A watched pot . . .

June 11, 2018Leave a comment

A watched pot never boils, they say. And watched daylilies don’t bloom . . . until you go camping. Friday, I had 4 in bloom. Saturday, it was 5. Today, back down to 1. I guess the advantage orchids have over daylilies is that the blooms last months. Still, I think my first love is the daylilies.

Here are the Friday Four (Dream Keeper bloomed Friday and today):

Dream Keeper

Passionate Returns

Stella de Oro

Saratoga Springtime

I think I will have a few more tomorrow – Treasure of the Southwest is half opened, already! And, I have 30 scapes (bud spikes) in the Southwest Garden now. I will finally get to see some of these blooms! It has been a wait!

Many Blessings

August 31, 2017Leave a comment

It nears September. Today, I did musical Amaryllis pots. Some of my bulbs are 4 feet tall now. Never doubt that you get more plant if you buy from a nursery vs big box or grocery store. They are a cool addition to the landscape. In pots, of course. I can’t believe it is nearly time to bring them in to hibernate for a bit. And, my two poinsettias will be a pain to get into bloom, again. But, I am up for it.

Stella de Oro

And, so I am beginning to plan past daylily season. I hope to have blooms through September. Maybe, if another scape appears, they will go into October. It happened last year . . . into November. I await my last addition . . . Nurse’s Stethoscope. I have her pot ready. As soon as the weird weather passes Kentucky, she will be on her way.

Passionate Returns

It is time to blog less. I am ready to watch some videos in the evening. I am taking steps to decide what my new steps will be. I hope I can get my orchids to bloom this winter! And, keep my new azalea blooming. I hope this winter brings many blessings. We shall see. No matter what, the blooms will help.

Yellow Punch

Sick Day Bouquet

August 15, 2017August 15, 2017Leave a comment

Today, I ended up taking half the day off as a sick day. It makes me feel guilty to write a blog with the smattering of photos I managed this AM. But, believe me, the 4 hours of hard sleep and other viral symptoms are as real as the beauty of the flower. My first sick day in the year I have worked there . . . well, almost a year. I’m sure my crazy shifts in the yard added to the exhaustion.

Of course, there are no new blooms today. I sort of like the fall in daylily-ville, because you don’t have to look as hard to be sure you didn’t miss one.

This weekend is camping weekend. I also hope to get the daylily roots washed for my coworkers so I can mail them on Wednesday next week. I have a few more divisions to do . . . some of my co-workers down South will do better with the evergreens. I just haven’t gotten that far yet. And, I have a musical pots thing that needs to happen. But, before that MORE garden soil to buy. Jeez.

In thinking of next year, I think I will pull two of my three Stellas completely out of their pots and add divisions of Pink & Cream and Yellow Punch. They have earned their stripes as pretty rebloomers this year. The color and shape is better than Stella.

With all these pots, next year I may have a daylily yard sale. I love to give them away. And, if the pots do well, I will have more than enough for that. So, maybe a little one-day sale or something. I need to think about it. Anyone with any experience out there? Or is online better?

For winter, I want to blog more about my poinsettias, orchids, and Amaryllis. I actually may look at other Christmas bloomers. I got the coolest Mexican pottery at . . . Walmart. It was a few weeks ago . . . amazing prices. Anyway, thinking of some winter wonder bloomers in there. Ah, it is time to sleep, again.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

August 13, 2017August 13, 2017Leave a comment

Not many daylilies – Just Stella and her offspring, Pink and Cream. But, what did catch my eye this AM was that my Amaryllis bloomed . . . mostly. This guy has been out since it bloomed last Christmas, moved to the garden in May. So, why it decided to bloom, who knows?

Amaryllis and orchids are the winter blooming houseplants that bring to mind my daylilies. Fall brings a longing to start dreaming of their blooms. I wonder if I let this one rest (as usual) for 6 weeks if it will get another bloom? We will see, I guess.

I did a 12-hour shift with my shovel. This was less about “flow” and more about grit. I have 6 more that I want to do tomorrow before I fix-up the soak hose. I have about 10-12 more to do total. Hopefully, this fall.

Digging up the garden made me a bit sad for the daylilies. They are pretty shallow-rooted. Some are too small . . . and that seems to predict lots of roots underneath. Or, visa versa. It takes forever because of the clay, roots, and tight spaces. I decided that the daylilies would either get better, stay the same, or get worse. Worse would be crown rot or more shrinkage. The same is the same. Better would have two possible management plans. The first would be to leave them in the containers and divide often. The second would be to see how they do without containers now that they have deeper basements. Or I could get decorative containers, too. It is like a research study. Not so much random assignment . . . but half the garden gets the intervention. Need to give it time.

Meanwhile, I am beat. Six more tomorrow, then a break from digging for a bit. Other than making a few divisons for friends . . . or starting that. I figure one more full weekend of daylily-ville work. I can’t wait to be a real person, again!

Peace in the Garden

August 10, 2017August 10, 2017Leave a comment

The garden was cool this AM when I got up to look what was in bloom. I needed a fleece to stay comfortable. The scattered blooms took forever to open. Stella has returned, after 2 months of rest. I got Stellas last year so that I would have blooms all summer, and it has been disappointing. I probably need to divide more often.

I like my big box Pink and Cream that has been in bloom much more frequently and is prettier – a nice offspring. It will need to be divided in the spring, for sure!

