Last Sunday in July

July 30, 2018Leave a comment

Wow – It will be August next weekend. The daylily peak has come and gone. The cultivators were in the teens today . . . a massive drop off from 2-3 weeks ago. It is funny how the first 3 weeks of June are slow progress, then it explodes, then it goes to just a few here and there for months.

Today, we had one new cultivator. Heirloom Heaven bloomed for the first time in 2018. She is an adorable late-blooming mini. She is my last unbloomed scape on a cultivator that hasn’t bloomed yet. This could be it. It seems like I usually get some August scapes . . . not many, but a handful. I don’t know with this drought, though.

Heirloom Heaven 7.29

And, I had a rude awakening last night – because Mount Echo Sunrise doesn’t look anything like Mount Echo Sunrise. I looked at her tag, and she has two. The other one says Moon over Chimayo . . . and she looks like that one. So, I assume . . .

Moon over Chimayo 7.27

Finales:

Lullabye Baby 7.29

Roll Call 7/23-29:

Adios Albuquerque 7.26

Anasazi 7.27

Apache Uprising 7.25

Aztec Firebird 7.27

Baja 7.25

Bela Lugosi 7.24

Blue Beat 7.25

Bluegrass Music 7.24

Bold Tiger 7.23

Cheddar Cheese 7.24

Cherokee Star 7.28

Chorus Line 7.26

Classy Lady 7.27

Comanche Princess 7.28

Dream Catcher (with Navajo Curls) 7.27

El Desperado 7.24

Fox Ears 7.25

Heron’s Cove 7.27

Hesperus 7.25

Indian Love Call 7.24

Indian Sky 7.24

Lady Fingers 7.25

Lime Frost 7.26

Longlesson Show-off 7.23

Marque Moon 7.24

Mildred Mitchell 7.23

Mini Pearl 7.29

Navajo Curls 7.24

Navajo Rodeo 7.23

Nearly Wild 7.28

Nosferatu 7.26

Orange Vols 7.24

Passionate Returns 7.29

Pick of the Litter 7.23

Pink and Cream 7.29

Pizza Crust 7.28

Prairie Blue Eyes 7.28

Prelude to Love 7.25

Purple Corn Dancer 7.26

Purple de Oro 7.24

Purple Moonrise 7.27

Purple Thunderbird 7.26

Raspberry Propeller 7.28

Rosie’s Red 7.23

Route 66 7.26

Royal Palace Prince 7.27

Ruby Stella 7.28

South Seas 7.27

Stephanie Returns 7.23

Tiger Kitten 7.27

Twirling Pinata 7.24

Yellow Punch 7.26

56 for the week . . . that is all! I bet we are down to half of that by next week.

Desperado

July 23, 2018July 23, 20181 Comment

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

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow

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

OK – so new to the garden for the first time in 2018 today is Pizza Crust. I get a little hungry looking at her because I am stuck with low cholesterol pizza that doesn’t have much crust.

Pizza Crust 7.22

Finales:

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

New Faces, Finales, and Roll Call

July 16, 2018July 16, 20181 Comment

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

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

Iridescent

July 2, 2017July 2, 2017Leave a comment

This weekend is my home weekend . . . so working on yard stuff today. Not much new in bloom, despite having 16 in bloom. The half-bloomed bud fell off of Bluegrass Music 😦 But, South Seas did have a first bloom today. I love the color combo. It’s kind of iridescent.

The big project of the weekend was irrigation, again. I dug the big rain barrel that my renter had (yes, 11 years ago) and hooked it up to a solar drip system. I know those solar drip systems get lousy ratings. They are somewhat disposable every year. They are a pain to get running but once they are pumping, they work pretty well for a decent amount of time.

At first the system was just for the existing pots – Prairie Blue Eyes and Route 66. But the barrel is kind of ugly, so I decided to put in some annuals. I also rescued Hesperus, Saratoga Springtime, and Orange Flurry from where they were. Too much shade, not enough water. Curious to see if I can get blooms next year. (If I do, I may go for a pretty barrel!)

I also put in a drip line (this one goes to the hose) for my daylilies in the edge garden. It is going to be much easier to turn that drip hose when I do the other watering than to carry the can. Both of the new areas are places I have thought of expanding my daylily garden to when I run out of room other places. So, off we go with a pilot study!

For tomorrow – Maybe Bluegrass Music or Zuni Thunderbird. Who knows what else?

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.

A Little Something Different

August 3, 2016August 3, 2016Leave a comment

I went to take my daylily photos this morning and my camera did not cooperate. Dead battery. The hazard to being addicted to daylilies, I suppose. It’s my summer road trip this year, though. So, time to savor it!

Today was different because my daughter and grandkids are in town for a couple of days. Tonight, swimming. Tomorrow, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. And, so for today, a short blog.

The new kid today is one called Fairy Tale Pink. It looks more peach in the sunlight. I love the lines coming from the throat. It is a unique addition to the batch.

