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

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 Colorado Kid: Our blooming mascot

June 19, 20182 Comments

“Monday, Monday. So good to me.” When it comes to new blooms – the song rings true. I feel the peak drawing close now.

First of all, our blog mascot The Colorado Kid had her first 2018 bloom. She seems to do well in my yard in a pot. Many hybridizers say they don’t get the color that I get. She is one of my near blues. I love her deep colors so much. Of course, her name is why I chose her. Then, the blog got named after here. This is her 3rd year blooming here!

The Colorado Kid 6/18

Then, Zuni Eye, one of my Ned Roberts southwest named daylilies bloomed for the first time ever here. So many of his are spiders. But she is a big, big round bloom. I think I am in love! She has been here 2-3 years, and she apparently likes the improvements to the Southwest Garden. Today, I finally met her.

Zuni Eye 6/18

Zuni Eye next to my hand

The other new bloom is out of the no-ID pot from the back corner garden. I named the first one Dark Mystery. This is the second cultivator from that big pot. I am calling her Purple Mystique.

“Purple Mystique” (No-ID)

So, today I shift to only sharing new blooms. I will have the full list for the week with photos each weekend. FYI, the other blooms today were Dark Mystery, Saratoga Springtime, Purple Many Faces, Comanche Princess, Stella de Oro, and Treasure of the Southwest.

I have had 20 cultivators bloom thus far this year – of 170. So, just over 10%. By this date last year, I had 7 that had bloomed. I have added a handful more, but I think I had 160 or so last year. So, less than 5%. It is all the Southwest Garden, the Border Garden and the Rainbarrel Garden that is boosting the total. All of those were added or greatly upgraded last year when I decided to stop buying new daylilies and help the ones that I have to thrive.

I think tomorrow is going to be busy at 6:30 AM. Good night!

Where is the Rain?

July 20, 2017July 20, 2017Leave a comment

Today, we were supposed to get a lot of rain. Maybe flash floods. I wasn’t sure I would get any work done in the yard on split-shift, but I worked outside the whole afternoon. More on that in a minute.

Today brought 2 new blooms. Royal Palace Prince was a bonus plant a couple years ago. It has done better than some of the purchased plants. It reminds me of Pick of the Litter.

The second new face for the year is Apache Uprising. It is the second year for this one. I like the red. It reminds me of Baja a little.

I also like this photo of some of my last near blues today – Blue Beat, The Colorado Kid, and Bluegrass Music.

I don’t know about a later peak this year. Bud counts down and buds dropping. March was warmer than April. And, we had the late May snow storm . . . then no rain. Last year was better in the front garden.

I feel like I am freeing hostages. Daylilies that are not flourishing, but could under different circumstances. Buried pots in order for several in the front garden. Today, Catherine Irene and Happy Happy. Neither has ever bloomed here, and this is going on 3 years. Others that need a transplant include Alabama Jubilee, Coburg Fright Wig, Navajo Blanket, Primal Scream, Lacy Doily, and Heavenly Curls. All have had either extremely low bloom this year or have never bloomed.

When I dug up the two today, I was amazed at the other roots that were woven in with theirs. And, in one case, an ant hill. The whole front garden looks so dry. I have the sprinkler on daily. I need to get a sprinkler hose or something. I wonder if eventually, all 100 plus of my in-ground daylilies will be in buried pots. That makes me tired to think about it . . . but it worked well for the veggies. Come on monsoons. Where are you?

Today, Our Mascot Bloomed!!!

June 29, 2017June 29, 2017Leave a comment

The Colorado Kid. I found her on some site and ordered her from far away. Near-blue, Colorado in the name . . . This is her second year in my yard. And, her blooms make me smile. They are so pretty in the morning before the sun hits and turns the near blue to a deeper, more lavender color. Still pretty, but the UV by mid day makes all the blooms frump a little.

Other first blooms today – the much awaited Pink Enchilada. This flower gives me hope that it just takes time for the bare roots to bloom in the new garden. It is year 2 in the garden, but a first bloom today.

The Southwest Garden also welcomed Indian Love Call. This flower seems happier here than in the pot I had it in last year . . . so that is a positive sign, too.

Soco Gap is a huge daylily in that garden. It was a bonus plant that I stuck between 2 yuccas before I enlarged the garden. It thrives, also a positive sign.

Those positives said, I only have 12 plants with scapes out of 76 plants in the Southwest Garden. Yard-wide (including the porch pots, front garden and Southwestern Garden, I have had 28 cultivators bloom so far (most in the front now have scapes). I have around 160 cultivators total. So, it’s under 20% still. Should be interesting to see what happens in July. (6 of 9 of my back porch pots have bloomed already – interesting on sun and drip systems).

