It’s The Peak – Sunday Roll Call

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018Leave a comment

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

July 1: Daylily Roll Call!

July 1, 2018Leave a comment

It is Sunday and the peak is starting. It will probably take me an hour to get this bog with all the photos for the week published. I am doing it this way so that each daylily comes up on a couple searches of the blog. My job entails creating about 20 template emails a day for the following day – it is a lot of looking up progress and pasting from my last note. Not a creative’s dream. So, when I save my drafts for the day, I have a blank email to note that it is a new day – and that email is always named after a daylily. The most creative 5 minutes/day of my job is picking this daylily. The collages just don’t work.

So – We will start with the newbies. Primal Scream is in bloom for the 3rd year. Last year, the blooms were small and anemic. She is now in an above ground put inside the Walkway Garden. I hoped for more scapes, but 2 is OK for this year, gives the fall transplant. Nothing beats her vibrant color.

Primal Scream 7/1

Indian Giver was a newbie in the Southwest Garden. She is a small daylily and was a bonus plant 3 years ago. She only gets a couple buds every year. She needs to be dug up and put in a buried pot, but the yucca is close, so not sure how I will get this done. I would like to have more blooms. She is adorable.

Indian Giver 7/1

Last but not least, from my Family Garden is Stephanie Returns. This flower makes my heart sad. Losing a family member who is still alive is horrid. Losing several is bitter and cruel. Please don’t tell people you understand or offer advise while you are surrounded with family. Please don’t tell people God is giving you this lesson for some reason or other. Do bookmark this page and come back here and look at this flower and help send positive vibes to anyone in the universe who had ever known the heartbreak such a loss can bring.

Stephanie Returns 7/1

OK – Enough heavy stuff. Onward to the roll call. Here go the A-Z blooms from 6/25 through today. Enjoy.

Alabama Jubilee 6/27

Apache Bandana 6/29

Aztec Firebird 7/1

Black Arrowhead 6/30

Black Ice 6/27

Bluegrass Music 6/27

Canyon Colors 6/30

Catherine Irene 6/30

Chaco Canyon 6/30

Cheyenne Eyes 6/29

Chokecherry Mountain 6/26

Comanche Princess 6/26

Dark Mystery (noid) 6/29

Dream Keeper 6/25

Early Bird Cardinal 7/1

Electric Lizard 6/30

Funny Valentine 6/30

Happy Hopi 6/30

Happy Returns 6/29

Holy Sombrero 6/28

Hopi Jewel 6/27

Indian Love Call 6/28

Inwood 6/30

Jungle Queen 6/29

Lady Fingers 7/1

Laughing Feather 6/27

Mesa Verde 6/29

Mini Pearl 6/30

Navajo Rodeo 7/1

Nurse’s Stethoscope 7/1

Papa Longlegs 6/30

Passionate Returns 6/29

Petite Petticoats 6/29

Pink and Cream 6/26

Pink Rain Dance 6/26

Prairie Blue Eyes 6/25

Pueblo Dancer 6/30

Purple Many Faces 6/29

Purple Mystique 6/30

Red Riddle 6/30

Return a Smile 7/1

Rocky Mountain Pals 6/29

Route 66 6/27

Ruby Spider 6/29

Ruby Stella 6/30

Saratoga Springtime 6/28

Soco Gap 7/1

Stella de Oro 6/26

Strutter’s Ball 6/29

Talon 6/29

The Colorado Kid 6/29

Thin Man 7/1

Treasure of the Southwest 7/1

Wild Horses 6/29

Wineberry Candy 6/26

Yellow Punch 6/26

Zuni Eye 6/26

Zuni Thunderbird 6/30

Overload!

June 30, 2018June 30, 2018Leave a comment

Here comes the peak. Thirty-seven bloomers today – Six new ones. Well, five, but I am going to highlight Papa Long Legs, again. Because his first bloom was not his best. So, here he is today. He totally lives up to his name!

Papa Long Legs 6/30

And, as I said yesterday, Happy Hopi was in the blooming process. She ended up with some awesome blooms today – I have never seen her before in my yard. Another first. I am now up to 21 Ned Roberts spiders that have bloomed. I hope to double that. But, I only had like 12 all of last year. So, those buried pots matter.

Happy Hopi 6/30

The other new Roberts spider (another very first bloom) is Black Arrowhead. She reminds me of Apache Bandana. Somewhere I have all the genetics for this family of daylily – I need to look to see who is related to who. But, probably not until the peak slows some.

Black Arrowhead 6/30

The next two are family flowers. In the Walkway Garden, I have a small Family Garden section. It is inspiring, spiritual, and sad to me . . . all at once. Many of my family have passed (I am the baby of the family whose mom was nearly 40 when she gave birth). Others and just estranged or distant. I wish it was different, but I have always been the resilient one. Sometimes that means aging solo. But the garden brings me to a place of remembering the positives I got from my family.

So, today a first bloom of Catherine Irene. My mom’s name was Catherine Irene. This flower has done so much better in a buried container . . . first bloom after 3 summers here. She is a pretty little mini!

Catherine Irene 6/30

And, speaking of minis, Mini Pearl showed up today. My mom’s mom (my grandma) was named Mini Pearl. She is a reliable bloomer and I am sure I will need to divide her come fall.

Mini Pearl 6/30

I also had my first Electric Lizard for the year. This plant struggles in my yard. Only 2 buds this year. None last year, I don’t think. One the year prior. I love this bloom and wish it liked me better. Maybe more miracle grow this fall?

