The Fruit Doesn’t Fall that Far from the Daylily

Today, I got the coolest bouquet from Mother Nature.  And, while I am a little sorry to be cutting so many finished scapes, I welcome some great fall bloomers.  Today, a favorite that joined my yard last year – El Desperado.

I bought this one last year because it still had unbloomed scapes when I walked through the nursery one Sunday.  I wasn’t sure where to put it, so I potted it and put it in the center of the yucca garden.  That was the beginning of my idea to make a southwestern garden out of that space.  I love the yucca, but the space needed more color, more inspiration.  And, from there I got into Ned Robert’s blooms.

 

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

 

I obviously love daylilies.  But, I don’t know if I could ever be a hybridizer.  I do, however, sometimes looking at the genetic similarities of the blooms. And, El Desperado is the parent to another bloom that showed up today, Autumn Jewels.

 

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Autumn Jewels – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

 

It doesn’t take much imagination to see the genetics at work.  So, for fun, I looked up the other parent,  Calico Jack, and found this picture.  What do you think, does baby look like its parents?

 

Calico Jack – Google Image

 

The other eye-catching blooms in my yard today where Primal Scream (amidst the Potentilla).

 

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Primal Scream – Photo by Colorado Kid Daylilies – C. Hartt

 

And, Zuni Thunderbird.  Break out the paint brush.  The buds are getting used up . . . one left?

 

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

 

So, here is the collage.  I’m at 13 today.  Without the additions of last fall and this spring, I believe I would be at two.  I can live with that.  Viva La Daylilies!

 

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L to R: Top Row – Marque Moon, Soco Gap, Isaac.  Second Row – Prelude to Love, El Desperado, Primal Scream, Autumn Jewels, Zuni Thunderbird.  Bottom Row – Skinwalker, Mini Pearl, Orange Vols, Melon Balls, Lime Frost.

 

And Feathered Canyons Everywhere

I obviously love the Southwest.  Anyone who knows my daylily collection knows that over 50% of my garden has a name that brings with it some Southwestern meaning.  And, so today Canyon Colors bloomed.  Like Mesa Verde, the colors are much warmer in full sunlight.  I think I prefer the shade version.

It is a beautiful two-colored daylily.  It, like Mesa Verde, is an evergreen.  So, they both lived in my back porch all winter.  They have matching containers of turquoise and are positioned near each other on a sunny corner of my house.  I love them together!  They compliment each other nicely . . . and I feel like I’m on a campout at the Four Corners.

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So, I have this idea that all my Southwestern place named daylilies need to be superimposed on a photo of their place. With Canyon Colors, I decided to use a photo of Canyon de Chelly that I took on my road trip this spring. It is shaped a lot like Spider Rock, even though it is not a spider daylily.

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Other new faces for the year 2016 were both old faces to my yard.  I felt like old friends had returned when I saw Lady Fingers had opened her first two blooms.  These may be the most eye-catching daylily in my yard.

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Also, little Purple de Oro is back.  I feel bad for this little one, because I have never taken time to get a good photo of it.  So, today that was my mission.  How did I do?

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My Ned Roberts Southwestern garden (I call it the Yucca garden) was very quiet today.  Soco Gap, however, is not going to wait more than 24 hours to show her colors for the first time in my yard.  I can’t wait.

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As promised, the other bloomers of today were put in a single collage to save blog space. They include Jungle Queen, Ruby Spider, Early Bird Cardinal, and Mesa Verde.

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After tomorrow, I will miss a couple days of blooms while I travel for clinical hours for my doctorate.  I am hoping to get out early and take photos before I leave.  I need to get a webcam for each plant, I guess.

PS – I divided up my Funny Valentine so my daughter could have one.  She lives across the Rockies in Colorado.  She has a bloom today, and I am still waiting on scapes.

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