I was intially greatly disheartened to read in the latest issue of Green Thumbs and Green Hearts: The Magazine of Gardener Envy that botanists and geneticists have finally made a breakthrough in developing an easy-grow Blue Poppy. Seems these wise guys have managed to clone a Meconopsis that doesn't rot, throw hissy fits if the weather and soil and humidity and moisture levels aren't exactly to its liking, and that spreads quickly and blooms like gangbusters.
I say initially disheartened because after all, I'm stumped by tomatoes and hollyhocks, but blue poppies? These, I can grow, thanks to my cranky Fundy climate. What can be my claim to gardening competency if these lovely but moody plants become as easy to grow as, say, goutweed?
Well, it seems that there's one small flaw they haven't worked out yet. The newfangled ones grow well, and get lots of flowerbuds. But they only bloom at the dark of night, and as soon as sunlight hits them, they begin to change colour. First they turn purple...
And then all too quickly, they change completely to look like another genus and species, the lovely but common as dandelions corn poppy. Whew. Guess I don't have to give up my bragging rights just yet. At least, not til you check out the date of this post, of course....
Tee hee - I enjoyed your post immensely!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the chuckle Jodi! Don't worry I can't grow tomatoes (though I try each year), hollyhocks or blue poppies. But I do enjoy the plants I can grow and I perhaps this year I will pick tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Sylvia (England)
You got me Jodi! Fun post! I'm glad your bragging rights are intact.
ReplyDeleteGood one!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son is home sick today- I just went in his room and told him okay, now is when you get up and yell "April Fools!" He gave me a dirty look, poor thing. It was worth a try, I hate seeing him sick!
I have selected several poppies to grow for the first time this year (none of them blue). Your earlier posts on poppies was largely responsible for enabling me;)
ReplyDeleteMarnie
A very droll post. I enjoyed it so much - and remembered my dismay when a friend sent me blue poppy seeds and actually thought I could do something with them.
ReplyDeleteAny plant post with "blue" in the title on April 1st has to be a joke - but it was a good one! If there were such a plant, I bet people would buy it, just to slink out to the garden in the middle of the night to see it bloom blue.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fool ... as soon as I saw the title, I knew this would be good :) Yea April, Jodi! (Farch is gone).
ReplyDeleteGreat reading, I love poppies too. My mom had some that the shrubs grew over, 10 years later we cut out the shrubs and the poppies returned.
ReplyDeleteClassic, Jodi! But of course my favorite part is the title of the mag. Wish there really were one---I'd subscribe in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteDang! I fell for this. I had a momentary burst of joy to think I would be able to grow blue poppies.
ReplyDeleteForgot the date. :-(
This has been a fun morning-reading all these 'oh so true' posts. Thanks for the smile!
ReplyDeleteROTFL
ReplyDeletevery good Jodi
:)
K
ROFL! Loved the name of the magazine. What a great "poisson d'avril".
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny! You won't be getting any competition from me! I've always admired the blue poppy, but not if it turns color!
ReplyDeleteI know that I'm the one you expected to be jumping up and down one second and smacking you the next, but I have to disappoint you. Why did I know you were teasing? Because you're too much of sweetheart not to have told me personally the very second you heard this news. I know you WANT me to be able to grow blue poppies, even though I'm in awe of you because you can.
ReplyDeleteYou got us good Jodi! lol I love your Blue Poppy and I don't mind that you have the bragging rights to growing this fussy beauty. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you don't have much to worry about Jodi. I will never be able to grow the original. As a matter of fact even the common as dirt ones don't do well in my garden. My sister gave me one several years ago. It is still alive and grows well but it hasn't reproduced. Hmmmmmm I guess I won't complain. At least I have one.
ReplyDeleteKudos, Jodi~~ Rest assured you're still the reigning queen of blue Meconopsis. I can vouch for its fussiness. Mine all turned that weird red color, like overnight. :)
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be fair if just anyone could grow blue poppies, Jodi--we're all jealous of your special plant, you know. Actually, I was expecting something a little offbeat here today, because I thought your title in my sidebar said blue "PUPPIES":)
ReplyDeleteJodi...Just what the gardener needed, a good story! Excellent. gail
ReplyDeleteHee hee....good one, Jodi!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, that took me a minute. I had hopes of blue poppies. Actually, I bought a couple last year but I'm not sure they survived. I will continue to enjoy yours.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have to admit it. You had me completely fooled until I started reading the comments. Even then it too me a while to catch on. I even wrote down the name of the Magazine to look it up! You little Rascal! :-)
ReplyDeletevery funny!
ReplyDeleteYou April fool, you! For a minute there I was envisioning blue poppies in my garden.....
ReplyDeleteHappy April, Jody :)
We have pouring rain here and snow in the forecast. Yesterday, however, we had fantastic sunshine and gardening weather. Just little tastes at a time is all we are allowed, apparently.