. My whole routine changed. Life was novel. Not to say that a novel virus (one that is a whole new experience to the human immune system) is good for us because it is not a positive kind of experience.
So, yea, each bud opens and last a day (two in cold weather). But, if you get enough buds on enough plants, it plays this beautiful melody that is unique each and everyday.
I had 40 today. I’m beat going through photos, but had some great premiers. My strange and handsome Talon gave me a premier bloom for 2020 today.
And, Cherokee Star, who chose not to bloom last year, returned for a 2020 premier today. She looks like velvet.
Speaking of happiness, Happy Hopi showed up today for another bloom year. She has the most interesting shape – definitely NOT a trumpet.
Indian Giver opened her first bud of the year today – a fun bonus daylily in the Southwest garden.
The front garden is coming to life a little more with some fun color – Prairie Wildfire showed up and looks ready for July 4th in Red, White and Blue.
Black Eyed Susan also came into view today – she adds some new color to my Stella pot.
And, in my family garden, my Stephanie Returns returned. Maybe, someday she will return into my life. For now, the flower reminds me of her beautiful spirit.
Daylily Savings Time should mean we only need 4 hours of sleep so we have enough time for the peak. I guess there can be too much novelty. I read we need to balance it with daily routine . . . except, each bloom lasts only one day.
So, I had a record number of cultivators in bloom the day before my trip, but no time to blog. Tomorrow, I’m home but too late to see any blooms. So, here is the 7/16 batch. Honestly, I don’t remember which were new bloom, but I’ll try. It’ll be good to see what’s new on Sunday!
Premiers:
Apache Beacon 7/16
Inwood 7/17
Wild Rose Fandango 7/16
Coral Taco 7/16
Little Cadet 7/16
Winds of Love 7/16
Lacey Doily 7/16
Royal Palace Prince 7/16
Black Eyed Susan 7/16
Anasazi 7/16
Reruns – lots and lots of reruns:
Purple de Oro 7/16
Mauna Loa 7/16
Longlesson Show-off 7/16
South Seas 7/16
Isaac 7/16
Stephanie Returns 7/16
Passionate Returns 7/16
Prairie Wildfire 7/16
Catherine Irene 7/16
Strutter’s Ball 7/16
Prairie Blue Eyes 7/16
Red Riddle 7/16
Indian Love Call 7/16
Purple Many Faces 7/16
Iktomi 7/16
Indian Love Call 7/16
Chief Four Fingers 7/16
Zuni Thunderbird 7/16
Rocky Mountain Friends 7/16
Soco Gap 7/16
Black Ice 7/16
Maya Cha Cha 7/16
Purple Mystery 7/16
Ruby Spider 7/16
Comanche Princess 7/16
Mildred Mitchell 7/16
Thin Man 7/16
Lady Fingers 7/16
Papa Long Legs 7/16
Purple Grasshopper 7/16
Chaco Canyon 7/16
Happy Hopi 7/16
Feather Woman 7/16
Ojo de Dios 7/16
Canyon Colors 7/16
Cheddar Cheese 7/16
Mesa Verde 7/16
Primal Scream 7/16
The Colorado Kid 7/16
Melon Balls 7/16
Pardon Me 7/16
Cricket Call 7/16
Wineberry Candy 7/16
Raspberry Propeller 7/16
Route 66 7/16
Golden Stella 7/16
Yellow Punch 7/16
Early Bird Cardinal 7/16
Pink and Cream 7/16
Mini Pearl 7/16
Orange Flurry 7/16
Golden Stella 7/16
Cheyenne Eyes 7/16
Pink Enchilada 7/16
Apache Bandana 7/16
It is roll-call day! But, first, a dedication. It is camping weekend and I was listening to a song “Desperado” on my ipod. I have always identified with the song. So, I will put El Desperado as our lead photo today.
