Lisianthus

Lisianthus is one of my favorite flowers to use in arrangements.  I just love their longevity in the arrangements!

Botanical Name: Eustoma (yoo-stoh-ma)

The Common names of Lisianthus are Prairie Gentian, Texas bluebell, Tulip gentian, Bluebells and Lira de San Pedro.

The name Lisianthus comes from the Greek words lysis, meaning dissolution and anthos, meaning flower.

Lisianthus also symbolize appreciation.

They are kind of fussy to grow and I do lose a few each year, but I really love them!

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt your Flower. Thanks to Tootsie Time. You can check out the others here.

Rub A Dub Dub. Check Out This Tub!

This tub was given to me by a friend. She was cleaning out her grove and found it.  The bottom was already cut off on it, therefor it has drainage.  It works perfectly for a sedum garden.

 

I found this rain gage when we were on vacation last summer.  I was not sure how I was going to with it, but I knew I could not live without it.

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt your Flower. Thanks to Tootsie Time. You can check out the others here.

Check out the The Fairy Garden CONTEST - 2012 here.  There are over 60 great wee wittle gardens!

Iris

The Irises are blooming like crazy in my beds right now.  I just love all the color they add.

The Iris was named after the Greek goddess who is considered to be the messenger of love and uses the rainbow to travel. Iris was probably named after the goddess because of the numerous colors it is available in.

The word Iris means rainbow. Irises come in many colors such as blue and purple, white and yellow, pink and orange, brown and red, and even black.

Since Iris is the Greek goddess for the Messenger of Love, her sacred flower is considered the symbol of communication and messages. Therefore the flower iris in the language of flowers symbolizes eloquence.

Based on their color, irises convey varied messages. A purple iris is symbolic of wisdom and compliments. A blue iris symbolizes faith and hope. A yellow iris symbolizes passion while white iris symbolizes purity. A gift of iris can be used to convey many emotions.

I use the sword-like foliage in flower arrangements. It makes a great filler and lasts a long time in a fresh flower arrangement.

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt your Flower. Thanks to Tootsie Time. You can check out the others here.

Snow is finally gone!

 

 Here is what is coming up in my flower beds. 

Autumn Joy Sedum.

Autumn Joy sedum is an easy to grow perennial for zones 3-9. It is a drought tolerant plant that features attractive foliage and a large rose-colored flower head. To learn more about Autumn Joy sedum click here.

Resurrection Lily, Surprise Lily or Naked Lady Lily

Late summer-blooming bulb of the Amaryllis family. Strap-like grayish-green leaves (to 12” long and 1” wide) in spring. Leaves die back in summer. Thick naked flower scapes rise to 2’ tall in late summer, each bearing 4-7 funnel-shaped, rose-pink tinged with lilac flowers that are quite fragrant.
To learn more about this plant click here.

Hen and Chicks

Hens and chicks plants are mat-forming succulents that produce clusters of rosettes. The parent rosettes are the "hens," and the smaller rosettes that spring from them are the "chicks" or "chickens." This low-growing (4") perennial will quickly spread to 2' or more in width. Although grown for its foliage, hens and chicks do flower. The "hens" will die after flowering, but by that time they will have produced numerous "chicks" or "chickens" to take their place.

To learn more about this plant click here.

Rhubarb

The rhubarb is just starting to come up and we love it.

For the best rhubarb bars click here.

I think I am going to have a problem with the rabbits this year.  This guy let me get 2 feet from him before he moved.  I knows where he sleeps, but I just can't hurt him.  They drive me crazy, when they eat my flowers.  And they eat a lot!

I am joining Tootie for the first time this spring.  Please click here to see what ours have growing at Flaunt Your Flowers and Fertilizer Friday.

Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers

This is a shot of my front flower bed.  The annuals still look nice.

Cleome

Cleome gets it's nickname "Spider Flower" from the spidery-like flowers with long, waving stamen which are held on tall, strong leafy stems. They look like blooming shrubbery. They will often reseed themselves. The seeds will lie dormant until spring.  I plant them directly outdoors in spring after danger of frost has passed. Germination takes about 10 to 14 days. I think they are beautiful, but cleome smells like skunk! Just to a warn you about that.

Scabiosa

Scabiosa (named after its herbal use of curing itching) is a family that includes both annual and perennial flowers.  I am not sure if this one is an annual or perennial.  A friend started it from seed.

What a bad name for such a fun plant.  I call it a pincushion flowers.

Globe Thistle

This globe thistle was transplanted this spring, so it was late to bloom.  Most of my other plants are done blooming. This is a fun plant to dry.  I take the leaves off and just dry the flowers.

Snapdragons

This is another fun annual.  You can pinch the tiny individual blossoms and make the "dragon mouth" open and close. The vertical flower spikes, opening gradually from the bottom to the top. This is another plant that reseeds.  I love all the color they provide.

Celosia

Cockscomb flowers are also known as Wool Flowers or Brain Celosia.  Cockscomb has no fragrance. Cockscomb Flower has 5-14 days of vase life.  This is another fun flower to dry.

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers. Thanks to Tootie Time.  You can check out the others here.

Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers

These photos were taken at the Kandiyohi County Fair last night.  There is a large container garden made up from Kandiyohi County Master Gardeners and Horticulture members.  Each year this display just get better and better. 

We had some bad weather last nigh and the Kandiyohi County Fair had to close early.  I hope to take more photos today and share with you tomorrow.

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers. Thank you to Toosie Time for hosting this.  Please check out the other here.

Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers

Cleome

Phlox

Liatris-common names include gayfeather and blazing star.

Celosia or Cockscomb

Moluccella laevis - Common names are Bells of Ireland, Shellflower, or Molucca balm. 

Despite its common name “bells-of-Ireland,” the plant isn’t a native of Ireland. Rather, the name refers to the green color of the “bells,” or calyces. It hails from the Eastern Mediterranean region to Northwest India, Asia Minor and the Moluccas (Spice Islands), from which the genus name is derived. The species name “laevis” means “smooth,” possibly in reference to the true flowers.

I am planning on drying these and have been reading up on this.  From what I read, the foliage on bells-of-Ireland is prickly and can be irritating to the skin. Remove the leaves to avoid allergic reactions or rashes. Air-dry them by hanging them upside down and place them in a cool, dark, airy location. A wire can be inserted into the hollow stem to create the shape you want them to dry in.

I would love to hear if anyone has tryed this and if they have any advice on how to do this.

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt your Flower. Thanks to Tootie Time. You can check out the others here.

Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers

This is what is blooming in my garden today. Celosia or Cockscomb are the first 3 photos.  I have several kinds this year.  I haven't started drying them yet, but I hope to this weekend.

White Coneflower.

I have several different kinds of pink and purple coneflower and I love them all.

Strawflowers.  Have I mentioned how I LOVE strawflowers.  I just can't get enough.  I actually took over 20 photos of them last night.  I do LOVE them!

Prairie Smoke bloomed again and now is going to seed for the second time.

Zinnias are just starting to bloom.

Liatris is unusual because the flowers bloom from the top down rather than the bottom up, as is common with most upright spiked flowers. This makes them a great cut flower, because as the old flowers at the top begin to look spent, they can just be snipped off and the stalk will continue putting out fresh blooms farther down the stem. They also make nice dried flowers.  I have both the white and purple blooming.

The cleome is just starting to bloom

Another tall phlox

Rose Mallow

Today is Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt your Flower. Thanks to Tootie Time. You can check out the others here