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| Orange Poppy |
We shall not sleep,
Though poppies grow.
In Flanders Fields
- John McCrae
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| Orange Poppies |
There is something about the poppy that is so alluring to me with it's fairy like papery petals.
I have been growing the tall orange poppy, which seems to be one of the most popular poppies for years now. They always make a statement in the early spring when everything is still waking up from it's winter sleep. It gives us that first burst of colour with the promise of all the flowers to follow.
If your lucky the spring rains won't beat them down before they have a chance to show off in all their glory. These poppies are tall and delicate so unfortunately don't fair very well in the wind and rain.
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| Pink Salmon Oriental Poppy |
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| Pink Salmon Oriental Poppy |
Poppies are surprisingly easy to grow. They like sunshine and well drained soil. They require little watering and little care. Sounds perfect to me.
There are small and large, single petaled or multi petaled poppies. They come in pink, yellow, orange, red, white and the rare Himalayan Blue.
They are also easy to grow from seed. You can save the seed heads, dry them and sprinkle out the seeds. In the spring mix the seeds with a little sand and scatter in the garden. Do not bury the seeds, you can cover them with a very thin layer of soil instead.
I have just received the seed heads of a multi petaled beautiful pink poppy, so hopefully next year I will have another poppy to add to my list. There are many different varieties of poppies and so far I have five.
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| Red Oriental Poppies |
My earliest blooming poppy is the orange poppy that I mentioned. Then there is my pink salmon Oriental poppy. This is such a pretty flower, it is a single petaled flower and really does resemble crinkled paper. Oriental poppies also have black spots at the base of the petals. Stunning!!
I also have a red Oriental poppy that is almost neon in colour. It is a double petaled poppy and has a strong sturdy stem. This stands up well in the elements. I think I had about twenty blooms this year from a single plant. This is a real show stopper.
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| Red Oriental Poppy |
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| Iceland Poppies |
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| Iceland Poppy |
And then there is my Iceland poppies. These are small plants with small blossoms, one is a light orange and the other is three different colours (red, yellow and orange) The orange Iceland poppy blooms from spring through summer and would be a great addition to any sunshine garden.
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| Iceland Poppies |
Last year I purchased five poppies near the end of the season, they were 99. cents a piece. They didn't look like much at the time but for the price I figured it was worth a try. Three survived and one was my beautiful red Oriental poppy. So don't forget to scour the garden centres at the end of the season and see what gems you can find.
Anybody who has seen the Wizard of Oz will remember the field of poppies. And even though we likely won't have a mass of poppies like that in our gardens we can still have a beautiful display from spring through summer.
So next time you are looking for something of interest to add to your garden consider the poppy.
Grow your own field of dreams.
Happy Gardening!!
