- Author: Susan Flaherty
How red poppies became associated with fallen soldiers:
John McCrae was born in Canada in 1872 and was a successful poet, physician, artist, and author. He served in the Boar War (1899-1902) and quickly became disillusioned about the cost of war in human lives. When England declared war against Germany at the onset of WWI, Canada quickly followed. Dr. McCrae offered his services as a doctor. In May 2, 1915 his close friend Alexis Helmer was killed by a German shell. The next day Dr McCrae looked over at a makeshift cemetery near Flanders, Belgium and noted the red poppies blooming among the simple white crosses. This moved him to write a poem, “In Flanders Fields” which instantly struck a chord and became a rallying post for events such fundraising and rallies following its publication by Punch Magazine in England in December 1915.
It was published in America in Ladies Home Journal in November 1918. Unfortunately, John McCrae had succumbed to pneumonia in France on January 28, 1918.
The inspirational poem may have faded into poetry books if not for an amazing young teacher from a small town in Georgia. Moina Michael came across the poem in Ladies Home Journal and believed it to be the symbol to commemorate fallen soldiers. She campaigned tirelessly, as a result, within three years the poppy became the symbol or remembrance. Sales of paper poppies have raised millions of dollars for ex-servicemen and –women in many countries around the world.
The Flanders poppy is botanically Papaver rhoeas and is an intense red. It is a common wildflower in many areas of Europe, growing cheerfully around the borders of wheat fields. This wild version seldom grows much more than 1ft. high, but now many hybrids in a wide variety of colors have been developed and these can readily reach 2-3ft tall under ideal conditions. As a garden plant the poppy is best direct sown from seed during the fall. It does not transplant well. Flowers will appear the next spring. It likes full sun and regular, but not excessive water.
Adapted with permission from "Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots" by Allan M. Artimage
For more about growing these and other varieties of poppies check out: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=24149
- Author: Alison Collin
With Memorial Day fast approaching my thoughts have turned to poppies because a paper Red Flanders Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) is often worn to remember and honor those who have fought for their country. In many parts of Europe the plants are still to be found growing in cornfields and along byways in large masses and, although in some places they have been declared an agricultural weed, most people secretly love them.
The poppy family, Papaveracae contains 25 genera, and over 100 species which generally emanate from the temperate latitudes. Many have wonderfully flamboyant flowers such as the well-known California poppy, (Eschscholzia california) with its saturated orange flowers which clothe many dry hillsides of the state in spring, to the exquisite sky blue Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia) which is tricky to grow at the best of times and would hate the dry atmosphere in the Owens Valley.
However there are many garden varieties of poppies which are easy to grow here and it is hard not to love their vibrant crepe petals.
California Poppies now come in a wide range of colors such as pale cream (White Linen), burnt orange (Mikado), yellow (Chrome Queen), and purple (purple gleam). They are perennials but can be grown as annuals where there is a long season. They have a long taproot and resent any attempts to transplant them, so the seed needs to be sown where they are to grow. Water to keep moist until germination has occurred after which occasional watering should suffice, although they will flower for a longer season if given a more regular supply.
Shirley Poppies (P. rhoeas) are annuals and do well here if sown in the fall to will bloom in the spring. They grow about 3 feet tall and about 1 foot wide, and come in a variety of colors apart from the original red – white, pink, salmon, and lilac, sometime with a contrasting white edge. Bees love them for their early supply of pollen, and I have often witnessed them almost fighting around the anthers.
Oriental Poppies (P. orientale). These perennials are perhaps the most striking with huge flowers held on strong stems in late spring or early summer. They grow a clump of hairy leaves early in the year before the flower stems develop. Large clumps of flowers each up to 7 inches in shades of scarlet, white, coral or pink with a large black blotch at the base of the each petal can make a spectacular show in May, after which the foliage dies down in the summer in response to hot weather. They are also loved by bees for their black pollen. Unfortunately the roots are also irresistible to gophers!
Papaver soniferum, an annual variety that has been in cultivation for hundreds of years, comes in a wide range of colors and forms. I love the original single violet flowers which have darker splotches at the base of the petals but now they also come in double varieties (which are not attractive to bees and can look rather like a mop head), and fringed versions. The colors range from very pale pinks to almost black. Unlike a lot of other poppies the leaves are grayish-green, and smooth.
A plant that has done exceptionally well in my high desert garden is P. atlanticum. This is a smaller poppy which produces a prolific crop of soft orange semi-double flowers and which arise from a clump of perennial foliage. It has a very long blooming season if it is regularly deadheaded. It is difficult to transplant, but volunteers readily and comes through our winters with ease. The large black native carpenter bees are particularly attracted to this flower and look ridiculous as they try to collect food from these delicate flowers.
In the deserts the native prickly poppy, Argemone intermedia, is just coming into bloom. An annual or biennial, it has large crinkly white flowers the delicacy of which belies the prickly plant's tough nature, so unless you have an area given over to plants that like dry rocky terrain, you probably would not want to plant this in your garden. It is much loved by insects of all sorts.
Another native plant with similar flowers and no prickles is the shrubby Romneya coulteri the blooms of which look like fried eggs with their crepe-papery petals surrounding a boss of golden stamens. It is native to the Californian coastal regions, and is probably borderline hardy in the Owens Valley but I have seen a spectacular hedge of them growing in West Bishop. They are quite tricky to get established since they require fire for the seeds to germinate, and have rubbery roots that do not hold a ball of soil well for transplanting. The best method is to find a rooted sucker and try transplanting that. However, once established in ideal conditions these plants can spread rapidly and reach 6ft-8ft.