Electric Lizard 6/30

Last, but not least, is cute little Early Bird Cardinal. She has been a reliable bloomer over the years, although only gave me a couple blooms last year. Many buds this year. I was thinking the one I named Red Riddle might be an Early Bird Cardinal – but I don’t think so now. Look at the side-by-side of today’s blooms. I think Early Bird is smaller, rounder, and rufflier. I don’t know for sure, thought.

Early Bird Cardinal 6/30

Red Riddle 6/30

OK – other bloomers (are you ready?) – Purple Many Faces, Indian Love Call, Pink Rain Dance, Cheyenne Eyes, Navajo Rodeo, Chokecherry Mountain, Cherokee Princess, Hopi Jewel, Holy Sombrero, Pueblo Dancer, Black Ice, Soco Gap, Aztec Firebird, Zuni Thunderbird, Prairie Blue Eyes, Red Riddle, Purple Mystique, Mesa Verde, Canyon Colors, Bluegrass Music, The Colorado Kid, Happy Returns, Lady Fingers, Yellow Punch, Jungle Queen, Route 66, Ruby Stella, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Strutter’s Ball, Wild Horses, Inwood, Chaco Canyon, Funny Valentine, and Return a Smile.

Tomorrow, it will be quite a roll-call for the week. But next week will be even crazier. And fitting in medical appointments . . . But, I would not miss the peak bloom for the world. Tomorrow, we will hear from Primal Scream!

So, that is 62 of 175 (ish) – 35% bloom rate so far. Man . . . we have a ways to go!

Horses, Canyons, Rodeos, and Our Blooms for the Week!

June 25, 2018Leave a comment

Summer is here! I got home from camping 6 hours ago and am still trying to get everything done for the weekend! When I don’t take photos in the morning, the blooms are pretty sunburned by noon. And we had wind today. And single digit humidity. So, for today there were 5 new blooms.

Wild Horses is a favorite, dependable bloomer. I have had her 3 years and she puts on quite a show. Can you see the wild horses in her pattern?

Wild Horses 6/24

So, Chaco Canyon bloomed when we returned from this same camping adventure last year. I love her stripes!

Chaco Canyon 6/24

A brand new face for this year is Navajo Rodeo. Waiting 3 years to see some of these has taken patience. She reminds me of Talon, but redder. I am sure they are related.

Navajo Rodeo 6/24

Ruby Spider is one of my oldest blooms, and always a favorite. She is huge, and oh so red!

Ruby Spider 6/24

And little Happy Returns is back. She is such a delicate little yellow trumpet.

Happy Returns 6/24

And there is the long roster (with photos) of all or our blooms from 6/18 through today:

Bluegrass Music 6/21

Canyon Colors 6/21

Comanche Princess 6/22

Dark Mystery 6/20

Dream Keeper 6/22

Funny Valentine 6/19

Holy Sombrero 6/22

Hopi Jewel 6/20

Indian Love Call 6/20

Jungle Queen 6/20

Kokopelli 6/19

Laughing Feather 6/19

Mesa Verde 6/22

Nurse’s Stethoscope 6/21

Painted Petroglyph 6.21

Pink Rain Dance 6/22

Platinum Palate Pink Whispers 6/22

Prairie Blue Eyes 6/19

Pueblo Dancer 6/22

Purple Many Faces 6/22

Purple Mystic 6/20

Red Riddle 6/21

Return a Smile 6/19

Saratoga Springtime 6/21

Stella de Oro 6/19

Talon 6/21

The Colorado Kid 6/22

Treasure of the Southwest 6/21

Wineberry Candy 6/24

Yellow Punch 6/22

Zuni Eye 6/20

So far, that makes 36 that have bloomed in the yard. Of 170-something. 21% or so of my cultivators have bloomed so far. Tomorrow, it looks like more new faces will join the count!

The Longest Daylily: Nurse’s Stethoscope

June 22, 2018Leave a comment

Drum roll . . . the day has come for the one and only daylily that I ever helped to name to bloom for the first time in my yard. Nurse’s Stethoscope was born one day during the “Show me your stethoscope” incident on The View. The incident went viral, and somehow my brain synapsed that Nurse’s Stethoscope would be a cool daylily name. So, I suggested it on the National Daylily Society Facebook page. And, from there one of the hybridizers with a medical background found a seedling and registered the name. She may not be the longest daylily, but it is Summer Solstice and she is a BIG bloom. She is my most expensive daylily . . . but I just had to have her as my self-nurturing with my annual bonus money.

I also had another mystery daylily open from the smaller pot of noID daylilies from the old back corner garden. She is cute – kind of generic looking red daylily with striped petals. I named her Red Riddle. I suspect she may be a common one named Red Volunteer but there are so many, I doubt that I will ever know for sure.

It was a busy day, as solstice usually is in the daylily gardens. (And, an 11 hour work day.) Bloomers today were Treasure of the Southwest, Purple Many Faces, Canyon Colors, Comanche Princess, Talon, Hopi Jewel, noID Dark Mystery, Wineberry Candy, Bluegrass Music, The Colorado Kid, Saratoga Springtime, Mesa Verde, Stella de Oro, Funny Valentine and Return a Smile. Stay tuned for photos of all our bloomers for the week on Sunday.

Tomorrow is my early work day – then I leave camping. Between now and work at 8 AM, I need to take a bath, pack, sleep, and take photos of about 20 cultivators that look ready to pop. Some cool new ones – like Holy Sombrero and Pink Raindance. And, so, Happy Solstice to all, and to all a goodnight!

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: Red Riddle