And, fun with flower photos is turning into dances with shovels. Today, 8 more put in some sort of pot. The Southwest garden is hard work . . . clay and tree roots. And, odd shaped working space for digging holes. So many left to go. I have the worst corner done now. That’s a bit of progress. Every time I think I have foiled my desert garden, I end up re-doing it a couple years later. Because, when you add water and fertilizer, the natives want first dibs!

Somehow, this Gordon Lightfoot song has been going through my head all day:

There’s peace in the garden
There’s peace in the air
Peace in the sound of the river
There’s peace in the meadow
The sun shines like gold
And if she were with me
There’d be peace in my soul

Tomorrow, maybe I’ll talk about the upward spirals from time with my daylilies. I may have my first Western Sandstone tomorrow!

They’re Back!

July 28, 2017Leave a comment

OK, so I said I would try to focus on new blooms for this blog . . . and that works during peak. As that falls off, the focus will need to shift in order to keep the blog alive through the summer and early fall. There are tons of possibilities . . . colors, shapes, etc.

For tonight, the focus in these two awesome rebloomers – Pink & Cream and Yellow Punch. I rarely buy Big Box daylilies, but I was in the mood for more color in early June, and these added some spice to the yellow trumpets. And, so they finished but now they are back.

They are offspring of Stella de Oro, but I like them a lot better. They were marketed as better rebloomers than Stella, and this year in my yard that is 100% true. Maybe these two will be my last daylilies of the year. Oh, I have younger scapes on a few . . . Pizza Crust, Western Sandstone, Nearly Wild, Heirloom Heaven. But, these could keep coming back. Until today, the last bloom for Pink and Cream was late June. And, yea, they live in pots.

Big Box Punch

June 13, 2017Leave a comment

Today came my first Yellow Punch bloom. One of my Flower Power daylilies from my weekend trip to Lowes.

I’m not much of a big box shopper, but I do appreciate rebloomers. Stellas are the best! So, I was curious about what big box did with Stella. I wish I could find out the parentage. Monrovia just says it’s new this year. (It looks lots like Pink and Cream that I got at the same time. Hmmm.)

I do see mother Stella. It also reminds me of my Frans Hals, which is an older daylily. Hard to know. Many after it’s less new??? (Below: Stella and Frans Hals)

Estimated Day of First Daylily: Tomorrow

June 7, 2017June 7, 2017Leave a comment

Stella in half bloomed, so I think it’s safe to say my first daylily of the year shows up tomorrow. I have to give up AM news for camera time in the garden. It’s better, the garden.

I killed my very first Stella a few years back. Then, I got into daylilies, and Stella seemed too common. But they bloom all season. So, last year, I hit the sales and got a few.

I have a growing number of scapes popping up. It’s like watching popcorn start to pop. Kokopelli, Soco Gap, Papa Long legs, Hopi Jewel, Happy Returns, Ruby Spider, Chama Valley, Strutters Ball, Wild Horses, Ghost Ranch, Funny Valentine, Inwood, Jungle Queen, Return A Smile. All have scapes. And, it’s just the beginning. I guessed Juneteenth (16th) for bloom 1. Off by 9 days. I’m good with it.

I have a lot of friends who think I’m a Lily expert. Daylilies are not really lilies. They are more closely related to Olathe Sweet Corn. And, I hope they do as well in my high desert garden.

The Scapes of Late August

August 22, 2016Leave a comment

Today, my granddaughter, Maia, turned 10. Today, my daughter started nurse practitioner school. Today, I interviewed for a job. And, today Ruby Stella started sending up a new scape. It is late August. Back to school time. And, I still have scapes. I might – just might – make it to freeze. In spring these things are thick as fur on an angora. Now, I savor each one. When I brought Ruby home, she had one bud left . . . that has been a month ago. A sign that the earth is still alive.

Ruby Stella scape from today – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Actual blooms today were Heirloom Heaven:

Heirloom Heaven – Photo by Colorado Kid Dalilies – C. Hartt

Red Hot Returns:

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

My last Orange Flurry in wth my big old Banana Yucca:

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

And, both colors of Stella:

It is threatening to rain . . . it is suppose to be raining. At least it is cool. Not a drop on my desert daylilies yet, though. Come on, August showers bring September growth. Getting strong for the spring.

A Good Day . . . in the Daylilies

August 22, 2016Leave a comment

Today started with an email from one of my resilience websites. I have seen this before – but it is still as beautiful. I wish I had the patience for time-lapse of these blooms. If you want to feel a little positive emotion and wonder, give this a few minutes.

So, here are my weekend miracles. Frans Hals:

Frans Hals – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Orange Flurry:

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

Red Hot Returns:

Red Hot Returns – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Stella:

Golden Stella de Oro – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Not bad for late August. PS – I could have sworn that Heirloom Heaven bloomed yesterday but no photos – I must have missed it somehow.

Today brought a light application of Mir-Acid. (Miracle Grow for acid loving plants). My soil here is so basic that it won’t change. The base in the soil quickly neutralizes the acid. The iron is bound at that pH, so it can’t be absorbed. Anemic daylilies. Mulch, manure, peat moss, acidifiers can all help. They probably won’t change the pH for long (if at all), but they do boost the availability of nutrients. The joy of living in an ancient sea bed. It’s trial and error. I am grateful for the lessons of my garden. It makes me feel like a hands-on healer, again. A good day.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: Stella de Oro