Fairy Tale Pink – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Today was Zuni Thunderbird’s last bloom. I fell in love with this whimsical bloom for some reason. I am definitely painting this one.

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

So, dead battery. What’s a photographer to do? I substituted with my Kindle for the early photos and used some of the filters that I have on my photoshop app. I’ve been wanting to do that. And, the hour is late . . .

From L to R: Top Row -Fairy Tale Pink, Ghost Ranch, Mini Pearl. Row Two – Soco Gap, Marque Moon, Stella de Oro, Ruby Stella. Bottom Row – Skinwalker, South Seas, Zuni Thunderbird.

I caved and got a Stella

July 30, 20161 Comment

I am a creative . . . so, I always have to do things in a new and different way. I have nothing against Stella de Oro, except that everyone has one if they own daylilies. Stellas are pretty generic daylilies. Simple, yellow trumpets. But, they bloom and bloom and bloom. So, I decided to add one to my collection. Mind you, I put one in several years ago before I was this into daylilies, and it disappeared. I killed a Stella!!!

The blooms are down in number, so I will go back to posting individual photos. Return A Smile was back with her small scape of reblooms.

Marque Moon was smiling down from the heavens. I love the detail in the edges.

South Seas was still rocking the blooms! (Mine looked better than the nursery ones I saw today.)

Pretty little Autumn Jewels was back. She did not produce a big scape this year, so this may be its last bloom. But, given she was a spring joiner and a root, it’s pretty good!

And, hallelujah my Skinwalker finally put out a decent bloom. Hoping it settles in and does better in the future.

Baja is such a sweet and velvet looking bloom. It reminds me of red velvet dresses that my girls wore for a photo shoot when they were little.

I will close by saying that this is the time of year that I get scape fever. I go to the nursery and find ones with lots of scapes left. The advantage of nursery bought plants is they are ready to go. I added South Seas, El Desperado, and Marque Moon at about this time last year. They are some of my most thriving cultivators this year. The downside is less variety and cost.

No matter, there is a smile for every bloom. This keeps my spirits up (and keeps me in broaden and build) as I look for my next career opportunity.

Winding down . . . a little

July 28, 2016Leave a comment

The daylily peak has come, and gone, for another year. With my intense focus on savoring it during this summer of my doctorate, I am almost glad. Heavy on the almost. As with all things, we assimilate over time. If I did not get my daylily withdraw pains from November through March (yes, fans count!), I would not have time to think creatively about daylilies in a new way. Last year, I made tile coasters, tiled tables, self-watering jars, and solar lit mason jars all with the images of my daylily heavy summer.

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

If I have any regrets about this year, it is not the yard improvements that I have made. It is that some of my regulars did not bloom . . . or had much-reduced bloom. I am not sure why . . . well, probably water and sunshine. I am sure I played into it by putting pots in places that were too shady or not pre-watering enough in the spring. But, there is something bigger, because two of my three clumps of flamingo grass also did not bloom. Strange.

El Desperado – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

I’ve already made changes in the last couple of weeks. Amended soils, moved pots, changed watering systems. It’s a long quality improvement cycle until next spring. Oh, how I wish daylilies could talk. That said, I have a few sending up scapes for later blooms – one that last bloomed 2 years ago. At any rate, last count I have had 64 of 135 bloom this year. That’s 47%. I have 4 more with scapes that have not bloomed yet. If they all survive, I will hit 50. That’s good, but leaves room for some quality improvement to make sure all my new additions this year can flourish. Look out, 2017!

From L to R: Top Row – El Desperado, Dream Catcher. Second Row – Marque Moon, Lime Frost, South Seas. Third Row – Primal Scream, Soco Gap, Melon Balls.

Back to the Drawing Board

July 27, 2016Leave a comment

Going back to the drawing board is both literal and figurative for me this day. And, when you are a creative, drawing boards can help generate positive emotion.

When I buy daylilies with southwestern names, I usually am attracted to names like Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon – places where I have been. With Ghost Ranch, I put the cart before the horse. Or, the daylily before the trip.

Oh, the name sounded southwestern, and it is a Ned Roberts bloom, so I Googled it. Much to my surprise, this place called Ghost Ranch was just over in my neighbor, New Mexico. At first, I saw it said no dogs. But, I did call the morning we were driving through that area on the road trip. Dogs, sure! Just bring a leash.

This is a beautiful place that is the subject of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings. It is clearly on the Colorado Plateau – I knew as soon as saw the rock structures. The only downside was that we got there during the beginning of a good size windstorm, so hiking was not as fun and the light was rather muted. At any rate, here is Ghost Ranch on Ghost Ranch . . . my drawing board.

Ghost Ranch was the only new bloom today. I had 10 different cultivators today. Nice little smiles, each. My last Blue Beat, though. See you next year! No, wait. See you when I break out the Christmas present paint.

From R to L: Top Row – Classy Lady, Fine Time Lucille, Desert Icicle, Blue Beat, South Seas. Row Two: Primal Scream, Lullaby Baby, Ghost Ranch, Marque Moon, Mini Pearl.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: South Seas