Drought Impact on Daylilies: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim Fire & Garden Update

July 12, 2025Leave a comment

Hi Daylily Lovers,

The South Rim Fire, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

I want to start by saying a few words about the drought that has been growing in Western Colorado all season. Yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, a “dry lightning” storm came through and set off multiple fires in our region. This is like striking a match to dry kindling.

Now, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is evacuated because of an active fire on the South Rim – about 15 miles away on the road – maybe 10 miles as the crow flies. The smoke and air quality are bad. The South Rim Fire is one of three very active fires in my county – the others are the Sow Belly Fire and the Deer Creek Fire. I can hear the aircraft humming almost constantly from my garden, about 2 miles from our airport.

Watch Duty screen shot 7.11.24 Montrose County, CO

So many daylily farmers live in places that get regular rain. Here, the daylilies often get their only water from my City water hose. But, beyond the daylilies, please keep our firefighters in your thoughts as they battle these blazes in 90+ degree weather and single-digit humidity.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park photo (credit Facebook) 7.11.25

Garden Update: First Blooms for 2025 Since July 4th

I’ve had a lot of bloomers since I last posted on July 4th. It’s hot now, too uncomfortable to garden. And, now there is smoke. But, I still manage to get out everyday for my photos and a jog around the neighborhood.

I hit peak bloom 2 days ago, with 60+ in bloom that day. As of today, I have had 113 total cultivators in bloom this season for a bloom rate of 60%. I am hoping to make it to 80% this season. If I keep all the current buds and add a few more, I’ll be OK. Bud blast happens in these conditions, thought. I need 39 more!

I continue with my community volunteer work. I feel that is my priority this summer, but I miss my more frequent and in-depth posts about daylily gardening. Fortunately, it has been a better bloom year than I expected with the drought. And, I am getting a couple of hours on my porch editing my photos every day. It is a joyful escape (even in the heat) from today’s politics. I am grateful for my daily daylily escape!

Until next week, keep blooming! Cathy H

Daylily Photography: Capturing Every Bloom and Seeking Tracking System

July 7, 2024Leave a comment

Today’s Fresh Faces for 2024

July is cooking! I had 6 first of the season blooms today. It is well past yellow trumpet season and the color variety is amazing. Here are today’s new blooms: Better Off Blue, Coral Taco, Echo Canyon, Nurse’s Stethoscope, Talon, and Titan Skye.

Which of these do you think would make the best coaster or mini clock? Please add to comments.

A Day in the Life of a Daylily Hobbyist in July

My days during prime daylily season aren’t particularly entertaining, but they are very different than the other 10-11 months of the year. As always, the day starts with the dogs and a jog. But, somewhere in there, I go out with my cellphone and photograph a bloom from every cultivator that has one. I use to use my Canon Powershot, but as my collection grew my time shrunk. Each photo is edited and uploaded to my online photo drive. By noon-thirty, my phone battery is dying.

After that, I post to Facebook (my personal page) and then make a reel of all the first blooms of the season for Instagram. Then, I share that reel to my business IG, FB, Threads, and my story. My phone is now charging and the clock saying early afternoon..

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cathy Hartt (@artfromthehartt)

And, then it’s time for the blog. Except for today, because I stopped to make an extra Instagram video about my Until the Last Daylily Blooms Art Sale on Etsy. So, I opened Canva to start designing a short reel and there went another hour. It does take longer because I am trying to integrate my art business, Art from the Hartt. I don’t sell daylilies because of the need for a nursery license, but I do sell daylily art. So, I do whatever I can do to support myself with my garden.

OK, so now it’s 4 o’something and it’s time for the blog. What can I choose for a topic? Something simple, because it’s late and I still have chores to do. I haven’t touched my art.

Daily Daylily Photography

So, let’s talk about daylily photography. Why do I take a photo of every cultivator that’s blooming every day? Maybe I am just an anal retentive retired nurse who is use to taking vital signs every shift. Only through monitoring the norm can we spot trouble coming. Maybe because I am an artist and I use my photography to make art – the more photos I have, the better chance of capturing cool things like this Nurse’s Stethoscope daylily painting. Maybe it is because the sun is so intense in the high desert that my blooms are melted by early afternoon and I’m not ready to let go.

