Oriental Poppies

Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale)

I have had a hard time growing these Oriental Poppies.  When people come and view my garden, they think these Oriental Poppies are thistles before they bloom. They will either pull them, before I have a chance to tell them they are a flower, or they will step on them.  I have been thinking about taking them out of my garden, because they look like weeds when they are not blooming.  I glad I didn't because I love the color this year.

Most Oriental poppies will reach a maximum height of about three feet while flowering. Unfortunately, their show is short-lived. Most of the time individual flowers last only a day or two.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

Pasque Flower

Pasque Flower

pulsatilla hirsutissima

The pasque is the state flower of South Dakota. It is also called the May Day flower. It grows wild throughout the state, and its blooming is one of the first signs of spring in South Dakota.

The early blooming time of many Pulsatilla species gave rise to the common name. Pasque refers to the Paschal, or Easter , season.

It is a member of the Ranunculaceae family, which is Latin for little frog. The name was given to the family because a group of plants in this family grow where frogs live.

The Pasque flower grows low to the ground to keep out of the cold climate. It is also covered in fine silky hairs, which help insulate it. Silky hairs cover not only the leaves but also the stems and buds of Pasque flower.

Today is also Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House.

I hope to have more plants blooming later this week.

Minnesota Vikings Preseason Game

My husband won tickets to the preseason game on Saturday night.

The place was packed.

Number 4 didn't have the best night, but I was so excited to see him play.  We really had a fun time.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

Mosaic Monday

Strawflowers

The first two photos are Lisianthus - rose and white.  The two bottom end photos are Scabiosa or pincushion flower. The middle flower is a yellow Gaillardia or Blanket flower.  All of these plants are new for me this year.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

Mosaic Monday

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

Cement Garden Mushroom

These Cement Garden Mushroom are so much fun to make!  You can find the the directions on how to make them at Dustbathladies.blogspot.com. Click here to see the directions.

We made them one evening and painted them another. 

My girlfriends husband made us this stand to put the bottles in so they were easy to paint.  We are going on a camping vacation in a week and are planning on making more.  They add so much to the garden!

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

I am joining Handmade Monday, Please check out the others here.  This is a new thanks to Olga's Home and Garden.

50's Party with my girlfriends

We love theme partys.  This one was back to the 50's.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

Gardens at Enger Tower Park in Duluth, MN

These photos were taken this week of the Gardens at Enger Tower Park, Duluth, MN.  It is just a gorgeous park!

Enger Tower Park was dedicated June 15, 1939 by Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha of Norway. The land was left to the city by Bert Enger, a successful businessman in Duluth and native Norwegian. Enger Park has several distinct garden areas within its grounds.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

New mini garden

Last night I made this mini garden.  It was so much fun.  The kids in the neighborhood are having fun arranging the movable items.  It is fun to see the changes they make.  Please click on the photo to enlarge it. 

Today is Mosaic Monday.  Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

May Mosaic Monday

This is what my front flowerbed looks like today. It is starting to come to life. You can click on the photo to enlarge it. But don't look to close, you can spot the weeds.

It has been cold and windy here. We had a light frost on Saturday night. When I got up the ground was white.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House.

Pasque Flower

Pasque Flower

pulsatilla hirsutissima

This one is called Red Bells Pasque Flower.

The pasque is the state flower of South Dakota. It is also called the May Day flower. It grows wild throughout the state, and its blooming is one of the first signs of spring in South Dakota.

The early blooming time of many Pulsatilla species gave rise to the common name. Pasque refers to the Paschal, or Easter , season.

It is a member of the Ranunculaceae family, which is Latin for little frog. The name was given to the family because a group of plants in this family grow where frogs live.

The Pasque flower grows low to the ground to keep out of the cold climate. It is also covered in fine silky hairs, which help insulate it. Silky hairs cover not only the leaves but also the stems and buds of Pasque flower.

I love how it looks after the flower have gone to seed. Please click here to see last year's photo.

Today is also Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House.

Lamium

Lamium
Dead Nettle

I have to admit this has never been my favorite plant. In fact I had almost given up on it. It was leggy with very little leaves on it and also had leaf spot. I had it in a very shady spot. I moved it a couple years ago to a spot that gets more sun. The soil is well drained and it has been a wonderful addition to that garden.

This variety is called, Beacon Silver. It has green edged, silver foliage. Its leaves add light to the garden, especially at dusk and in the moonlight.

Dead nettle (the alternate common name for lamium) is named because its leaves resemble those of stinging nettle but have no sting. To learn more about stinging nettle click here.

Today is Mosaic Monday. You can check out the others, thanks to Mary, at Little Red House.

Please help me identify

I thought this plant was blue eyed grass. Blue eyed grass is from the iris family, and this plant doesn't look like it is from that family.

The plant is so tiny, only 3" high and has very dainty flowers on a frail stem. The flower is about 1/2" across.

I am in zone 4 and this is one of the first things to bloom. It has been growing in my shade garden for about 4 years. I love it and would like to know more about it. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what it is. Thank you!

Today is also Mosaic Monday. Please check out the other at Little Red House.

Bloodroot

Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
It is from the poppy family. I was so excited to see it. It had been a long winter and it is so much fun to see something blooming again. Bloodroot is one of the earliest plants, it emerges from nearly frozen soil, flowering well before trees leaf out.
These flowers lack nectar, quickly dropping petals after pollination. The genus name, Sanguinaria, comes from the Latin word for "bleeding", describing the red juice in the stems and roots, used by many cultures as a dye and insect repellent.

It's flowers open on sunny days, closing tightly at night. Leaves unroll in full sun, curling up around the flower stalk at night and on cloudy days.

This is a perennial native in Minnesota. It just started growing in one of my back garden bed. "A bed that has been neglected for a few years." I am so glad I didn't hoe it up. I marked it, because I hope it will continue to come up. Even if the flower is short lived, it has been a joy to see.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House. Check out the others here.

Cardinals

This beautiful lady is back. She has been at the feeder every day this week. I just love her. Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary, at Little Red House.

Mr. Naughty

You just have to love him. My neighbor feeds the squirrels, so he has plenty to eat there. Yesterday was the first day he found our bird feeders. Before that, he just watched from the tree. He was so funny trying to get in there. We put the "birds only" sign up on the feeder, so hopefully he will stay at the neighbors.

We are continuing to have bad weather here. Most of the schools are closed in our area and the snow is several feet deep. I will post more photos of the snow this week.

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at Little Red house.

Frosted Friends

I had no idea that Nuthatches liked the peanuts. Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the other Mosaic Mondays here, thanks to Mary at Little Red house.

Blue jays

Blue jays will take a whole peanut and fly away. They have been fun to watch. Check out the other Mosaic Monday. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House.

Fieldstone Vineyards

On Saturday afternoon my friend, my husband and I went to Fieldstone Vineyards in Morgan, MN. It was such a fun place to visit and we had a great time. To find out more about Fieldstone Vineyards please check out their website here.

Today is also Mosaic Monday. Please check out the other Mosaics here. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House.

Happy Birthday!

My sister-in-law and I made cookies on Thanksgiving Day. They were so much fun to make. It was my husband's birthday the next day so we decided to celebrate it a little early.

This was taken on his birthday. He loves to golf, and loves apple pie. It was a wonderful weekend. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving with your friends and family. Check out the other Mosaic Monday's. Thanks to Mary at Little Red House.