Despite the chilly weather and snow this week, the number of blooming plants we encountered during our daily walks and in our garden have been surprising. The many lupines, irises and peonies in my garden seem to have taken the snow with a grain of salt and are either blooming or will, in spite of what nature threw at them this week. Take the Oriental poppies for instance. The colorful, herbaceous plant of the Papaveraceae family, poppies are very easy to grow and come in shades of white, yellow, pink, orange and red. Red poppies have been used as the symbol of remembrance since the trench warfare in the Flanders, Belgium poppy fields of World War I.
This year, as any West Coast resident can likely attest, the California poppy bloom has been spectacular due to all they rain they have received. California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), with their fern-like foliage and lively orange, red and yellow flowers are very drought-tolerant plants that are self-seeding and offers long-lasting blooms that provide reliable, easily maintained plants especially with extra moisture and goodness knows, there’s been plenty of that to go around this year. Last year a couple magically appeared and quickly multiplied around the garden. Though mine haven’t bloomed yet, they will burst onto the scene soon once the weather warms up. Guess I need to do more thinning this weekend if this spot is any indication of their self-seeding abilities. That spot used to be bare but is now filled in with new lupines, sage and California poppies. Guess the Mile High can be jungle-like given enough prolific seeders and some moisture.
Having been cooped up and shivering all week long, I plan to get out and check out what Mother Nature has been up to after this week’s storm. Do you have any plans that will get you out to enjoy some of the beauty Mother Nature’s willing to share? Hope your weekend is full of beauty and fun.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Our season is slightly behind you & because of this your posts & pics create an anticipation in huMom. She loves the poppies, peonies, & lupine but ours are still just starting to reach full growth.
More sun ☀️ is needed🐾
💜nose nudges 💜
Ours are somewhat late because of the cooler temps we’ve experienced this spring. When they start blooming in full, the garden is the prettiest it will be all season.
Pawtacular 🐾💜🌷🌞💜🐾
It actually surprises me that your flowers are so far ahead of ours, when you’ve had even colder weather than we have! We had 40’s and raining yesterday, and that was bad enough for us! I think our irises are starting to bud, but the lupine hadn’t yet. Ours spread from last year so I’m pretty excited about that though!
Higher altitude is what makes the difference I suspect. All the lupines came from 2 plants a few years ago and now fill the garden from one end to the other.
Oh what beautiful blooms!!!!! It’s been rainy and chilly, butts that’s the way we likes it! Butts, that is gonna change next weekend, so we are enjoying the cool weather while it lasts!
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
Yes, we say the same thing…enjoy the cooler weather while it lasts because soon enough it will be hotter than bloody blue blazes. 🔥
Last few days of Autumn here – winter begins – officially – this coming Friday. Right at the moment it’s cold and wet. Still managing to get the dogs out but because of the dryness of the earth from the drought, the water is soaking through quite quickly. Having said that, it’s still good and refreshing to see the flowers and plants on Nature Friday. Thank you.
Perhaps our winters will overlap each other. 😆
What pure beauty. Have a great weekend.
Thanks, wishing everyone at Sand Spring a happy Memorial Day weekend.
Such a pretty garden!! You had snow, and we’ve had sunshine and blue skies. That’s a good thing, for sure; but we need a little rain mixed in, and after more than 10 days of it a few weeks ago, it’s dry as a bone again and getting HOT. It’s warmer here than it is in the Florida Keys!
Hopefully rain will arrive soon. I don’t know how you handle hot temps plus high humidity. I’d evaporate! 😊
Here, the poppies are all over and you can see a lot of them on the side of roads.
They sure brighten up the place, don’t they?
We got a lot of snow in the storm… but it is melting already. The world down there is always so different from up here. I come down to visit my dad, and I am always astounded! Your flowers, as always, are spectacular. I love California poppies!!!!!
It’s equally as weird within the city. A fellow blogger I know lives in southeast Aurora and you’d think she lived in a different state for the difference in weather patterns. She received more than double the snow as I did. 😳
Mother Nature shines all the time – let alone in spring. Well done, Monika!