In hindsight, I don’t think I did enough spring watering in the Southwest Garden. The new sprinkler hose also seems to give better coverage. I have also leaned on over fertilizing this year to get the plants some size before they invest in blooms. The soil will need more work – but it is decent for year 2. I wonder about the trees giving too much shade. I think I will go out and snap a cell photo every hour some day soon to see if each area gets 5 -6 hours. I think it is close, but I may invest in some tree trimming this fall. LOL – Who says skiing is the most expensive hobby in Colorado???

Up for tomorrow . . . maybe Bluegrass Music. Maybe Primal Scream or even Aztec Firebird. And, Indian Sky has some baby scapes, finally. The daylily garden is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

Singing the Blues

July 15, 2016Leave a comment

Today, all three of my near blues (with scapes) were in bloom; Blue Beat, Mildred Mitchell, and The Colorado Kid. (Sounds like a rock band.) They have all bloomed before this year, so I highlighted them in todays garden collage. I did want to share a large view of Blue Beat before the first rays of sun hit her. Very blue-looking!

Blue Beat – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

The other photo I really like from today is Jungle Queen. I caught the first rays of light on her pedals.

Jungle Queen – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

I had two new blooms and neither looked as healthy as I would like. Bugs, heat, water issues, etc. Who knows? They are pretty flowers and hopefully they will have their true colors shining through very soon.

Zuni Thunderbird – a neat Ned Roberts spider that I put in the new garden last fall.

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

And, Inwood – a beautiful flower with a frompy first bloom.

Inwood – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Below are the bloomers for today.

Left to Right: Top row – South Seas, The Colorado Kid, Blue Beat, Mildred Mitchell, Soco Gap. Second Row: Inwood, Jungle Queen, Mini Pearl, Purple de Oro, Early Bird Cardinal. Bottom: Zuni Thunderbird.

Before I sign off, let me just say that I am writing this blog to share my experiences being a daylily hobbiest in the desert of Western Colorado. The soil is clay, so I have learned to amend it with good soil and water crystals. They help hold the moisture in – and I had my best garlic harvest ever after adding them to the mix. However, there can always be too much of a good thing and the crystals can harbor root rot is the drainage isn’t good, The last week, Colorado Kid has been fading. Today, I threw out the rotten dirt and cleaned up the roots. Hopefully, I didn’t over correct. It’s hard for humans to get the right balance of moisture in a place where mother nature falls short. And, that is the adventure. (RIP Navajo Rodeo – I am not sure what got you but something did 😦 )

Red, White, and Blue

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016Leave a comment

Today is Independence Day, and my dad’s birthday. He is gone now, but the day is always a memory of him. It is also the first day of my last term at school. In 11 weeks, I am a doctor! I hope my daylily blooms have peaked by then.

I am so glad I have Ruby Spider in the front garden now, with separating my original plant last year. Why? Because it is peak bluebell and daisy season. Makes for a great red, white and blue photo.

Ruby Spider with daisies and blue bells – photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Other than a hint of patriotic hues in the garden, it was another slow day. At first I thought I had no blooms in my Ned Roberts southwestern spider garden. It wasn’t until we got home from the downtown events that I noticed Winds of Love. It was pretty burned out by the time I got the photo.

Winds of Love – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

What is cool, though, is that to the yucca in that garden are in love with more water . . . and one I have never seen blooming is doing so now. It was a much smaller yucca garden for several years. One put in to hide the blemish of a tree removed to replace the sewer line. It got it got ignored more than not. But the yucca grew, so I figure there would be enough sun for daylilies. I can’t wait until the space has matured a bit, because I think the yuccas and daylilies will look fabulous together.

Yucca Bloom – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

All of that said, I would give the prize for best flower to The Colorado Kid. Once again, fabulous vibrant color.

The Colorado Kid – photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Wild Horses came to march in the parade of color today. Always a favorite.

Wild Horses – photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, Early Bird Cardinal tried to look patriotic, as well.

Early Bird Cardinal – photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, hey, one of my favorite daylily companions, Flamingo Grass, is blooming. Come on daylilies, lets roll!

So, that is it for the Fourth of July. I think we may see Canyon Colors tomorrow. Slo-mo daylily season.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Colorado Daylily Bed

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016Leave a comment

It’s July, and it is cool and rainy. My hosta may appreciate that more than my daylilies. I remember years of drought and fires tearing through my state. Instead, today seems like a good day for a nap with my puppies.