Desperado – The Eagles
Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get
Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it’s too late
Pizza Crust 7.22
Thin Man 7.22
Route 66 7.18
Fairytale Pink 7.22
Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.18
Here goes Roll-Call for the week of 7/16-7/22:
Adios Albuquerque 7.19
Anasazi 7.17
Aztec Firebird 7.17
Baja 7.18
Bela Lugosi 7.19
Black-Eyed Susan 7.16
Blue Beat 7.20
Bluegrass Music 7.16
Bold Tiger 7.17
Canyon Colors 7.15
Catherine Irene 7.16
Cheddar Cheese 7.22
Cherokee Star 7.17
Chorus Line 7.18
Classy Lady 7.18
Comanche Princess 7.17
Dream Catcher 7.18
El Desperado 7.19
Fox Ears 7.19
Happy Hopi 7.17
Heavenly Curls 7.17
Heron’s Cove 7.17
Hesperus 7.17
Indian Sky 7.16
Isaac 7.16
Jungle Queen 7.16
Just Plum Happy 7.17
Lacy Doily 7.20
Lady Fingers 7.18
Lime Frost 7.15
Longlesson Showoff 7.18
Lullabye Baby 7.22
Mama Cuna 7.17
Marque Moon 7.20
Mellon Balls 7.17
Mildred Mitchell 7.18
Mini Pearl 7.19
Mount Echo Sunrise 7.16
Navajo Rodeo 7.16
Nearly Wild 7.18
Nosferatu 7.18
Papa Longlegs 7.17
Passionate Returns 7.20
Pick of the Litter 7.17
Pink and Cream 7.18
Prairie Blue Eyes 7.17
Prairie Wildfire 7.16
Prelude to Love 7.18
Purple Corn Dancer 7.20
Purple de Oro 7.17
Purple Grasshopper 7.17
Purple Moonrise 7.17
Purple Thunderbird 7.18
Raspberry Propeller 7.20
Red Hot Returns 7.17
Red Riddle 7.18
Return a Smile 7.16
Rosie’s Red 7.20
Route 66 7.18
Royal Palace Prince 7.20
Ruby Spider 7.17
Ruby Stella 7.22
Skinwalker 7.19
Soco Gap 7.16
South Seas 7.22
Stephanie Returns 7.17
Strutter’s Ball 7.18
Taco Twister 7.19
Colorado Kid 7.22
Tiger Kitten 7.20
Treasure of the Southwest 7.20
Twirling Pinata 7.20
Wineberry Candy 7.16
Yellow Punch 7.22
Today, Tuesday, brought a couple brand new blooms. Very different daylily characteristics in these two – but some color similarities. First, another Robert’s spider – Purple Moonrise. She is big and I don’t have a ton of buds on her. Looks like some minor insect damage – time to spray, again. She is big – reminds me of Talon. I can’t find the parentage.
Rosie’s Red was a bonus a year or two ago. I like her more than a lot of my bonus blooms. She reminds me of Indian Love Call a little.
Finales from today:
Prairie Wildfire
Just Plum Happy
Wineberry Candy
And, Happy Hopi, this time for sure.
Oh, and the photo at the very top is Heron’s Cove in a splendid massive bloom today.
Alright – other bloomers today (besides those mentioned above: Aztec Firebird, Purple Grasshopper, Dream Catcher, Comanche Princess, Mama Cuna, Comanche Princess, Nosferatu, Cheddar Cheese, El Desperado. Purple de Oro, Longlesson Showoff, Mildred Mitchell, Passionate Returns, Marque Moon, Ruby Spider, Lullabye Baby, Mellon Balls, Stephanie Returns, Mini Pearl, Prelude to Love, Raspberry Propeller, Pick of the Litter, Bella Lugosi, Black Eyed Susan, Anasazi, Red Hot Returns, Prairie Blue Eyes, Lady Fingers, Indian Sky, Hesperus, Route 66, Strutter’s Ball, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Pink and Cream, Heavenly Curls, Bold Tiger.
It is time for Sunday roll call. But first, a couple cool new Roberts Spiders. Meet Mount Echo Sunrise – She is a big spider that reminds me of Dream Catcher. This is her first-ever bloom in my yard – I put her in a couple years ago.
Then there is Sante Fe Christmas – And she looks like a Christmas bow. Red, green with curly petals. I really love her – too bad she lost her other buds. Despite the improved bloom rate, the drought has taken a toll.
Next up – Finales. Of course, Santa Fe Christmas is a finale today 😦
Primal Scream is another finale.
Primal Scream 7.10
Jungle Queen had finale blooms on both pots I have of her.
Jungle Queen 7.12
Iktomi is another finale. I have enjoyed seeing the patterns in her offspring.
Iktomi 7.9
Happy Hopi gave a finale bloom today. I really enjoyed her big, bold, blonde blooms.