There are many more types of poppies, both native and cultivated and seeds of these available, both from suppliers of native plant seeds and catalogs such as www.edenbrothers.com/PoppySeeds that specialize in garden varieties.
It is hard to find flowers that give so much reward for so little effort.
- Author: Denise Seghesio Levine
In the coldest days of winter we can all use a little splash of color in the garden. This month your nursery or garden center should have plenty of bedding plants to fill the bill. Look for upright, colorful primroses in bold, primary colors; mischievous-faced pansies in yellows and blues; and delicate Iceland poppies in translucent salmon, pink, white and yellow.
The word primula is the Latin feminine diminutive of primus, meaning first (prime), and is applied to flowers that are among the first to open in spring.
Primroses (Primula vulgaris) do well in Napa Valley, bringing color to our grayest season. They thrive in the winter chill. While many varieties of primrose bloom through spring and summer, the English, Chinese and fairy primroses are especially good choices for winter.
The flower stalks of primroses shoot up from low, ground-hugging rosettes of thick green leaves. Whether the stocky English variety or the more ethereal-looking fairy type, most primroses bloom for weeks.
Primroses will grow in shady, damp parts of the garden that might thwart other flowers. Try them on the north side of the house or under deciduous trees. They appreciate sun in the spring but do better in shade when the summer heat hits.
Primulas prefer slightly acid soil rich in organic compost or leaf mulch. Most varieties require well-drained soil, but there are exceptions: Helodoxa, Bulleyana and Beesiana will grow in relatively wet soil, and Florindae and japonica will even thrive in wet, boggy spots.
When you buy primroses, choose plants that still have unopened blossoms. These will grow vigorously when you set them out in well-dug soil amended with compost or leaf mulch. Primroses are easy to transplant, but beware: some gardeners develop itchy dermatitis after transplanting primroses. Pull out the gloves for this chore.
Space primulas six to eight inches apart, and plant so that the crown is even with the soil. Mulch and water well. Primulas are usually pest free, although slugs and snails can do some damage.
Perky-faced pansies (Viola tricolor) in a multitude of colors make wonderful bedding and container plants for winter. Pansies and their cousins, violets and violas, are perennials but are normally grown as annuals or biennials because they tend to get leggy after one season.
Pansy "faces" are made up of five flat petals: two top, two side and one lower petal. Typically, each flower exhibits two or three colors. The side and bottom petals often have contrasting veins radiating from the center of the bloom, teasing the imagination into seeing perky little faces. For gardens designed to delight youngsters, pansies, violets and violas are essential components. They create magical habitats and memories that last.
Pansies grow successfully in a well-drained, sunny spot. Bring home six-packs or flats and plant them directly in the garden. Pansies normally grow about nine inches high with most blossoms measuring two to three inches across.
Pansies look great planted in mass in a bed, or in flower pots or containers on porches and decks where you can see their cheery faces up close. Never overwater pansies, but if rain is not keeping the ground moist, give them a good soak once a week.
As for Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule), they do best in cool weather. They grow about a foot tall with cream, white, pink, red, salmon, orange or rose-colored papery petals on tall, leafless stems.
Plant Iceland poppies carefully as their roots do not appreciate being disturbed. Make sure the crown is just slightly below the soil surface to avoid rot. Water weekly if rain is scarce.
Iceland poppies make wonderful cut flowers, and a handful can make a whimsical bouquet. Your poppies will bloom more prolifically if you pick them often. Iceland poppies will stop blooming when the weather gets hot, so enjoy the winter color and their frilly blossoms indoors and out.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4221, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions?
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Next spring the Campus Buzzway at UC Davis will burst with buds, blooms and bees.
The Campus Buzzway, a quarter-acre field of wildflowers, took root the third week of November when a crew planted golden poppies, lupine and coreopsis (tickseed).
Or more precisely, Eschscholzia californica, Lupinus perennis and Coreopsis granidflora.
The garden is a gift from Häagen-Dazs, which also funded the design competition for the half-acre Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. Both bee friendly gardens are located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility.
Many other donors have stepped forward to make the gardens possible.
Think bees.
Think year-around food source for bees.
Think public awareness about the the plight of bees.
Think educational opportunities for visitors.
This is no ordinary garden. The Campus Buzzway is unique in that it not only will sport the UC Davis official colors of blue and gold, but it will include three areas of concentrated plantings surrounded by random plantings of the poppies, lupine and coreopsis.
Lynn Kimsey, professor and vice chair of the Department of Entomology and director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, suggested the design, which also includes narrow walkways.
The two gardens, she said, "will greatly benefit our colonies and make terrific teaching opportunities.”
Expect to see scores of local pollinator populations there, too, and folks gleaning ideas for their own bee friendly gardens. Yes!
This is the second year that Häagen-Dazs, known for its premier ice cream (about half of its flavors are pollinated by honey bees), has raised funds for honey bee research at UC Davis and Penn State University. At UC Davis, Häagen-Dazs is funding postdoctoral fellow Michelle Flenniken, an insect virus researcher seeking to unlock the mysteries of the viruses that plague bees.
Meanwhile, mark your calendars. A public celebration of the two bee friendly gardens is set June 19.