Poppies

Summer has surely arrived when the poppies bloom. Here's a roadside planting of Shirley poppies in Langley, on Whidbey Island, their silky texture and sweet shades enhanced by bristly disks of blue, blue bachelor buttons. I'd guess most are self-seeded because it's always the reds that come back so vigorously - unfortunately the salmon, cream and white poppies never seem to persist as enthusiastically year to year.  Still, have you ever seen such a gorgeous swathe of poppies since Dorothy and friends lay down for a nap, overcome by the narcotic scent of opium poppies in the Wizard of Oz? Shirley poppies are more benign, but every bit as beautiful. Right across the street from this riot of color is the starkly sculptural contrast of a farmer's golden fields and bales of hay (bottom photo) - as picturesque as an Andy Goldsworthy piece.

 

Comments

[Ramona Gault]

Hi Valerie, an urgent question about lavender plants; I didn't see another spot to post it so here goes. A 2-to-3-year-old lavender plant in my yard had dozens of flower stalks and looked healthy. But in the past week, the stalks have begun to wilt at a point about 4" from the flower buds. The stalk then falls over at that point and the flower buds wither. Now another lavender plant nearby that was planted last fall and looked healthy is showing the same symptom. I was advised at Swansons to water them more, and I've done that but the stalk wilting continues. I'm sad because I treasure the flowers and harvest them each summer. Do you have any idea what might be going on, and how to stop it before the rest of my lavenders start to wilt?

[Val Easton]

Hi Ramona,
Vascular wilt is rarely a problem with lavender, but it sounds like that's the problem. It's caused by too rich or too heavily mulched soil, inadequate air circulation or poor drainage. You might want to water your lavender well, and move it to a less crowded spot with better drainage? If it continues to wilt, I'd toss it and start over with a fresh plant....Swanson's advice was good in that new plants do need more water than you might expect. Also - never water from the top, lavenders need to be watered at the roots and the foliage kept dry. Overwatering from the top can also cause wilt...

Good luck -
Val Easton

[Karen]

Hm, I was watering my lavender just last night to wash the spittle bugs off... oops! Hope I didn't do them in. They are pretty well established and plentiful so I'll try not to worry. I love the roadside poppies and bachelors' buttons together, what a riot of color! I wonder what blooms there when they're done? Poppies are so fun when they bloom but they are a bit floppy/messy afterward. I always cut mine back and it doesn't seem to hurt them a bit.

[valerie Easton]

Hi Karen,
The poppy garden produces cut flowers all summer long, as the woman who owns it sells bouquets along the street (on the honor system, so Langley-esque...) I'll photograph and post the next wave of bloom after the poppies die back, so we can see how she sequences her flower garden -
Val