Happy Hopi 7.12
Now, on to our roll call. These are the blooms from 7/9 through today. But, first, we have about 12 with unbloomed scapes remaining and mid-50s with no bloom/no scape. We are at 107 cultivators (+/-). Add 12, and we get close to 120. I am still hoping for 130 total this year.
Adios Albuquerque 7.10
Alabama Jubilee 7.11
Anasazi 7.13
Aztec Firebird 7.14
Baja 7.14
Bela Lugosi 7.9
Black Arrowhead 7.10
Black Eyed Susan 7.14
Black Ice 7.10
Blue Beat 7.11
Bluegrass Music 7.11
Canyon Colors 7.15
Catherine Irene 7.15
Chaco Canyon 7.12
Cheddar Cheese 7.12
Cheyenne Eyes 7.8
Chorus Line 7.13
Classy Lady 7.14
Comanche Princess 7.11
Dark Mystery 7.12
Desert Icicle 7.15
Dream Catcher 7.15
Early Bird Cardinal 7.10
El Desperado 7.13
Fairytale Pink 7.14
Funny Valentine 7.10
Heavenly Curls 7.12
Heron’s Cove 7.13
Hesperus 7.15
Holy Sombrero 7.10
Indian Sky 7.15
Inwood 7.12
Isaac 7.12
Just Plum Happy 7.10
Kachina Firecracker 7.12
Lacy Doily 7.10
Lady Fingers 7.12
Laughing Feather 7.9
Lime Frost 7.15
Longlesson Showoff 7.13
Lullabye Baby 7.14
Mama Cuna 7.13
Marque Moon 7.15
Mellon Balls 7.11
Mesa Verde 7.13
Mildred Mitchell 7.15
Mini Pearl 7.15
Navajo Rodeo 7.13
Nosferatu 7.15
Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.11
Papa Longlegs 7.15
Passionate Returns 7.10
Petite Petticoats 7.10
Pick of the Litter 7.14
Pink and Cream 7.11
Pink Rain Dance 7.11
Prairie Blue Eyes 7.10
Prairie Wildfire 7.11
Prelude to Love 7.15
Purple de Oro 7.14
Purple Grasshopper 7.11
Purple Mystic 7.11
Raspberry Propeller 7.14
Red Hot Returns 7.15
Red Riddle 7.10
Return a Smile 7.10
Route 66 7.13
Ruby Spider 7.14
Ruby Stella 7.15
Shape Shifter 7.13
Skinwalker 7.10
Soco Gap 7.14
South Seas 7.14
Stella de Oro 7.13
Stephanie Returns 7.14
Strutter’s Ball 7.11
Taco Twister 7.11
Talon 7.11
The Colorado Kid 7.10
Thin Man 7.15
Treasure of the Southwest 7.13
Wild Horses 7.11
Wineberry Candy 7.12
Yellow Punch 7.13
Zuni Thunderbird 7.13
Well, I tried to post on Friday night, but no internet. Saturday, some internet, but my phone is crashing all of the apps since the last android update. Yes, right in the middle of peak season.
So, here are the new faces from Friday
Skinwalker 7.6.18
Echo Canyon 7.6
Iktomi 7.6
Chorus Line
Blue Beat 7.6
Bella Lugosi 7.6
And here are Sunday’s additions:
Lacy Doily 7.8
Nosferatu 7.8
Red Hot Returns 7.8
South Seas 7.8
So, that is 10 new additions since my last post – and I missed a couple of new faces while camping yesterday, but they will have another chance. For now, let me finish roll call. All daylilies that bloomed between 7/2 and today – here we go. Which is your favorite?
