It's time to plant poppies!

[botias]

If you live on the West Coast, it seems. I'm very suggestible. Annie's Annuals sent me an email and next thing I know, I'm surfing to sites like The One Stop Poppy Shoppe. Actually, I've been meaning to grow more poppies for a while. I had a beautiful red and black breadseed poppy volunteer in my garden a couple years ago and its children have entertained me ever since. A plant with breathtaking, vivid flowers, silver green leaves right out of a medieval tapestry, big decorative seed pods, and that can plant and tend itself quickly makes a fan of me.

ETA: I planted poppies and Agrostemma/Corn Cockles in the fall. The Agrostemma is doing great, but the patch of tiny poppies began to disappear mysteriously a couple of weeks ago until it was all gone. Frost? Snails? I still don't know. It seems fall planting with poppies is a bit of a gamble.

I ordered seeds for the following varieties and expect to see them this week. I hope they work out:

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

"sighs" Flower talk.

[botias.livejournal.com]

Aw. You probably have summer heat and lots of butterflies though.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Come June, you bet.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Wow, those are gorgeous! I love poppies.

And you taunt me with your flower talk.

[botias.livejournal.com]

I'm too cheap/lazy for tulips so maybe these can be a fun substitute. Tulips must be dug up and put in the freezer around here I understand, or simply purchased anew every year.

;) You know you like it.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I've never seen the last two multi-colored poppies. They're gorgeous! A neighbor had a huge stand of poppies last year - I loved some vibrant red orientals and white varieties. They'd look fantastic with that blue.

[botias.livejournal.com]

Poppies are crazy gorgeous. And the blue one actually likes shade! It'll be perfect for the spot I've got in mind. Unless it decides it doesn't like it. I'm excited!

[louise39.livejournal.com]

Just lovely-good luck!!

[botias.livejournal.com]

I may need the luck. Some of the varieties are perennial and sprouting the seeds may be a challenge. The seeds don't like to be covered by soil, but they are inhibited by light (?) so I'm supposed to cover them with newspaper until they sprout, and then the plants fall into a decline if their roots are at all disturbed, so I'm supposed to transplant them without their noticing. Hmmm. At least I've only room for a few plants so a little success is all I need.