My Poppy Patch - Memorial Day

In 1971 the Federal Government designated the last Monday in May as Memorial Day, also called Decoration Day or Poppy Day. I remember celebrating Memorial Day years before this national designation, in my small hometown in South Dakota. There was an annual gathering in the city hall where taps were played and many veterans attended in uniform. I seem to recall that our high school band was asked to play.

Poppies have long been an international symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers. The well known poem "In Flanders Fields" was written by the Canadian physician Lt. Colonel John McCrae on May 3, 1915 after he witnessed the death of his friend. The blood-red color of the poppies, springing up in the field of the fallen dead in Flanders was the inspiration for the poppy reference in the famous poem which in turn was the inspiration for the poppy becoming the symbolic flower for remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

The web provides very interesting data on the history of the remembrance days in the US, UK, New Zealand and other countries that commemorate World War dead, and on the symbolism of the red and the white poppy. This would be a good day for everyone to do a little research, or at least a little remembering.

I am including pictures from this year's poppy patch in my yard. These bright orange/red poppies are a different cultivar (a fancy name for cultivated variety) than the red poppies growing in Flanders, France. These poppies are also not the same cultivar that is used for making opium! A few were growing around a fence post when we moved here nearly 20 years ago. When we removed the fence I moved 1 or 2 poppy plants and have "cultivated" them a bit over the last ten years or so. The ivy from which they now emerge masks the leaves and stems as they turn brown and "die back," overcome by summer heat. I love the juxtaposition with the variegated hostas, and yes, Marissa, the poppies do "pop" out of their green garden bed. Poppies and popcorn can pop, but nothing else, not even pillows or any other words starting with p. I am pleased with my Papaver patch this year but many of the plants are still puny and will probably produce more prolifically in the future, if I continue to profusely water them in this place.

As I am enjoying the bright color of the poppies against their green mat, I always think of the fields of opium poppies growing in Afghanistan, a factor in the struggle American troops face there, and I think of the artificial poppies that were sold on the street corners to raise money and to be worn as a display of honor and respect for those who have given their lives to keep us safe. The celebratory traditions of remembrance on Memorial Day are long gone from my experience. We just have a family reunion at the park, eat fried chicken and watermelon and play ball.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Some Single Spring Specimens

It has been so hot this week that it feels like the dog days of summer are here.The spring flowers are fading fast and the weeds are growing like grass. Parts of town had a midweek deluge that drowned the new plantings and made all things green and tall. It is still May but it seems like all the good blooming must be almost over. I may stop taking pictures and find a lake to jump into.

Last week I dog-sat Lilly (almost a flower), and I felt a lot like Lilly looks in this picture! I used to think that the dog days had something to do with dog behavior in the heat, which I have learned, has nothing to do with the expression.

I have a few more shots to share before I jump into the lake. Here's a yellow flag iris that is keeping its feet cool in the pond:

And of course, the peonies were blooming last week, everything still a little ahead of schedule. If you look closely, the peony only looks this fresh because it just got out of the shower.

Baptisia
looking cool
and white
against a
backdrop of
Ninebark 'Diablo'

And here is a leaf big enough to be a dog's Sun Setter awning, the butterbur:

Not labeled: Lupine, Allium

Dog Days: Dog Days is #5 on Merriam Webster onLine Top Ten Lists / Top Ten Words for Summer. Click here to view.

Rhodies

These rhododendron photos were all taken at client P's house one day. He has many gorgeous rhododendron shrubs and takes care of them personally, barely letting me touch them. The bright pink one is similar to the shrubs at my house, although the color is really not quite that bright--they open up a little more muted. They are a large leaf Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans' which is a very popular choice for this area, and is particularly pleasing to me because of its nice name and because it matches the trim on my house, believe it or not! The last picture is actually an azalea, all in the rhody family, and such an unusual color bloom.

Frost Damage, Asparagus & Mom's Bum Leg

Frost-damaged hydrangea

We are now safely past the last frost date for the area according to the experts. The frost on Mother's Day (May 9) and again on May 10 nipped some vulnerable plants in the bud. No damage was done to any of the properties that I am involved with except for a few things at my church. Frozen looks more like fried after a few days. I was asked by Frank to trim the brown off this red maple. I hardly knew where to begin:

The Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' and the new green tips of the yews, above, were also browned. Anyone who tried to fool with the calendar and set their tomatoes or annuals out early will have to start over. Newly emerged leaves will quickly be replaced by new ones, although the newspaper suggests that Christmas tree growers in the area may have lost a year's growth. Hosta, ferns, iris and ASPARAGUS all were vulnerable.

I wondered why the asparagus that was featured at the local supermarket Friday was imported from Peru. Perhaps local supplies were compromised. Damage from the  loss of asparagus, strawberries and fruit trees in the area are still being assessed according to the local paper.

I had recently been reading some blogs of those involved with a new movement that supports eating local--the locavores. Some who are really into the concept apparently take it to irrational extremes--like spending excessively on gas (50 to 100 miles is the usual range of local), wasting that resource, or getting upset that they cannot be totally local (loco?) because salt is not available!

And yet, I was somewhat sensitized to the issue and was annoyed with having to purchase Peruvian asparagus at this time of the year. It seemed like a long way to travel for a vegetable that should be growing all over Michigan.

