M is for....
M is for mystery!
There is a neglected spot (yes, one of many!) behind the house that, last year, had a healthy crop of deadly nightshade (swiftly pulled out by me when discovered - I have little children!). This year there is milkweed growing profusely, which makes me happy because, monarch butterflies and all.
A neglected spot...wouldn't it benefit from the addition of some POPPIES???
I love poppies, I love them so much. The red silken skirts of the blooms, the black eyes, the leaves that look prickly but aren't. Such romance to them. I picture golden fields of wheat, with scarlet poppies dancing amongst them. And, of course, the poppies of Flanders Fields, the poem which always makes my eyes prickle.
Poppies were always in the plan for this garden, no matter how long we stay here (or don't). And so, I planted poppies!
The first place I put them was in a small brick-encircled patch in the main backyard (more on that later) in early May (about 8 weeks ago). I also put in bachelor's buttons at the same time. Those are doing well, but the poppies...nothing. Sorrow upon sorrows. Well, lately, there do seem to be some promising sprouts, but nothing compared to how the bachelor's buttons are doing.
So, a few weeks ago I decided to start again. I planted California poppies in the neglected spot at the back of the house. I have been monitoring it closely, and have seen a few tiny seedlings. Great!
And I also saw these other plants; intriguing. Pale green stem and foliage, serrated leaves.
Are they a weed? Or something good? I didn't know, but decided to leave them for a while. I am pretty ruthless with things I am sure are weeds, but every now and then decide to take a chance.
Good thing I did, because....look at these scarlet blooms in my neighbour's garden!! (yes, I wish it was my garden; someday I will have one as good as this!)
Those mystery plants are POPPIES!! Scarlet ones!
There is a neglected spot (yes, one of many!) behind the house that, last year, had a healthy crop of deadly nightshade (swiftly pulled out by me when discovered - I have little children!). This year there is milkweed growing profusely, which makes me happy because, monarch butterflies and all.
A neglected spot...wouldn't it benefit from the addition of some POPPIES???
I love poppies, I love them so much. The red silken skirts of the blooms, the black eyes, the leaves that look prickly but aren't. Such romance to them. I picture golden fields of wheat, with scarlet poppies dancing amongst them. And, of course, the poppies of Flanders Fields, the poem which always makes my eyes prickle.
Poppies were always in the plan for this garden, no matter how long we stay here (or don't). And so, I planted poppies!
The first place I put them was in a small brick-encircled patch in the main backyard (more on that later) in early May (about 8 weeks ago). I also put in bachelor's buttons at the same time. Those are doing well, but the poppies...nothing. Sorrow upon sorrows. Well, lately, there do seem to be some promising sprouts, but nothing compared to how the bachelor's buttons are doing.
So, a few weeks ago I decided to start again. I planted California poppies in the neglected spot at the back of the house. I have been monitoring it closely, and have seen a few tiny seedlings. Great!
And I also saw these other plants; intriguing. Pale green stem and foliage, serrated leaves.
Are they a weed? Or something good? I didn't know, but decided to leave them for a while. I am pretty ruthless with things I am sure are weeds, but every now and then decide to take a chance.
Good thing I did, because....look at these scarlet blooms in my neighbour's garden!! (yes, I wish it was my garden; someday I will have one as good as this!)
Those mystery plants are POPPIES!! Scarlet ones!
Now for the mystery: how did they get in my backyard? Did I plant them? I don't think I did, but I have been getting a little slap-happy with the seeds (there are so many - I just want to plonk them in somewhere!) that perhaps I did and don't remember. But I don't think so, because the ones that I consciously remember planting (in the afore-mentioned brick-encircled patch) have quite different foliage - green with different shaped leaves. So I really don't know.
So the mystery will remain. There are many such in this garden, such as, how did the primroses emerge in the middle of the lily of the valley patch? The lilies were surely planted by a long gone owner, but no conscientious gardener would plant primroses in the middle of lily of the valley (nor columbine either, which is another beautiful plant that emerged in the lily of the valley patch this spring).
I will credit the birds - the beautiful cardinals and raucous blue jays, the warbling robins, and the other grey ones that I can't name. Their perambulations scatter joy around the neighborhood, even as their songs wake me up at 5:30 am!
Update: here is the poppy!
Wow, that is small. And spindly. The petals only lasted a day then blew away. Let's see how it is next year!
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