Singing the Blues

July 31, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

Why is it that we always want what we can’t have? Early in my daylily addiction, when I had planted my first mail-order roots, I became fascinated with blue daylilies. Well, actually, daylilies lack the genetics to make blue. So, you know, I became infatuated with “near blue” daylilies whose mosiac genetics lead them to look blue. This predates my addiction to Ned Roberts spiders. All my near blues are in pots and come into the back porch for the winter because they are evergreen daylilies and prefer warmer temps. My near blues have a special spot in the front yard where the pots live from March-October.

So, one of my Premiers today is a new near blue added last year called Baby Blue Eyes. I honestly thought I had killed her because the drought hit and, after my skin cancer surgery, I just gave up on the yard. I kept her on the porch, though, despite the fact she looked dried up. And, come spring, she came to life. I love the colors – she is a true near blue.

Baby Blue Eyes 7/30

I am going to show off my other near blues because their bloom cycle is nearing an end. My favorite is The Colorado Kid. I was just googling place names to see if there were daylilies with that name – and she popped up. I think this is year 4 for her – she is our mascot flower. She had a lot of blooms this year and has a couple of buds left. Baby Blue Eyes has similar coloring.

The Colorado Kid – July, 2019

I also have Blue Beat, an early addition and a nice blue replica.

Blue Beat – July, 2019

Bluegrass Music is a must-have blue daylily. I got pretty ripped off by the place I bought her from, but she has paid off with several years of blooms.

Bluegrass Music – July, 2019

Mildred Mitchell is an older cultivator, but she caught my eye as having a nice blue -looking color in the right light.

Mildred Mitchell – July, 2019

Prairie Blue Eyes is not in my blue section, but she also has a blue hue at times.

Prairie Blue Eyes – July, 2019

I got Heron’s Cove as a near blue – but moved her because she rarely looks blue – but occasionally, I see a bit of a bluish tint in her.

Heron’s Cove – July, 2019

OK – So I had two other Premiers today – both Ned Roberts spiders. Golden Eclipse showed her first bloom in my yard today. I have had her 2-3 years. The grower is someone I got a lot of my Neds from and she said it was an ugly brown color and to be sure I really wanted it. I think she is a pretty gold – a unique color for a daylily.

Golden Eclipse 7/30

And, big bloom Purple Thunderbird is back this year.

Purple Thunderbird 7/30

I will be out of premiers soon with three in one day. I maybe have 6-12 left in my whole yard. Honestly, I will be glad for it to slow down. I had 58 today.

Counting Flowers on the Wall; That Don’t Bother Me At All!

July 20, 2019July 20, 20193 Comments

So, I had a record number of cultivators in bloom the day before my trip, but no time to blog. Tomorrow, I’m home but too late to see any blooms. So, here is the 7/16 batch. Honestly, I don’t remember which were new bloom, but I’ll try. It’ll be good to see what’s new on Sunday!

Premiers:

Apache Beacon 7/16

Inwood 7/17

Wild Rose Fandango 7/16

Coral Taco 7/16

Little Cadet 7/16

Winds of Love 7/16

Lacey Doily 7/16

Royal Palace Prince 7/16

Black Eyed Susan 7/16

Anasazi 7/16

Reruns – lots and lots of reruns:

Purple de Oro 7/16

Mauna Loa 7/16

Longlesson Show-off 7/16

South Seas 7/16

Isaac 7/16

Stephanie Returns 7/16

Passionate Returns 7/16

Prairie Wildfire 7/16

Catherine Irene 7/16

Strutter’s Ball 7/16

Prairie Blue Eyes 7/16

Red Riddle 7/16

Indian Love Call 7/16

Purple Many Faces 7/16

Iktomi 7/16

Indian Love Call 7/16

Chief Four Fingers 7/16

Zuni Thunderbird 7/16

Rocky Mountain Friends 7/16

Soco Gap 7/16

Black Ice 7/16

Maya Cha Cha 7/16

Purple Mystery 7/16

Ruby Spider 7/16

Comanche Princess 7/16

Mildred Mitchell 7/16

Thin Man 7/16

Lady Fingers 7/16

Papa Long Legs 7/16

Purple Grasshopper 7/16

Chaco Canyon 7/16

Happy Hopi 7/16

Feather Woman 7/16

Ojo de Dios 7/16

Canyon Colors 7/16

Cheddar Cheese 7/16

Mesa Verde 7/16

Primal Scream 7/16

The Colorado Kid 7/16

Melon Balls 7/16

Pardon Me 7/16

Cricket Call 7/16

Wineberry Candy 7/16

Raspberry Propeller 7/16

Route 66 7/16

Golden Stella 7/16

Yellow Punch 7/16

Early Bird Cardinal 7/16

Pink and Cream 7/16

Mini Pearl 7/16

Orange Flurry 7/16

Golden Stella 7/16

Cheyenne Eyes 7/16

Pink Enchilada 7/16

Apache Bandana 7/16

I’m Back and Overwhelmed by Daylilies

July 14, 2019July 14, 2019Leave a comment

Life changes. This summer is so different from last year. Jobs, schedules, weather. So, I returned from Utah yesterday afternoon to an overwhelming thunderstorm that wiped out a lot of yesterday’s blooms. I decided to start fresh today, kind of. I leave for a work conference in Atlanta on Wednesday. Next Sunday, I can start my regular routine for daylily season. Lol.

So, a lot of Premier blooms (to me) today. Let’s start with my Ned Roberts spider collection:

Apache Bandana 7/14

Black Arrowhead 7/14

Chokecherry Mountain 7/14

Mount Echo Sunrise 7/14

Feather Woman 7/14

Navajo Rodeo 7/14

Rocky Mountain Pals 7/14

Talon 7/14

Zuni Thunderbird 7/14

Echo Canyon 7/14

Chief Four Fingers 7/14

Happy Hopi 7/14

Aztec Firebird 7/14

Laughing Feather 7/14

Iktomi 7/14

Pink Enchilada 7/14

Pink Rain Dance 7/14

Raspberry Propeller 7/14

And, the other Premier blooms:

Holy Sombrero 7/13

Isaac 7/14

Stephanie Returns 7/14

Catherine Irene 7/14

Pink and Cream 7/14

Early Bird Cardinal 7/14

Blue Beat 7/14

Primal Scream 7/14

Ruby Spider 7/14

Passionate Returns 7/14

Purple de Oro 7/14

Santa’s Pants 7/14

Lady Fingers 7/14

Red Riddle 7/14

Pardon Me 7/14

Prairie Blue Eyes 7/14

Route 66 7/14

Orange Flurry 7/14

Strutter’s Ball 7/14

Mini Pearl 7/14

Purple Mystery (hmmmmmm- Strutter’s Ball, perhaps?) 7/14

Wineberry Candy 7/14

Prairie Wildfire 7/14

That’s like almost 40 new cultivars since I left 9 days ago! Overwhelmed doesn’t say it with another trip coming up. I have no clue on bloom rate, but the cold, wet spring mostly seems to have helped.

Reruns:

Yellow Punch 7/14

Comanche Princess 7/14

Return a Smile 7/14

The Colorado Kid 7/14

Papa Long Legs 7/14

Land of Enchantment 7/14

Canyon Colors 7/14

Hopi Jewel 7/14

Ojo de Dios 7/14

Echo Canyon 7/14

Indian Love Call 7/14

Treasure of the Southwest 7/14

Yellow Stella 7/14

Funny Valentine 7/14

Petite Petticoats 7/14

Purple Many Faces 7/14

All American Chief 7/14

Ok, that’s enough. Battery is dead. Several Finales while gone: Saratoga Springtime, Dream Keeper, Chama Valley.

If you are going to miss the start of peak bloom, Utah is a great place to do it. Also amazing colors.

Vaca Day Lilies

July 6, 2019Leave a comment

Today, we started our weeklong camping road trip through southern Utah. So, I’ll miss 5 days of blooms. But, I think there will be plenty left when I return next week.

Premieres:

Prairie Blue Eyes 7/5

Cheyenne Eyes 7/5

Papa Long Legs 7/5

Treasure of the Southwest 7/5

Reruns:

Indian Love Call 7/5

Petite Petticoats 7/5

Yellow Punch 7/5

Saratoga Springtime 7/5

Yellow Stella 7/5

Echo Canyon 7/5

Purple Many Faces 7/5

Mesa Verde 7/5

The Colorado Kid 7/5

Finales: While Dream Keeper has a few buds left (my first bloom this season), she will likely be done before I get home.

Dream Keeper 7/5

Sweet Seventeen

July 3, 20192 Comments

Wow, time flies when you’re having July. Almost road trip time. I won’t miss peak, I don’t think. But, it could be starting by the time I get back. I’ll be cutting down used scapes soon enough.

