Yes, I love poppies: Flanders poppies, opium poppies, oriental poppies, Shirley poppies. I also stare longingly at the acid loving varieties, but make do with the varieties I can grow here in Alkali Land. Luckily, with the Shirley poppies providing endless delicate variations you quickly forget what you are missing. They are so easy to grow and so rewarding. Their silken flowers open in every available combination of red, pink and white and they attract bees like nothing else, whilst looking delicately beautiful. A further part of their allure is how they scatter their petals like confetti after such a short opening. It’s like an advert to come and see the new ones. This year’s show in the garden is strong on distressed patterns and by that I mean one main colour with a ‘vintage look’ contrast at the edge. I have just discovered WordPress ‘Galleries’, so I though I would have a go and make a poppy gallery to show them off. So here it is:
Funnily enough, the busiest poppy yesterday, bee-wise, was a damaged opium poppy, but it was as though it had been dipped in honey. The sneaky fat-thighed flower beetle thought so too!
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I’m so glad you discovered WP galleries (maybe you can explain it to me some time). Anyway, great photos! I especially loved pops 2,3, and 6. Scarlet poppies are magical. Oddly, I have only one poppy that was a gift from a friend. Clearly it is time for more.
Ah yes, they are great, but my favourite is the pink-edged white one. There is nothing better to see than a field full of red poppies and there is a very emotional response to it.
Your post has reminded me how much I like poppies, although I haven’t had any (other than several Oriental poppies in my previous garden) in a while. I wonder if it’s too late for me to find and sow some Shirley poppy seeds? Galleries,eh? hmmmm…. 🙂
I hadn’t realised how pretty the Shirley poppies were until recently and now I love to grow them through Stipa tenuissima. There’s something about the textures together. I doubt you could get them to do anything for this year now, but it is something to look forward to trying next year. Galleries are remarkably painless, so do give it a go!
I find poppies irresistible too. Lovely photos.
Thanks. Now, if only I could do blue ones too …..
You’ve inspired me to try poppies sometime. Beautiful.
🙂
We really love poppies here too, mostly because the Bees love them, but I also love the seed heads as they dry a little and then tapping them like a salt and pepper shaker. Lovely photos.
Thanks. Yes, the bees are very amusing to watch runnning round the flowers. The seed heads of the opium poppies in particular are great as they dry. Good in arrangements too. I was gathering some yesterday before pulling the plants from the vegetable patch.