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| GREY POPPIES? SURE. LOOK FROM SELECTIONS WITH GENTLE COLOR PALETTES, SUCH AS THIS STRAIN CALLED ‘MOTHER OF PEARL’, WHERE COLORS SUCH AS GREY, PEARL AND OFF WHITE ARE NOT UNCOMMON, BUT REMEMBER, YOU MUST SOW THE SEED WHERE THEY ARE TO GROW, THESE ARE POPPIES YOU WILL NOT FIND AT A GARDEN CENTER – THEY SULK IN POTS AND CANNOT BE TRANSPLANTED NOR DIVIDED. THIS KEEPS THEM RARE IN MOST GARDENS. |
I am not a betting man, but it was a tremendous gamble, my little poppy experiment that I back in march. After 10 months of record breaking warmth, I hedged my bet with the idea that eventually, we would have a cool period, but I never dreamed that we would have such a cool and perfect June. Surely, it will all change next week, but our past four weeks of cool nights, and breezy, sunny days have given the poppies and sweet peas a boost that I could only have dreamt about. Shirley Poppies, if grown well, bring the gentle charm of poppies to gardens only spring weather cooperates for they demand fresh, cool nights in summer. They are best grown in areas where summers remain cool, such as coastal Canada, the Pacific north west, and the United Kingdom. Elsewhere, one must take their chances, but those who persist will be rewarded. Over the next few weeks, expect more images from the three strains of Shirley Poppies that I have planted this year.
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| GREY POPPIES ARE MAGIC IN THE GARDEN, THE RAREST COLORS ARE ALWAYS THE MOST DESIRED. |
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| JOE PICKS PEAS , EVEN ON HIS BIRTHDAY. PEAS WAIT FOR NO ONE, ALTHOUGH, SUGAR SNAP PEAS CAN BE ALLOWED TO MATURE A BIT MORE, JUST EXPECT MORE STRINGS, WHICH ONLY MEANS A LITTLE MORE PREP TIME CLEANING BEFORE COOKING. |
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| SNAP PEAS COVERED IN MORNING DEW, ALL READY TO BE PICKED |
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| OLD WORLD ROSES ARE BLOUSY, FRAGRANT AND SHORT-LIVED BLOOMERS IN THE GARDEN, BUT IN JUNE, WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT CABBAGE ROSES? |
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| MANY SUMMER BULBS IN CONTAINERS ARE STILL EMERGING, THESE MINIATURE EUCOMIS, OR PINEAPPLE LILY, WILL GROW FAST ONCE THE NIGHT TEMPERATURES RISE TO SEVENTY DEGREES, WHICH WE EXPECT TO START NEXT WEEK. |
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| GARLIC SCAPES WITH DEW. THE TWISTY STEMS ARE A SIGN THAT THE GARLIC HARVEST IS NEAR! WE PICK AND PICKLE THE STEMS IN JARS, THAT IS, THE ONES THAT DON’T MAKE IT INTO OTHER STIR FRY’S |
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| FRAGRANT STOCK, A DOUBLE FORM, SCENTS THE GARDEN FOR AT LEAST FIFTY FOOT RADIUS |
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| PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM, CONTINUES TO BLOOM IN THE ALPINE BED. I KNOW, FAR FROM AN ALPINE, I COULD NOT PULL IT OUT! |
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| ON THE GRAVEL BED, THIS LARGE TUB OF SINNINGIA TUBIFLORA IS DEW COVERED, BUT THE FUZZY LEAVES WILL DRY OFF QUICKLY ONCE THE SUN HEATS THE GRAVEL. THE HOT GRAVEL HELPS KEEP THE SINNINGIA FOLIAGE FROM SPOTTING FROM EXCESS MOISTURE. AN AFRICAN VIOLET RELATIVE, THIS PLANT WILL PRODUCT TWO-FOOT HIGH STALKS WITH FRAGRANT WHITE TRUMPETS IN MID-JULY. |
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| TURNIP GREENS AND RADISH GREENS REMIND ME OF A LITHUANIAN SOUP THAT MY MOTHER USED TO MAKE IN SPRING. IN FACT, HER MOTHER MADE IT TOO, USING STORAGE POTATOES, RADISH OR TURNIP GREENS, CHICKEN BROTH AND SALT PORK OR PANCETTA. A SIMPLE, SPRING SOUP USING THINNINGS FROM THE GARDEN. |
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That soup looks delicious. Oh yes, the poppies are wonderful, too.
Great looking greens! My nutrition clients are always surprised when I tell them they can actually eat the tops.
Matt, where did you get those poppy seeds? I love those grey doubles.