Stargazer Lilies

 I was so excited to see this blooming in my garden last night.  I just love it!

Stargazer lilies are an oriental hybrid lily. The name Stargazer was given to this hardy lily because unlike other lilies, their blooms gaze up at the sky.

Lily Love

My lilies are starting to bloom.  I LOVE lilies!

 

Today is Outdoor Wednesday. Please check out these other great blogs at A Southern Daydreamer.

What is new today in my beds

This is what is new in my beds this week.  My lilies are about to bloom.  I can't wait!

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

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.

I Love Lupine

 I love lupine and I have been trying for years to grow it. It just should not be that hard to grow because I see it growing wild in the road ditches.

This is my 3 year for this plant and the first year it bloomed. I have 2 other plants. One of the other ones is ready to bloom and the flower is a different color. I can’t wait to see what color it will be. The third plant looks like it is not going to bloom this year.

The name of the genus, Lupinus, comes from the Latin word for wolf, lupus. People used to believe the plant “wolfed up” soil nutrients. Turns out that it actually adds nitrogen to the soil through the work of bacteria on its root nodes. Farmers use it as a cover crop to increase field nitrogen levels.

Have you ever seen the Karner Blue Butterfly? It is a gorgeous butterfly. Karner Blues have been on the federal endangered species list since 1992. The only host plant for Karner Blue caterpillars, the wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis), is declining in numbers, and the population of Karner Blues is declining with them.

Blue lupine leaves are a necessary food source for the caterpillars of the endangered Karner blue butterfly. Named by author Vladimir Nabokov, this insect hatches from eggs laid the previous year on the host plants. After their springtime emergence, they turn into short-lived butterflies that deposit eggs on blue lupines to produce the second generation of the season, according to The Nature Conservancy. These summertime butterflies are the ones that lay the overwintering eggs. To help the Karner blues recover, conservationists are restoring blue lupine habitats.

Here are two great articles about these Karner Blue Butterfly.  

Save the Karner Blue Butterfly

Facts About the Karner Blue Butterfly

Today is Outdoor Wednesday. Please check out these other great blogs at A Southern Daydreamer.

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!

Phlox - David

Phlox David was the first tall phlox I purchased. It is still one of my favorites. It has a wonderful fragrance, bright color, mildew resistance, and long season bloom.


The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the title of Perennial Plant of the Year 2002 to "Phlox David'.

Today I am joining Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens, which is the 15th of each month. Please check out the others here.

Coral Bells-Heuchera

Coral Bells
Heuchera

There are many different species of Coral Bells. I grow a variety of them, because I love the different types and colors of their foliage. This one is Heuchera sanguinea.

This variety has plain green leaves, but I really like the pink or red flowers. There airy spikes and consistently full green foliage makes this plant a great accent in many places in my garden. These can also be placed in containers. I am planning on making my containers this weekend, and adding some to them.

Heuchera goes by the common names "coral bells" and "alum root". The former name refers to the red flowers seen on the popular garden species Heuchera sanguinea. Like this one.

Alum Root refers to the fact that the tannin-rich, astringent roots can be used like alum in the pickling process. The roots are also used as medicine to shrink tissues in those with nose bleeds, sore throats, and ulcers. Heuchera is closely related to tiarella (foam flower). I also like to grow this plant. And the two genera have been crossed to create the intergeneric hybrid x heucherella, to which we give the common name "foamy bells". Coral bells and foamy bells have become very popular because they are attractive and easy to grow.

The only downside to heuchera is that they are short-lived unless they are divided every 3-4 years as the crown becomes woody. They like soil that has good drainage. Good air movement is also important, so a light open woodland or part-sun spot is perfect.

I love to add them to arrangements.

Today is one of my favorite days. Fertilizer Fridays/Flaunt Your Flowers. Thanks to Tootie Time. Please check out the others here.

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.

Cornflower-Mountain Bluet

This photo was taken last night. It is so much fun to see the plants starting to come back. This plant is one of my favorites. It's common name is Cornflower, Mountain Bluet or Perennial Bachelor Buttons. It grows well in full sun and light shade and in poor to average soil fertility. In rich soil, plants may develop straggly, floppy growth and may become invasive. (I have not had this problem, but were it is planted the soil is not the best.)

Thin the new shoots by about one-third in the spring to increase air circulation through the plant. This will help with downy or powdery mildew, rust or mold. I have had rust some years, but I cut the plant back to the basal growth as soon as it is done blooming. It gets a second flush of blooms in the late summer.

The following photos were taken last spring and summer. This is what the flower looks like when it first opens.

Here it is open just a little bit more.

It still looks ok in this photo, but it is starting to fade.

Here it is almost done and the center is staring to go to seed.

This flower is so much fun to use in arrangements. I love to use it in 4th of July arrangements.

Today is Fertilizer Friday. Thanks to Tootsie Time. Check out the other here.