Dan's Papers - August 1, 2008

Quite some time ago, and I do mean a decade or so, my mother and I went to visit her friend Denise in Vermont. Besides some spectacular blueberry pie in the fridge, Denise had magnificent double pink annual poppies in her garden that resembled peonies with fringed edges on the petals. They were an annual that was so easy to grow they were practically a weed. She snapped off a few seed heads for me and ever since I've spread these gorgeous poppies all over the Hamptons.

Some have made their way to friends in Oregon and Mexico, Arizona. At one point I found out that they are Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy. A friend told me that it was illegal to grow these flowers in the United States, and perhaps at one time this was true. But Renee's seed offers them in slightly different colors under the name of Papaver somniferum, "French Flounce."

Like my poppies, Renee's strain has ragged large blue leaves that clasp the 24" - 36"stems. And their description on the back of the package is worth noting. "The Carnation or Feather poppy has deeply cut fringed 4 inch blossoms. The peony Flowering Poppy, like its namesake, opens into huge glamorous poufs of softly ruffled petals. Grow these statuesque flowers for unparalleled late spring beauty." They really lay it on thick with a few other choice phrases like, "Ooh la la! French imports with big densely petal blossoms like a Can-Can dancer's full skirts." It's all true but the foliage alone is outstanding.

Some are delightful pale pink singles, or the typical Memorial Day-like single red poppy that we associate with the fields of Flanders. Renee's mix has an incredible double deep purple poppy that is exactly the same color as Welch's grape juice, a dark red double also knocks me out and there is an unexpected double pure white. There is also a very pale double pink, but my double pink poppies are the most incredible coral pink - they stop most people in their tracks.

This is a very easy plant to grow. They must be sowed in early spring when the weather is still cool. The seed is tiny and easily tracked around on the bottom of shoes, so frequently I find that they pop up everywhere but where I put them. No matter what spot they germinate in, though, they are spectacular and well received.

A hot location is best, with rich soil and a lot of water after they germinate. Too much water rots them. Too much shade makes them spindly with small flowers. In the right spot they are 3' tall and covered with buds that dangle down as they form and slowly move upright as the sepals crack and the color begins to show through - the color pops through.

I have found some of the ripening seedpods with slits in them, perhaps done by some passerby thinking that they might come back to collect the sap. I am more interested in saving the seed. With the double pinks we simple wait until the seedpod ripens, but does not split. We cut them off and put them in a paper bag to dry a little further. Eventually, holes open under the flat, pinked edges of the top of the pod. The tiny seeds then fall out. Plastic bags are a no-no, as the pods heat up, sweat and then rot.

And believe it or not, deer do not eat these. Bunnies don't nibble up the seedlings, which are more in danger of being stepped on or cultivated.

Trying to wean off Miracle Gro? We find that fish emulsion just does not have the same punch with its lower nutrient formulation. In woody areas we run into trouble with the night prowlers that are convinced that there is a fish in the planter somewhere, and dig everything out in search of one because of the smell.

For more than 20 years, April Gonzales has been involved in garden design, installation and maintenance on the East End, as well as specimen plant scouting and site supervision for landscape architects.