R U soppy 4 a poppy?
Maybe you should be, as
They’re not so crazy as a daisy
Much more frilly than a lily
With less danger than your hydrangea
But, more hocus pocus than any crocus
Nothing like it is there, when you’re driving along, you round a bend and suddenly see the mellow but vibrant landscape of a poppy field.
Simplistic, but astonishingly breath-taking. In fact they radiate an almost spectral glow, shimmering in the sunlight.
Monet saw it.
We are keenly aware that nothing written about poppies could ever be complete without a dedication to those; our fallen. Our heroes. Remembrance that these simple but exquisite blooms will always hold that poignant significance.
Immortalised last year (2014) in the installation by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper at the Tower of London in memoriam of the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Almost one million ceramic poppies filling the moat at The Tower.
Yet there's also perversity, as despite this association with purity, grace and hope, the seemingly innocent poppy, due to it's medicinal, hallucinogenic and narcotic compounds is also taint by the dark arts. The very epitome of juxtapose.
There are so many varieties of poppies, from the stubborn, near
impossible but irresistible and striking blue meconopsis through to the
delicious but fleeting co-operative little annual varieties that you can sow
anywhere and will reward with their deliciously almost fluorescent blooms fluttering
and dancing about.
We’ve seeded various varieties in our beds here. Some tall, some short,
some annuals, some perennials and as most are reliable and they’re always a joy, we should see consecutive flowering from June right through to the first frosts. From the gentle Shirley to the tall and elegant Double Paeony and of course the stunning, ravishing and brilliant architectural traditional Oriental
Poppies which no garden could be complete without.
BRING IT ON.
BRING IT ON.
As if that weren't enough, in addition we’ve also decided on a little experiment. Always prepared (dear reader) as we are to go
that extra mile for you, we’ve planted some poppy seeds, of the type sold as
groceries for human consumption, just to see if they're hardy enough to withstand
virtually anything and still respond. They’re
probably heat treated, pasteurised and pulverised by the food industry so as to
render them useless, but who knows? We’ll
keep you posted should anything come of that.
Of course, if this were to work, you’d never have to buy seeds ever
again, as one 85p packet could potentially last you a lifetime, provided you
like poppies and you only want one variety of flower in your garden for all of
forever – in which case – back of the net.
Elsewhere we’re also trying some Meconopsis, to see if we can
have any success with these obdurate and intractable rascals. Apparently they take eight weeks just to
germinate and will demand constant vigilance thereafter, taking up to two
years to flower - if at all. Nothing
ventured …………………….
I was infuriated the other morning (as doubtless you'll concur) to come down and discover the first
giant bud on our mysterious self seeders, just on the very cusp of its burst to glory, had been
plucked at its prime - snapped off.
Just snapped right
off? W.T.F.
How??
Why??
We take a very dim view of such shenanigans and there’s
no place here at the USG-Plot for any delinquent vandalism and obviously we
are keen to stamp out this and deter any similar violations or further
recidivist activity. So if you, or someone you know, has any information
regarding this offence which could result in the possible apprehension of the
miscreant: please contact our incident
room.
In the meantime pop in some poppies to brighten up your borders and get some delightful diversity of colours and textures swaying in your breeze and bringing some dazzle into your daze.
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