Asparagus and snow peas were perhaps perceived to be even more desirable in my years on the farm because they were seasonal, and not available as imports from Peru in the South Dakota grocery stores of the 50's. For a few weeks each spring I would hunt for the asparagus in the weeds and long grass that was starting to grow in June at the back of a long-standing grove of trees on our property. Some asparagus grew in the roadside ditches, but I don't recall that we ever gathered any growing "wild." Snapping off and gathering the asparagus spears was one of my jobs, probably because my mother had difficulty walking due to what she called a "bum" leg. She was kept in her hospital bed too long (a week?) with her first child, born in 1937, developing large blood clots which were painful and impeded her movement. I remember her expressing to me how much she regretted not being able to play ball with me--she could not move quickly and could certainly not run. And it was not just because she was overweight, although she was. In her teens she also had one leg severely gashed by a buggy, as in "horse and buggy" and also developed phlebitis in her 60's, so she had multiple leg issues in her lifetime.

I loved playing in the "forest" where that asparagus grew. There was a dilapidated shed (a tipped over old outhouse) back there that made a wonderful playhouse, one of many that I developed over the years. I would be gone for hours, as most kids were in the 50's, walking or biking for miles without a cell phone or any thoughts about safety. Now I think I have to carry my phone with me at all times. I try to wear cargo pants with pockets so that I can "carry" even when I'm on my knees, digging in the dirt.

Two of the vegetable gardens that I have helped with this year (and expect to taste the rewards of) are growing edible pod peas that did not freeze since the April planting and are well on their way to harvest. Over a week ago they were already knee-high:

Snow Peas 5-13-10

Word of the Day: locavore. Look it up! New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year, 2007.

Comments of the Day:
I will never be a serious locavore, not because of the SALT as you might guess if you are reading my other blog, but because of coffee--unless I decide to move to Bogota, the birth place of my son-in-law Gustavo, and the capital of the country which exports the only coffee I prefer to drink.

I recycle the coffee grounds by scattering them in the hosta patches to deter (eliminate?) slugs--supposedly the caffeine effect. I have no scientific verification of the efficacy of this practice.

Allium

One bulb that seems to be gaining in popularity and is sticking up its spiky head all over town is the allium, or ornamental onion, in all its various manifestations. Some of the small bulbs have no important names at all, but the ones that I know and love include the big 'Globemaster' which is a spectacular performer; also the white 'Mount Everest' which is smaller and not as impressive; the 'Schubertii' and the 'Christophii' are also nice. (Pronounce the double i like EI EI in the Farmer in the Dell). The 'Schubertii' is very spiky, with a fireworks appearance. The allium at my church, pictured below are in their fourth season, and are increasing exponentially. One flower the first year, 3 the next and now almost too many to count, from three original bulbs in this location.

                                Allium 'Globemaster' Buds                 

                     

          

Chives - Aunt V's herb garden

The garden chives we snip are all in the family. The allium family includes onion and garlic and chives as well as the ornamental varieties we tuck into the perennial garden for a little drama.

 Allium 'Christophii' in the "dog" garden

I have some 'Hair' allium that are more funky than attractive. I will add that picture soon. I would recommend them for a children's garden. More pictures to come . . . . .

Photo taken 5/28/10:

Allium 'Schubertii' at Aunt V


 Photo taken 7-1-10:

Drumstick Allium at church with bees

(Allium sphaerocephalon or round-headed garlic)

After The Rain

 

It rained and rained yesterday. Later in the afternoon things finally began to clear. I took most of these photos while the leaves were still clinging to the fresh droplets, trying to capture  a little freshness. Above, rhubarb and mushrooms, for a little funkiness. Below, two dogs who had been couped up all day and kept getting in my pictures, for a little friskiness.

Charlie strikes a pose.

Not to be ignored, Ana wants to be in the picture too.

I just love  copper beech leaves--these from this mature tree:

The birds unfortunately quickly harvest the berries from this tree (amelanchier, juneberry, serviceberry, shadblow, or whatever) when they are ready so its best to get a photo now, before the peckin' begins.

Lady's Mantle -Alchemilla Mollis

The leaves of Lady's Mantle hold the rain droplets in a very interesting way. If you are interested in more information on this feature and the meaning of the names of this plant see below.

Centaurea Montana Blue (Mountain Bluet) is a perennial cornflower-like plant that reseeds rather aggressively. It is the only thing in full bloom in this large garden right now and will have to be reduced a bit after flowering. Notice the fly enjoying a bit of sunlight after all the rain.

Guess who--getting ready for Sunday?

Alchemilla mollis or Lady's-mantle is also known as dewcup, alluding to the way raindrops and dew are captured by the soft hairs on its pleated leaves and the way water collects at the bottom of the leaf cups. The name alchemilla derives from the Arabic word for alchemy, "little magical one." Medieval alchemists used the water from this plant for their purposes, believing the droplets to have mystical properties. It was considered to be the purest form of water--celestial water. Also, the leaves of this herbal plant were purported to have healing properties, chiefly used for gynecological purposes, considered powerful enough by some to restore lost virginity! Lady's mantle refers to the scalloped edges of the leaf lobes, which were thought to resemble the mantle of the Virgin Mary. One source said that the drops that collect in the leaf cups are actually excreted by the plant in the early morning.

More May Flowers

The last of my tulips, sadly, blooming the first week of May--very tall with all the rain. In the background, some camassia quamash, now past prime and fading fast.

 

An azalea on my street in an amazing color

I have two azaleas in this color.

Horse Chestnut blooms  

Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)

Shoots and Leaves

'Bloodgood' Red Maple

These photos were taken in bright sun looking up from under the canopy. The new leaves in spring are perhaps even more stunning than in the fall. Notice the red of the seed pods.

Weeping Copper Beech:

New growth on Pieris Japonica: