The tough daylily- yes, you can water it, fertilize it, and otherwise care for it, but it seems to be one of those plants that does well in Albuquerque, cared for or not.

Daylilies freely blooming at abandoned adobe

The entire Southwest has abandoned adobe buildings, and especially houses, all over. At one time the mud construction was very practical here in the desert. But, adobe requires a lot of maintenance. It made sense when people lived on and worked the land, but for people going to jobs elsewhere, adobe maintenance simply is not worth the time, effort, and expense.

In the village where this little casita is located, the Old San Ysidro Church, an historic old church also made of adobe, requires the care of many of the villagers in a variety of ways. The village is committed to the upkeep of its historic old church, but there is no way all the little adobe casitas can be maintained. Perhaps sad, but also true. . .

This little casita has not been lived in for three to four years. The daylilies were planted back when the little house was occupied. The daylilies you see here have had no particular care at all in recent years.

As you can see, though, the tough daylily is blooming quite happily in this photo taken in June of 2012. I love that the color of this particular variety (I do not know what it is) matches the adobe itself.

The tough daylily – it is certainly doing well in this setting!