Fun Horse/Flower Mashup

I think I'm going a little spring-crazy. I found crocus flowers in the park, the barnyard is a muck pit from the rain, and I'm walking a lot of the horses around the ring getting them out of the mud and, in some cases, started back up for spring lessons.

I thought it might be fun to match the horses at the barn up with the flowers I think they would go well with. ^_^ So here goes!

Starting with the mare field...

Cyd: Morning Glory



Morning glories open only in the morning and evening or on cloudy days. When they do open they are gorgeous pink, purple, or blue flowers. The vine is sometimes hard to control in the garden because it spreads via underground runners.


Mia: Queen Anne's Lace



Related to carrots, Queen Anne's Lace brightens the countryside in fields and along roads. Though they can thrive in tough conditions, they are also good in the garden as a companion plant to lettuces and other greens which require shade in the heat of summer.


Jewel: Snapdragon



Snapdragons come in a variety of vibrant colors and attract bees and hummingbirds with their fiery bright blooms. Just like Jewel they are fun and fairly carefree, but do enjoy some pampering!


The main barn....

Ernie: Wild Geranium



The wild geranium is a native plant in eastern North America. The tiny pale purple flowers grow well in full sun but can also be found in shade, creating forest carpets of color. The flowers attract native bees and make a lovely addition to any garden, peeking around the front of the other plants and adding their charm to the landscape.


Gus: Hoya

Hoyas are tropical flowers that love warmth and high humidity. Clusters of kaleidoscopic colored flowers in white, red, pink, and/or yellow hang from the vines and look like perfect little wax stars. The flowers are somewhat infamous among house plant owners for dripping sticky honeydew onto surfaces below.


Taz: Sunflower



Sunflowers are hard to miss. These sunny plants grow rapidly, attracting bees with the bright yellow petals in late summer and creating an enormous seed head which is food for autumn migrating birds. They require a good amount of nutrients from the soil to grow so large and have a handy trick to keep other hungry plants at bay- they secrete a toxic chemical from their roots which drives off all plants in their vicinity.


Maggie: Miniature Rose



The miniature rose is a petite beauty. It comes in several colors and is actually more hardy than the average tea rose. Miniature roses still require a fair amount of care to keep them at their best. Be careful picking the flowers though- the mini rose comes with mini thorns!


Harry: Daisy

 




Daisies grow freely in meadows and along roads and are a favorite of bouquet-gathering children. They are a very tolerant flower and can grow in a wide variety of conditions. The daisy has a very long flowering season and flowers can be found reliably from spring all the way through to autumn.


Miles: Trumpet Lily

The trumpet lily is a bold, striking addition to the garden. Its big bright petals form a trumpet shape that can be up to 6 inches long and comes in nearly every color, from white to deep orange. Trumpet lilies bloom in the middle of summer, when most other flowers have gone dormant. They plough right through the heat with relative ease.

*I did have Miles with Balloon Flower, but I think the Trumpet Lily is a more accurate match.

Aspen: Cherry Blossom



Cherry blossoms massed on the branches of a cherry tree are one of the most striking signs that spring has arrived. Blooms can be white or pink and are beautiful, yet delicate. The amount of blossoms that form depends highly on the weather conditions. They tend to fall apart on windy days.


Nadiya: Orchid



Outside of its native tropical environment orchids can take several years to bloom and will sometimes refuse to do so if moved to a different temperature, lighting, or soil. They dislike change. When an orchid does bloom though, the flowers are some of the most intricate, varied, and beautiful in the world.


And the pony field...

Abby: Foxglove



Foxglove forms tall stalks full of large, bell shaped flowers that are pink, purple, grey, or white and usually have spots or speckles. The unique shape of the flowers means they have whimsical alternative names such as "witch's mittens" and "fairy caps." The plant grows equally well in forests and in fields and is a favorite of hummingbirds. Extracted chemicals from foxglove have long been used in treating heart ailments.


Pudge: Hydrangea



The hydrangea is a flower that is made up of clusters of smaller flowers. In some varieties these clusters can be several inches wide, creating giant puffballs of blooms. Normally the blooms are white, but many gardeners turn the flowers different colors by adjusting the soil pH. These shrubs can't be fed too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer or they won't produce flowers.


Presley: Virginia Bluebells

Another native east coast plant, Virginia Bluebells flourish in shady woodlands where they flower in early spring and can create large patches of color. The flowers start out pink and then change color to blue. Bees and butterflies adore the little bell-shaped flowers. These plants dislike hot weather and go dormant after June, biding their time beneath the soil until the weather gets cooler.


Bodi: Dandelion 

Though considered an annoyance by some, a truly nurtured dandelion is a wonderful sight. It has adapted to a wide variety of conditions and grows through concrete, but it also finds a home in the garden where its bright cheerful flowers can grow to an inch in diameter. If left long enough it develops a delightful puffball of seeds that can then be blown on the wind to new places.


I hope you have enjoyed this fun adventure in matching ponies with plants. What flower do you think your favorite horse would match well with?

PS: Too many photos in this post. I was up waaay too late trying to find pictures to go along with all the descriptions. Bed time now.