Agreed. And she provides a show 24/7 if we just bother to look.
Looking is the key!
It is. That old adage ‘stop and smell the rose’ is more applicable than ever in this modern age. Stop and truly appreciate, not just that Instagram glance and post. *sigh*
Amen to that.
I love the ease of self-sowing annuals– all we have to do is thin them to the right spacing once they sprout a few leaves. Your combination of sage, poppy and lupine sounds lovely!
Happy weekend – I’ll be doing gardening, most likely!
So much beautiful flowers and the photo of the poppies is just so awesome! I do love little jungles like that. I can only imagine what Mom and I will find there. I will just sniff flowers all the way. Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden with us and I hope you enjoy nice and warmer weather. 😀
Thank you. They manage to brighten the garden up after a long winter.
Yay on the sunshine, yes, get out there and soak it in!! 🙂 Happy Memorial Day weekend to you! We hope to get out and enjoy the nice weather by hiking. 🙂
Your flowers are absolutely gorgeous! Poppies are my favorite and yours are stunning!
Thanks. I wish they lasted longer but I’ll gladly take whatever they’ll grant.
Pretty! Great proof that a little spring snow can do wonders for the garden!
Best fertilizer around!
The huge poppy crop is worth all the rain we have had to endure.
They sure seem to enjoy rain here too.
Despite all that weird snow, you have so many beautiful blooms! I am a tad jealous. Mind you, the delay over here means I have my lilacs a little longer. They are still tight blooms.
I think the snow kind of did a number on the lilacs here. Too bad too because I love their perfumed scent.
Darn…
It’s one of those things that happens but soon enough the lavender will start blooming soon to replace the heavenly lilac scent.
There is that. I have some of that too. Oh wait. This house has some of that… Next year will be my year to start making my new home mine, garden-wise.
Maybe pinch a small plant to transplant at the new place? Just a thought. How goes the moving prep?
That and some of my rhubarb!
I’m at the “holy shit it’s a week away stage”!
Hang in there! Good luck with getting all the loose ends (and plants to be moved) squared away. 💖
Thanks, my friend!
It was too hot to walk the dogs here last night at 7. Maybe we could meet in the middle on temps.
Wouldn’t that be nice? Maybe our cool temps will amble toward your house. 🤞🏼
Gorgeous colors! This far down in south texas it takes a real search party to find colors that could even come close to those. Color just doesn’t survive out here as much as other places. Thanks for posting these. -Robert
Thanks for the kind words. Always happy to provide colorful flowers from the Mile High. Happy weekend.
Beautiful. Spring is such a magical time. My favorite season.
We’re staying home this weekend to avoid the idiots and drunks out on the water. Not worth it. They appear three holidays a year. Memorial Day, even worse on the 4th of July and then again on Labor day weekend. We stay home.
Have a fabulous day and weekend, my friend. ♥
I agree, I always avoid going to places over holiday weekends. Hopefully the weekend will still provide loads of fun for you.
More lovely spring time (fingers crossed for summer more than a rumor) captures.
Happy Friday!
I’m sure we’ll be in the broil season soon enough. Didn’t mind the snow (it melts so quickly after spring storms) but days on end of grey skies and cold temps…yeah, not as much of a fan for those.
Ugh!
I am hoping for a cool (relatively speaking) summer.
I am too but suspect with the weird winter and spring, summer will be equally weird.
I’m afraid you’re right.
But understand, there’s no such thing as climate change. That’s more #fakenews. 😬
Yep, no dinosaurs or climate change.
🦕🦕🦕 Mostly.
Nothing to look at here . . .LOL
lupines are a part of childhood… I remember that we had giant fields with it… but today… where have all the flowers gone?
I’d be more than happy to send lupine seeds if you want some. Just holler.
how pretty the flowers are. The deep purpley blue and orange red are compliments. I’m happy to see sun today after all the gray skies. We still have snow on the front lawn! but I plan to plant my flowers and vege this weekend.
Doesn’t that blue sky just make it extra special today?