Poppies and Columbines

Oh the poppies are so hot and sexy, ruffling their red frills out those hard little pods. Then they open and go blowsy but the pods swell out for another round of interest. The big oriental poppies are hard to beat. Still, I look forward to the lavender ones that reseed themselves, too (shh don't tell but the annuals are likely somniferum, as are peony-flowered and other highly ornamental types). Did anyone plant Iceland poppies--wiry little perennials with a less-tamed purity? I scattered some California poppy seeds that I collected from a roadside in Seattle, but don't know if they'll perform.


Columbines
These are Marianne's favorite flower. They are floral birds. Columbine means doves, while the Latin name--Aquilegia-alludes to flights of eagles. In New England and the Maritimes, they come in shades of white, blue and pink. The Rocky mountain native flower is red and yellow. Giant McKana is my favorite to grow from seed, with mixed colors often two to a flower. There are also double varieties that look like old fashioned ruffs. Columbines seed freely and I plan to get seedlings out of Marianne's bed this fall, with her permission, to set in the shade garden for next spring!