I Dig the Mamas and the Papas

I Dig The Mamas And The Papas At “The Trip, “
Sunset Strip In L.A.
And They Got A Good Thing Goin’
When The Words Don’t Get In The Way.

I chuckle today at the double meaning in the old Peter, Paul and Mary song. I do dig the Mamas and the Papas – literally and figuratively. Mama Cuna and Papa Longlegs, that is. Well, hey, today they showed up on the same day so the song has been in my head all day. See the featured photo for the cultivator blooms together today.

And, all day, I have been working in the daylily garden or on my photos because another record was broken today . . . 69 cultivators in bloom. It is partially bloom rate and partially bud count. These guys are blooming for weeks instead of days. I do have other things I need to do . . . I am glad I cleaned the house before this hit!

OK, so in addition to Mama Cuna of the Mamas and Papas, I had 6 premiers today – 7 total. We are still on top of the Grand Daylily Mesa with the blooms – this high plateau is like watching COVID cases last summer – but hopefully it dies down without a real epidemic because I have altitude sickness already.

Coburg Fright Wig 7.11 – I ordered this years ago for my front garden when I was filling it out with daylilies.
Fairy Tale Pink 7.11 – I believe this was a bonus several years ago. She is doing better with a drip system!
Lime Frost 7.11 – I wouldn’t mind a lime frost from the 7.11 about now. She was mail order several years ago, I believe. I really need to move my daylily software to my functioning computer because it knows.
Mama Cuna 7.11 – all wrapped up in the yucca. She has great big blooms.
Nearly Wild 7.11 – She was a bonus and I think she got her name because she looks like her ditch lily ancestor.
Purple de Oro 7.11 – A small grape colored bloom. I have never been super attached. Her pot is full of grass. Maybe I should put another mini in with her?
Red Hot Returns 7.11 – A parent to Passionate Returns. Local nursery cultivator.

This is usually about the time of year when I see the peak fading and I hate my bloom rate so I head to the nursery for a couple that still have buds so I can have a few more blooms. I am not doing that this year – although there is a Ned Roberts that I may add to the collection next year. Help me, I am drowning in the Mamas and the Papas! Please, dig me out of these blooms!

So, here are the finales so far this year.

Saratoga Springtime finale 6.23
Yellow Punch finale 7.4
Stella finale 7.1
Funny Valentine finale 7.8
Petite Petticoats finale 7.10
Alabama Jubilee finale 7.10
Scorpio finale 6.29
Mauna Loa finale 7.10
Platinum Pink Pallet Whispers finale 7.2
Land of Enchantment finale 7.11
Apache Bandana finale 7.10
Purple Moonrise finale 7.5
Orchid Moonrise finale 7.8
Dream Keeper finale 7.1
Echo Canyon finale 7.10
Comanche Princess finale 7.11
NOID Big Red Rhyme finale 7.11
NOID Red Riddle finale 7.9
Feather Woman finale 7.11
Pink and Cream finale 7.11

That is 117 in and 20 out, meaning I have 90 some actively blooming and others with premiers coming soon.

The Shrunken Days of August

My eyes are so tired that they drip with tears.  I woke up before dawn, but dawn is getting later.  And, my sprinklers now go off after dark in the evening even though I have not reset the time.  Work starts earlier and ends later.  Things always seem chaotic at the start of a school year.  I am tireder than is healthy – it impacts my wellbeing.  I can’t push the envelope the way I use to.  Neither can the sun — it begins its rest cycle.  I feel a bit sad because I don’t like the cold, dark side of the year.  Mostly, though, I feel tired.

So, I had two Premiers today that I want to talk about before sleep.  Frans Hals is one of my early mail order daylilies.  It has been moved around the yard a few times.  I thought this was the most beautiful daylily I had ever seen – this and Best Seller.  I believe they were in my first batch of roots.  Now, it looks kind of ordinary.  Still, a nice late bloomer.

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Frans Hals 8/9

And, my apologies to Chaco Canyon and Kachina Dancer.  I got them mixed up.  The one that bloomed earlier is Kachina Dancer.  Chaco Canyon was divided and I thought her division had put out some small flowers – but it was Kachina Dancer.  My main Chaco lost a scape to a storm in the spring – but managed to send out a re-bloom spike that opened today.  Clearly, a different flower.

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Chaco Canyon 8/9

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Kachina Dancer – July, 2019

Thirty-two today.  I have broken records nearly every day for a month.  As the days shrink, so will the daylilies.  Perhaps we all need a rest.

Oh – and my Apple Blossom Amaryllis baby bulbs (mom was pregnant about 3 years ago) finally bloomed! Merry Christmas – Winter Solstice is coming.

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Apple Blossom Amaryllis 8/9