Looking for a Daily Bloom Tracking System

What I am looking for is an app or software where I can track which cultivators are in bloom every day. I don’t need more hybridization software because I love PlantStep. I want a chart of what is in bloom each day. Ah, this is the anal retentive nurse coming out. But really – I would like to ask my readers if they know of a charting system where I can input the daylily names and put a checkmark each day (like a calendar) that it blooms – then run a report at the end. It would be cool to have a photo of each – but you would only need 1 photo for the year.

I monitor a lot by photographing each day, but I can’t use the data as well as I could with a better system of daily daylily tracking. I appreciate any ideas from readers!

Until The Last Daylily Blooms Art Sale on Etsy

What happens to all those photos? Mostly, they are stored. The inspirational ones, however, can become art! Daylily art was my first dive into painting many years ago and I still adore making art from my daylilies.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cathy Hartt (@artfromthehartt)

I have lots of wall art, clocks, cards, and painted pots available for sale this summer – literally until my last daylily blooms. Last year, that was the day before Halloween. So, while the sale lists an end date in November, it will actually end at midnight 24 hours after my last daylily blooms. If we are lucky enough to be blooming in late October, my art is 50% off! The Instagram (above) has the sale dates and percentages off. Please visit my Etsy store and check it out.

Open My Eyes on October 27th, 2023. She bloomed again the 29th and the bloom was hit with freezing rain. She lost her other buds.

PS – The time is now 5:55 PM and I am about to hit publish.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

July 10, 2022Leave a comment

The last week has been grunge work of stripping Porch Restore off my old cement steps and porch for repainting. You have to pour boiling water on Porch Restore to remove it. It’s grueling work. And, I don’t start until I’m done with the daylilies.

I finally put everything away for the night and was getting ready to walk the dogs when a little rain cell blew in. It brought a full rainbow over my Southwest Visions garden. Nice end to the day.

I had some nice premiers today. Let’s take a peek:

Chief Four Fingers with three fingers-7.9 (Ned Roberts spider #20)

There are lots of Neds left. I think all but 2 or 3 plants in the Southwest Visions garden will bloom. Some have tons of scapes, others only 1 scrawny scape. It’s just slow this year.

We will see what pots of hold at the end of the rainbow bloom tomorrow.

July Daylily Round-up N-Z

August 1, 20211 Comment

Here is part 1 of this blog post These posts include all daylilies that were in bloom in July in my yard. Please see first post for more details.

Nosferatu 7.12-7.19 (end 7.19-7.24 during vaca)

Oh Erica 7.17 (end 7.19-7.24 during vaca)

Pizza Crust (started week of 7.19)-present

Purple Grasshopper 6.11-present. Non-stop!

Red Hot Returns 7.11-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.25 during vaca)

Royal Braid 7.18 (ended 7.19-7.25 during vaca)

Ruby Spider 6.22-7.19 (ended 7.19-7.24 during vaca)

Spirit of the Morning 7.12-8.1 (unless I missed a bud)

No U, No V – I need to fix that with some new flowers 🙂

No X, either!

Yellow Punch 6.15-7.4 (first encore 7.31)

That is all for July, folks. Look for our Colorado Day (8/1) blooms up next!

Daylilies are My Life

July 5, 20211 Comment

This time of year, it feels like daylilies are my life. I have had about 30 blooms in the garden for several days. Yesterday, we hit 40. Today, we hit 60!. It took me almost an hour just to photograph them – let alone photo editing and posting. Last night, I took a lot of photos of fireworks – It felt very similar in my garden today. A few pauses, but mostly lots of action. Do I think we are at peak – no. But it is getting closer.

Here are the premiers for today. Hang on – there are 10 (so about 80 cultivators have bloomed so far). Today, there were several of my favorite hybridizer’s blooms that opened (Ned Roberts). Daylily season is like Christmas . . . the peak is a little overwhelming. At the same time, it is like old friends who visit once a year.

Chokecherry Mountain 7.5 (A Ned Roberts Spider)

Feather Woman 7.5 (A Ned Roberts spider)

Heavenly Curls – one of my favorite bonus daylilies!

Longlesson Show-off – Not one of my favorite bonus daylilies, but the bloom looked fuller and more colorful today than usual. Maybe the soil change and drip system.

Medicine Feather – A lanky Ned Roberts spider

Another bonus – Nona’s Garnet Spider – I have always liked her.

Pueblo Dancer – 7.5 – another Roberts spider but I have always questioned her ID. Her blooms are larger this year with the soil change!

Strutter’s Ball – 7.5 – a late bloom start for this long-time member of my daylily pack

Talon – 7.5 Another old friend from my Roberts collection

Finales have started to add up a little, too. I missed Platinum Pink Palette Whispers. Today was the last of Funny Valentine’s show for 2021.

Wholly cow! This took all day. It’s 4:30! Hopefully, I got the bugs worked out of my back-up system so it doesn’t take as long tomorrow. I gotta get painting and get my business inventory going! Follow my business blog for updates, too.

Sixty-Six Spiderman Daylilies for 2020

August 9, 2020Leave a comment

Hi all – When it is Saturday and it hasn’t been the fun day that I planned. COVID had driven the world mad – and they seem to all be mad at me. So, how about a little Ned Robert’s daylily therapy? I fell in love with Ned’s southwestern named daylilies after finding Kokopelli on Lily Auction 5 years ago. I have a collection of 70 ish now. I am including a few from 2019 if they didn’t bloom this year. Comment with your favorite! Direct from Montrose, Colorado . . .

July’s Colorful Parade

July 31, 20203 Comments

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!

Coyotes and Timber Wolves in my Daylilies!

July 8, 2020Leave a comment

What a long day . . . meetings, packing, daylilies. The day before a roadtrip making I have insurance and AAA cards, etc. And, the first time I went into work since March 13! How crazy is that?. Gosh, I don’t miss spending 4-5 hours/week on the road.

Anyway – let’s get today tied up since it is already tomorrow – which means I’m on vacation. Except I have to do some work before I leave tomorrow. But, well, who cares.

Premiers – a huge event in the Southwest Garden – Coyote Laughs bloomed! After 4 years in my garden – she bloomed for the very first time. She looks like Winds of Love.

And, speaking of 4-legged dog-type wild beasts – Lobo Lucy also premiered for 2020 today.

The REAL Nosferatu also premiered – the Nosferatwo mystery is similar, but redder.

Lacy Doily is the cutest little mini double bloom. She also premiered.

I am going to mention the elusive Just Plum Happy here because she is growing sort of under a shrub in the border garden and I missed her premier yesterday. This is the first time ever for her to bloom in the border garden (I have another one potted) – thank you drip system.

Now, some finales 😦 Two Roberts Spiders – Ojo de Dios has been an amazing bloomer this summer.

Purple Many Faces is also calling it a year.

And, Primal Scream is going quiet until 2021.

Last but not least – my Nurse’s Stethoscope is off-shift until next year.

It will be weird to miss nearly a week of bloomers – I hope I don’t miss any few-buds wonders all together. I will blog tomorrow, then break-time while I blog about my trip for my grands and anyone else who likes SW travel on my other blog.

PS – We have hit 80 cultivators for 2020. Fourty-seven percent. Seems like more when I am going through all the photos.

Novel

July 3, 20201 Comment

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.

50 Startling Southwest Spider Daylilies!

August 1, 20191 Comment

Only 40 something daylilies today and no Premiers. So, it leaves time to talk about some of my daylily categories. I have talked a lot about my Ned Roberts spiders. I originally started collecting them after seeing Kokopelli on the Lily Auction – I love the Southwest and had to have her (I got the bid)! From there, I added more = lots more. At first, it was all fully Southwest names. Then, I gathered some animal and insect names to my Ned collection. And, some stellar names. IDK, is Dancing Maiden a name from the Southwest?

So, tonight, I will show you my purely Southwest named daylilies – the obvious names from the Southwest. But, first, Mildred Mitchell had an extra petal today – a genetic flaw that made her look pretty cool.

OK – Here are my Southwest Ned Roberts spiders. (These are the ones that have bloomed the last two years. Mostly this year, except Kokopelli did not bloom this year – which is unusual).