So, given the unusual rain, I went a bit overboard on the photos. I did two rounds. And, I had to go through all of them to edit. I don’t edit much. I go up a little with contrast and saturation, but not much. Mostly cropping. Still, takes time.

The two that caught my eye the most today were The Colorado Kid and Mesa Verde. I have a story about The Colorado Kid in my yard. It seems that its colors are more vibrant than a lot of growers (down south) can produce. How do I know? I posted a picture to the American Hemerocallis Facebook page. What is it? Lack of humidity, altitude, sprinkler water every two days, partial shade, temperature? I don’t know, but this blog’s mascot is eye catching. I hope my other near blues turn out this awesome!

The Colorado Kid – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Mesa Verde is one of those flowers that could use a midwife to help its buds to open. It is so ruffled that it is obviously working very hard the day before a new bloom. I love the ruffles in the rain.

Mesa Verde – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Other visitors today are a soggy Kokopelli.

Kokopelli – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And his Ned Roberts “sibling,” Winds of Love.

Winds of Love – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Hopi Jewel is back and, I love the colors in the rain.

Hopi Jewel – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Last, but not least, Early Bird Cardinal – who rates the most photos to date. (Proficient bloomer)

Early Bird Cardinal – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

I’m not sure what the next blooms will be. It’s interesting that Lady Fingers is not blooming . . . definitely behind previous years. Maybe it is the cooler summer? Who knows? Being postdates is not the worst fate in the world.

The Colorado Kid: Our Mascot in Bloom

June 28, 2016June 28, 2016Leave a comment

It was odd how daylily fever gripped me last summer. I was just coming off a rough spot in my career and headed back to school for my doctorate. The more I figured out online ordering, the more I got into looking for specialty daylilies. And, for a few weeks, the near blues intrigued me deeply. I ordered a few . . . (3/5 I lost in the spring). But, I had ordered a couple more later on, because I thought they had nice blue. The Colorado Kid is in my yard both because of color and name. I am infatuated by my first near blue bloom. Do not ask how many photos I took of it this AM. This is that one that is the mascot of this blog! Check out our logo. The Colorado Kid is prettier than I imagined it.

The Colorado Kid in shade – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

The color is more purple in direct sunlight, but still an stunning color combination.

Colorado Kid in the sun – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Other bloomers today include Ruby Spider. I love those huge red peddles. I have painted them on so many Christmas gifts!

Ruby Spider – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And Hopi Jewel.

Hopi Jewel – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

And, last but not least, Early Bird Cardinal. His eyes were not quite open yet when I snapped this before work.

Early Bird Cardinal just waking up – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

Tomorrow, I am not sure. I think Desert Flame. I guess that gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning!

First bloom

June 11, 2016June 11, 2016Leave a comment

Today came the first bloom. Electric Lizard opened it’s bud as the first daylily for the season, 2016. It is a pale and anemic bloom . . . just like Indian Sky was when it bloomed in March. For some reason, both evergreens bloomed early despite scraggly foliage. It is still pretty, it just looks very different from its online photo.

I could be upset of disappointed. Mostly, though, I am curious about how to be a successful daylily gardener. It fascinates me how the color can be so off. So, I asked the American Hemerocallis Association Facebook page. One of the nice hybridizers inquired about fertilizer and gave me suggestions. He also said this one is a hybrid from Ohio, even though it is evergreen, so it could probably be left outside in the winter.

OK, so I am curious about differences in climate between Western Colorado and Ohio. I found a website where I can compare Denver to Dayton. The main thing I see there is that Ohio gets more moisture and isn’t quite as cold, on average. Oh course, Denver is on the other side of the Rockies, so I am unsure how true the comparison is to my garden. More than those items, I wonder about how our crazy Rocky Mountain springs impact the more delicate daylilies. It will be 75 one day and 25 the next, over and over. I am sure that is what got two of my evergreens this spring. That is what makes this Western Slope gardening so interesting. (I bet the soil is way different, too!)

So, of course, the dilemma is to leave it out or not leave it out next winter? First, though, I have got to treat the anemia. If I can get it to flourish (I adopted it in the fall last year so it is still a baby), then I would consider leaving it out. At any rate, tomorrow I will get some slow release fertilizer for the two spindly ones and watch for the next bloom.

What is next? I am not sure but Happy Returns is an early bird. Mesa Verde, Dream Keeper, Kokopelli (and a couple of others in the new garden), Early Bird Cardinal, etc. all have some decent sized buds forming. Lots of scapes out there. Oh, and The Colorado Kid! I can’t wait to see how close the colors on that are to the logo on this blog. I don’t think any will open tomorrow . . . but soon, very soon.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Tag: The Colorado Kid