So, a couple quick stories. All American Chief gave me a first bloom ever after three years. He was a gift plant. I love that the sellers pick up my Southwest theme and send approximately named daylilies. Hopi Jewel has bloomed every year, but has a similar story.

Here are today’s Premieres:

All American Chief 7/3

Hopi Jewel 7/3

Return a Smile 7/3

Petite Petticoats 7/3

And, that makes for 13 Reruns:

The Colorado Kid 7/3

Echo Canyon 7/3

Saratoga Springtime 7/3

Canyon Colors 7/3

Mesa Verde 7/3

Navajo Blanket 7/3

Comanche Princess 7/3

Funny Valentine 7/3

Dream Keeper 7/3

Indian Love Call 7/3

Yellow Stella 7/3

Yellow Punch 7/3

Golden Stella 7/3

For the first time in years, Ruby Spider isn’t going to bloom on the 4th. I don’t I can do a shot with red, white and blue flowers together. Oh well, happy 4th!

Here Comes the Sun

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019Leave a comment

Well, time to stop thinking summer will never come. While I anticipate my daylilies are 2-4 weeks behind average, today there was a shift in numbers and colors.

Here are the today’s premieres:

The Colorado Kid 6/30

Comanche Princess 6/30

Canyon Colors 6/30 (first bloom 6/29)

Indian Love Call 6/30

Yellow Punch 6/30

Funny Valentine 6/30

And, here are the show stoppers who have been around for a week or three:

Saratoga Springtime 6/30

Dream Keeper 6/30

Golden Stella 6/30

Yellow Stella 6/30

I’m working on moving my history website moved to WordPress this weekend, so that’s all for the daylilies today. Oh, the cover photo is Ghost Ranch, whose one and only bud opened yesterday.

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

The Mamas and the Papas

July 17, 2018July 17, 2018Leave a comment

This morning, I got that song from the Mamas and Papas “Monday, Monday” stuck in my head. Maybe it is because I had Mama Cuna and Papa Longlegs blooming next to each other. I had 51 today! Monday mornin’ you gave me no warnin’ of what was to be . . .

So, for fun, here are the Mamas (Mama Cuna – L) and the Papas (Papa Long Legs – R):

Mama Cuna

Papa Long Legs

So, we had 2 new faces today. The first one is such a pretty flower. Up until this year, when I started running out of blooms, I would go look for later bloomers. Anyway, I almost decided to not bring one home from the nursery . . . until I saw the name. Seriously, I squeezed her into one of the last Southwest Garden spaces. She looks like velvet to me.

Cherokee Star 7.16

The second new face is Bold Tiger. Well, I think that is her name. I got her on discount because they lost the tags and didn’t know what she was. I did a search and she looks most like Bold Tiger. So, we will go with that. I believe that makes 112 so far this year. We are at 64% bloom rate. Can we get to 75%?

Bold Tiger 7.16

Finales (last blooms unless they send reblooms) today:

Isaac 7.16

Catherine Irene 7.16

Taco Twister 7.16

Soco Gap

The Colorado Kid 7.16

Oh, and Papa Long Legs – but he has a photo at the top of the page. And, Desert Icicle retired yesterday, not Happy Hopi – I have one more Happy Hopi left. I will miss these blooms, especially The Colorado Kid. She had a great season this year – bloomed for a month! So, our numbers will drop off pretty rapidly by August. Still hoping for a few late scapes!

Other blooms today: Aztec Firebird, Mount Echo Sunrise, Dream Catcher, Skinwalker, Comanche Princess, Navajo Rodeo, Mama Cuna, Cheddar Cheese, Nosferatu, Heron’s Cove, Canyon Colors, El Desperado, Purple de Oro, Bluegrass Music, Mildred Mitchell, Blue Beat, Ruby Spider, Return a Smile, Longlesson Show-off, Passionate Returns, Lullaby Baby, Chorus line, Mellow Balls, Lacy Doily, South Seas, Marque Moon, Stephanie Returns, Mini Pearl, Prairie Wildfire, Prelude to Love, Bela Lugosi, Pick of the Litter, Raspberry Propeller, Black Eyed Susan, Baja, Prairie Blue Eyes, Hesperus, Indian Sky, Just Plum Happy, Pink and Cream, Ruby Stella, Strutters Ball and Nurse’s Stethoscope.

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?