Wednesday while planting at Willowdale in the on-again off-again rain, the luminesce orange of the crinkly tissue paper-like poppy petals kept catching my eye. They seemed especially incandescent juxtaposed against the drizzly gray light. I don’t really mind planting in the rain for a few hours and actually much prefer it to the heat of planting at mid-day on warm sunny days. The only thing with planting in the rain is that on long, non-stop nine- to ten-hour planting days, I get very chilled, which leads to a tired muddy mess that arrives home to my husband, who has actually been looking forward to my coming home. “Please don’t talk to me,” I say when first arriving but, after a solid half hour soak in a steamy tub, I cheer up and am ready to converse and get dinner underway.
Look at all these buds yet to come!
We planted this urn back on May 1st, and it has filled out handsomely. The sweet peas are climbing up the pussy willow basket handles and their fragrance, along with the scent of the dianthus, Viola ‘Etain’ and sweet alyssum is really very enchanting. From one initial bud to dozens still yet to come, going on six weeks now this little poppy plant just keeps on bestowing her gift of great beauty!
May First May Basket
Good Morning Gloucester 
Kim, absolutely exquisite, thank you . May I mail the basket to my friends in Ireland, as a salute to Summer in Gloucester ? In Picardie, the fields shine with red poppies, but these orange ones are indeed brilliant, so lovely !
LikeLike
Please feel free to do that Solange and thank you for the kind words.
The beautiful red fields of poppies in Ireland are native to Europe (Papaver rhoeas) and it has many common names such as corn poppies, corn rose, Flanders poppies. What did you call it in Ireland I am curious? The poppy in the above photo is the Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule) and is not native to Iceland but to North America, Europe, and Asia.
LikeLike
Hi, Kim – I would love to forward this to friends here in Houston. Our flowering time is almost over – We had a great Spring, the gardens were exceptionally beautiful (because of our cold winter and spring), but there time is almost up. What are the small white flowers in the front of you May basket? Thank you for posting.
LikeLike
Hi Neale,
Spring in Houston must be gorgeous, especially after a cold winter and spring! The flowers are Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) and typically will bloom all summer long in our climate, although in Houston, it may be challenging as alyssum is resistant to heat and drought. Thank you for writing!
LikeLike
Beautiful basket! Yearly, the city of Annapolis holds a May day basket contest. Participants are the downtown businesses and neighborhoods. The imagination and color are sights to behold. Yes to your basket and the poppies taking us to spring ~
LikeLike
Thanks Mary–what a great idea for our downtown–thanks for sharing!!
LikeLike
Google “Annapolis, Md May Baskets” for photos and stories. Flowers and flags are hung on the lamp posts for July fourth as well.
LikeLike
Awesome! our neighbors have Beautiful red poppies. I might have to go swipe a few 🙂
LikeLike
They multiply Paul–so maybe they will Give you a clump! 🙂
LikeLike
Kim – you did a great job here and so beautiful thanks I needed this for sure:-) Dave & Kim:-) Ye green thumb! 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks so much Dave.
LikeLike