Sunday 22 May 2011: Papaver Orientale

A blustery day but after the morning rain cleared it was fine enough to spend some time out in the garden doing a spot of weeding and planting 40 out of the 60 bedding plants I purchased yesterday.

Papaver orientale (Oriental poppy) is a perennial flowering plant native to the Caucasus, northeastern Turkey, and northern Iran, not the Orient as the name implies.

Oriental poppies throw up a mound of finely cut, hairy foliage in spring. After flowering the foliage dies away entirely, a property that allows their survival in the summer drought of Central Asia. But also means you can end up with big gaps in the garden if you don't think ahead Late-developing plants can be placed nearby to fill the developing gap. Fresh leaves appear with autumn rains.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Poppy in this picture - it's gorgeous to look at but a bit of a bugger pain to photograph. It is, in fact, bright red but due to the sun I guess, and my lack of skill it always blows up yellow on the edges!

So a nice day in the garden was had, and a roast pig dinner with strawbs and ice cream for afters. Not a bad day all told. Remind me of that tomorrow when I am moaning about work and the weather :)

• COOLPIX S3000:
• f/3.5:
• 1/125":
• 5.8mm:
• ISO 80

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