Alabama Jubilee 7.3
Aztec Firebird 7.8
Black Arrowhead 7.2
Black Eyed Susan 7.6
Black Ice 7.5
Bluegrass Music 7.3
Canyon Colors 7.5
Catherine Irene 7.6
Chaco Canyon 7.5
Cheyenne Eyes 7.6
Chokecherry Mountain 7.3
Comanche Princess 7.6
Dark Mystery 7.5
Dream Catcher 7.5
Early Bird Cardinal 7.3
Electric Lizard 7.6
Funny Valentine 7.8
Happy Hopi 7.6
Happy Returns 7.3
Heron’s Cove 7.5
Holy Sombrero 7.5
Hopi Jewel 7.3
Indian Giver 7.3
Inwood 7.6
Isaac 7.5
Jungle Queen 7.8
Just Plum Happy 7.3
Lady Fingers 7.5
Laughing Feather 7.2
Longlesson Show-off 7.6
Lullaby Baby 7.8
Mellon Balls 7.5
Mesa Verde 7.4
Mildred Mitchell 7.5
Mini Pearl 7.5
Navajo Rodeo 7.8
Nurse’s Stethoscope 7.8
PaPa Longlegs 7.6
Passionate Returns 7.6
Petite Petticoats 7.3
Pick of the Litter 7.5
Pink and Cream 7.6
Pink Raindance 7.4
Prairie Blue Eyes 7.5
Prairie Wildfire 7.6
Prelude to Love 7.5
Primal Scream 7.4
Purple de Oro 7.6
Purple Grasshopper 7.4
Purple Many Faces 7.5
Purple Mystique 7.5
Raven Woodsong 7.4
Red Riddle 7.5
Return a Smile 7.6
Route 66 7.4
Ruby Spider 7.8
Ruby Stella 7.5
Shape Shifter 7.6
Soco Gap 7.5
Stella 7.5
Stephanie Returns 7.5
Strutter’s Ball 7.5
Taco Twister 7.6
Talon 7.8
The Colorado Kid 7.6
Thin Man 7.5
Treasure of the Southwest 7.4
Wild Horses 7.5
Wild Rose Fandango 7.4
Wineberry Candy 7.4
Yellow Punch 7.6
Zuni Thunderbird 7.4
Oh, man, I jinxed myself. Last night, I said that we only needed 12 more cultivators to bloom to match last year’s total bloom rate. We need 79 cultivators total to tie! My count says we are now at 75. Last night, we were at 67. Do the math – we had 8 new cultivators today. Oh, help. And, I went and had my labs drawn before work and still got everything photographed. All we need is 4 more tomorrow – and judging from buds, we will surpass last year’s bloom rate on July 4th! Last year, we did not have this many different cultivators until November!
So, away we go with new intros. I had two new Ned Roberts spiders today. The first one is Taco Twister. She reminds me of Happy Hopi – guessing they are related. It is her first bloom ever in my yard. The Southwest Garden upgrades last year are primarily responsible for the better bloom rate – and Taco Twister is one of the helpers!
Taco Twister 7/3
Shape Shifter also made her first-ever visit today to the Southwest Garden. She lives up to her name.
Shape Shifter 7/3
The Walkway Garden is starting to pop – so that was where the newest blooms came from. Most of those are old, familiar faces. The first one is Mellon Balls. I have had her a couple years – she was a bonus mini.
Mellon Balls 7/3
Prairie Wildfire is one of my older daylilies that got moved to the Walkway garden a couple years ago and she is so much happier. Love her red!
Prairie Wildfire
Then there is my sweet little pastel Lullaby Baby. I have had her several years, too. Her blooms are much healthier looking now that she is in a pot.
Lullabye Baby 7/3
Pick of the Litter was a bonus daylily a couple years ago – she has been a reliable bloomer even before the pots. She will do even better this year, I think.
Pick of the Litter 7/3
Black Eyed Susan is in a planter out in the front yard with Stella and Candy Cane Dreams. She put on quite a show last year, so I can hardly wait.
Black Eyed Susan 7/3
Mildred Mitchell is over in the Blues section of the Walkway Garden. She is an older cultivator that I added a 2-3 years ago – at the same time as my other near blues. I like her flair.
Mildred Mitchell 7/3
Other blooms today were Talon, Comanche Princess. Navajo Rodeo, Chokecherry Mountain, Hopi Jewel, Happy Hopi, Zuni Thunderbird, Aztec Firebird, Catherine Irene, Happy Returns, Stephanie Returns, Alabama Jubilee, Stella, Route 66, Ruby Stella, The Colorado Kid, Bluegrass Music, Canyon Colors, Passionate Returns, Early Bird Cardinal, Red Riddle, Lady Fingers, Ruby Spider, Return a Smile, Funny Valentine, Petite Petticoats, Indian Giver, Yellow Punch, Wineberry Candy, Wild Horses,
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????
Colorado Kid Daylilies 