20 July 2009

Everything's poppin' up poppies!


Yesterday dawned a little foggy but also sunny, and since I was feeling pretty good, we decided to go to Liverpool, collect the rest of my stuff, and put that chapter of my life (happily) far, far behind me. As we got ready, I looked outside, told longsuffering spouse I'd be a few minutes, and took off outside with my camera.


Some mornings we have what I call 'breathing fog.' It's very odd, and seems to come in and go back out again like inhalations and exhalations of breath. One moment the sun is obscured, the next it's breaking through the mist, and the next everything is bathed in sunlight. It makes for a lot of moisture, but also some interesting light and great photography moments.

Those who are regular readers of bloomingwriter know that I adore poppies of all kinds, be they annual, perennial, biennial, or blue. Right now, right on schedule, the big annual breadseed poppies have begun blooming in earnest.

I collect seed every year from the ones I like the best and then cast it around the garden here and there, and let the poppies do their thing. They also selfseed, of course, and they seem to cross pollinate, coming up with some extraordinary shades.

Our absolute favourites in the annual poppies are these deep wine double beauties. Aren't they great? Maybe not to everyone's tastes, but I love dark-wine flowers, and have a number of different plants with rich dark flowers or foliage.

Poppies catch the light as beautifully as do tulips, as they have equally transluscent, silken petals. They don't last as long as individual flowers, but they're profuse and for a few weeks we get to enjoy quite a happy show of colours.

As one poppy finishes and drops its blooms, others are opening up to show off their beauty, while still others are preparing to open or getting in the queue for a performance in a few days time.

One particular bed is host to mostly bright pink, single poppies. I love their foliage too, until the flowers are spent. Then I only leave in the ones that we'll use to collect seed; the rest get hauled out because their foliage gets quite ratty looking.

I spend a good deal of time looking into the centre of our poppies, with or without my camera. Everything about their flowers pleases me, from their showy petals to their complex hearts with the many stamens clustered around the central carpal.

In case you're feeling a bit bludgeoned by all those deep, rich colours, here's a little contribution from the Icelandic poppies, which are never shy about showing off THEIR beauty. These biennial or perennial poppies will bloom themselves almost to death, especially if you're faithful about deadheading. I've had them flower until hard frost before. And they pop up in odd places, so I never know where we'll see them, but we welcome them always.

25 comments:

  1. They are gorgeous! Another plant that I envy in other people's gardens because I have a difficult (if not impossible) time growing them here.

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  2. Love it! makes me want to go out and buy some poppies!

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  3. They are pretty fantastic poppies Jodi! To have the sunny spot for them would make me poppy happy! I like them all...gail

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  4. Wow Jody, I am glad you took us to the poppy parade. What an exciting collection of poppies. I say exciting because I always get excited when I see these beautiful flowers.

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  5. What beautiful colors. We got a bunch of Poppy seeds from a garden we visited, but I have no idea what color they are.--Randy

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  6. Icelandic poppies are neat. I noticed them for the first time over the weekend, at a Home Depot. Hadn't seen them before.

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  7. My red poppies finally came up this year. They have already gone to seed but I'll deadhead and hope they bloom again. Yours are lovely!

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  8. Hi Jodi~~ The dark purple doubles are incredibly showy. It takes a certain amount of counter-discipline to grow these, doesn't it? I mean, if you're a neat-nick and can't handle clashy colors or plants out of place, poppies might drive you nuts. This used to be me but as I've aged (ahem...) I've come to appreciate the serendipity of poppies. Your photos inspire me!

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  9. I agree with you about the dark, double Poppies. I think I'm ruined for life for any other Poppies, as those are so decadent in size, form and color and they bloom longer than the singles. Your Poppies are all so lovely, and I do admire the ghostly gray foliage too.

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  10. Fantastic blooms Jodi, love your fog picture. Love all your wonderful poppies.
    xoxo Tyra

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  11. What a delight your poppies are. The colours are luscious. I also can't have a garden without poppies, though I've never planted the annuals. Perhaps next year...

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  12. Fabulous poppies Jodi - I love them too and let them self seed everywhere.
    K

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  13. the colors of those poppies are so delicious! I need to sow my own. I have trillions of seeds!

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  14. OMG, I love those merlot red poppies, Jodi. Poppies do not do well for me in the deep south so I admire them from afar. Sigh. Gorgeous!!!

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  15. My heart stands with yours, jodi. I adore poppies! Shame on me ... wish I had more. You are a rich woman and have made my day viewing your parade of beautiful photos. May the sun shine on your lovely garden.

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  16. I grew Breadseed poppies for the first time in many years and just loved them. I can't imagine not growing them ever again.

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  17. Wow Jodi ! These are gorgeous poppies girl : ) .. We had rotten luck this Spring with out poppies .. loads of foliage but no flowers except for Royal Wedding .. I don't know what the matter was but what a disappointment for us ..now I'm wondering if sowing some seed poppies this Autumn .. would they survive the winter and bloom next Spring ?
    Joy

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  18. Your poppies are beautiful, jodi -- so bright and cheery! I particularly like the Icelandic ones, especially that gorgeous peachy colour. (?)

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  19. I can see why you love those dark red/wine colored poppies, I love them , too! I'll have to look for them for my garden, too. I haven't grown the annual poppies before, just the perennial type.

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  20. Thanks for your concern over my hubby, he's home and healing a bit more each day. Your poppies have me longing for some of my own. Next year!

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  21. Jodi, these poppies are fantastic! Oh to be able to grow such beauties and be able to see them in my garden would be heaven. You do, indeed, have a poppy thumb. :) Thank you so much for showing them.

    Also, thankyou for your kind comments on my posts. Your caring touched me deeply.

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  22. Wonderful post. I am a fellow Poppy lover...yes, indeed.

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  23. I officially have poppy envy Jodi! You have so many beautiful varieties. I love the breadseeds too but your double wine takes the cake. Beats the single "Laurens Grape" I have hands down. I'm going to be doing some seed head shaking around my garden this fall too but I doubt I'll ever get the show you have. Your latest post about daylilies could be written for me. I've never gotten them either although I don't mind viewing photos of them. I can appreciate the wide range of colors they come in and you do have some pretty ones. I like 'El Desperado' quite a bit. It could almost convince me...

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  24. Oh, how I love those poppies too! I naughtily took some seed from some plants at a public garden in BC last year and I hope to have those Shirley poppies blooming soon. My breadseed poppies just started 2 days ago here in northern SK.

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  25. Poppies are high on my list of annual favs -- the orientals do not thrive in our hot climate. Iceland poppies bloom here in winter, much like pansies and snapdragons do.

    I looked at all your poppy posts. They bloomed in late spring here, so I must be content with looking at the gardens of others and playing with the seeds in anticipation of late fall scattering. I guess I could spare a few to make muffins....

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