Saturday 15 August 2009

Ephemeral Poppies

Papaver Somniferum, Bumble Bee On Poppy
Though I love the myriad of beautiful flowers growing in our cottage garden, each year I look forward especially to the magical appearance of my beloved annual poppies. Because they are fleeting, time is of the essence. Because they are ephemeral, each moment they are in flower has to be savoured, for, all too soon, they are gone. Ephemeral, like time itself...for it, too, must never be taken for granted.
White Danebrog Poppy

Lord, I have time,
Papaver Paeoniflorum, Black Double-Flowered Peony Poppy


I have plenty of time,

Papaver Somniferum, Cherry Glow Red Poppy
All the time that you give me,

Papaver Somniferum, Lilac Cabbage Poppy, With Bumble Bee

The years of my life,

Papaver Somniferum, Deep Purple Opium Poppy

The days of my years,

Papaver Rhoeas, Angels Choir Poppy


The hours of my days.
Papaver Rhoeas, Double Corn Poppy

They are all mine.

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Pink Peony Poppy

Mine to fill, quietly, calmly,

Papaver Laciniata, Red Serrated Poppy



But to fill completely, up to the brim,
Papaver Somniferum, Red Opium Poppy

To offer them to you,

Papaver Rhoeas, Shirley Poppy

That of their insipid water

Papaver Rhoeas, Double Red Corn Poppy

You may make a rich wine

Papaver Somniferum, Red Poppy

Such as you made once
Papaver Somniferum, Pink Opium Poppies

In Cana of Galilee

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Purple Peony Poppy

I am not asking you today, Lord,
White Danebrog Poppy
For time to do this and that,

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Mixed Peony Poppy

But for your grace to do conscientiously,

Papaver Laciniata, Red Serrated Poppy

In the time that you give me,

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Mixed Peony Poppies

What you want me to do. Amen


Papaver Rhoeas, Mixed Shirley Poppies
Prayer by Michel Quoist
xxxxxxx
The first video is of my beloved annual poppies growing at Barleycorn this month.


The second video is of the summer meadow - a little paradise - growing at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh this month.



41 comments:

Jeanne said...

So lovely and beautiful
My lovely friend
Much love today and always♥
Jeanne

Anonymous said...

M m m m m , just lovely.
Thanks for the invitation to delight in your poppies.
Aren't they so wonderful.
Your pal,
Becky

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Hi Wildie! I just LOVE the white and black poppies, so unusual. I also love the cool seed heads poppies get--they extend the timeframe of interest of poppies!

Duxbury Ramblers said...

love the poppies and the prayer - they go well together.

Cheryl said...

Dear Wildlife Gardener....how very beautiful......the delight of the poppies and the powerful words of the prayer.....I am humbled, thank you for sharing. I shall give the prayer to my mother, it will comfort her in her darkest moments.....

I lovely surprise today.....a little frog getting ready to leave the pond. There are still many tadpoles in the pond, some have legs.......the frogs were very late in breeding......it has been a joy to watch them

Michelle said...

Wonderful prayer; breathtaking poppies. I never knew they came in so many colors and forms!

Sheila said...

These are lovely. I planted my first poppy this year, I don't remember it's name..!
It is a single somooth edged petal, in palest of apricot colors.
I do hope it will survive our Winter.

A wildlife gardener said...

a warm welcome to our little corner of paradise :)

* Lovely to have you pay me a visit, dear Jeanne...thank you for your kind words :)

* Great to share the poppies with you, dear Becky...come again :)

* How nice to see you, Monica...glad you like the black and white poppies and the seed-heads...see you soon :)

* Come and join me in a glass of wine, Duxbury Ramblers...and we'll wander through the poppies together :)

* I love that prayer, dear Cheryl...I'm so glad you are sharing it with your darling Mum :)

How wonderful to find the baby frogs in your pond...shows the success of the ecosystem :)

* I adore poppies, Michelle...each variety. If you are interested in growing some, Thompson and Morgan are the seed specialists :)

* I hope your poppy survives the winter too, dear Sheila...you could save some seed to plant out next year for good measure :)

sandy said...

These are gorgeous and some of these blooms I don't think I have ever seen before so we must not have them around here. Gorgeous photos.

The Wessex Reiver said...

One can never have too many poppies in my view, that double black one is fabulous, like velvet. There's a farmer up on the Mendips who has the roadside in front of the farm awash with poppies every year, and in every shade and colour, a glorious sight.

SandyCarlson said...

Your photos are utterly amazing.

A wildlife gardener said...

Good morning from a rainy and windswept Barleycorn :)

* Lovely to hear from you, Sandy...these poppies are all grown from specialist seed :)

* I have to admit the inky-black ones are favourites of mine too, Andrew...I would love to see the Mendips farmer's poppies...email me a piccie if you have one, please :)

* I thank you, dear Sandy, and return the compliment :)

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh! They are absolutely breath taking aren't they. I wish I could grow them here.We only get artists poppies growing with much success here, and Flanders poppies that I try to get going for remembrance day.

linda may said...

Hey! that anonymous comment came from me, now why did it say I was anonymous?

A wildlife gardener said...

* Welcome, Linda May...I'm so glad you came, thank you :)

I have often found that poppies grow well in poor soil, though some of mine are growing in little pots as the garden is so busy nowadays and they would get lost in the undergrowth :)

Anonymous said...

Can you believe I have no poppies in my garden? Your are lovely to behold.
Donna

Anonymous said...

These poppies are beautiful and many are new to me. I like the ones here that come up each year from seed. They are always special.

Shammickite said...

Your poppies are wonderful! I have never had much luck with poppies yet other people in my neighbourhood have them in their gardens, I must be doing something wrong. And you grow all these from seed? Amazing! You have inspired me, I'll try again next year. Any advice for a unsuccessful poppy grower?

Charm and Grace said...

I followed the link from Ruth Welter's site, and I am so happy to have found your beautiful and inspirational blog. I love poppies and especially the "Shirley Poppy". Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos with us.

Blessings,
Christi

A wildlife gardener said...

Welcome, Everyone, to our little corner of paradise :)

* Mother Nature's Garden...welcome once again :)

I can believe you have no poppies...they don't grow well in intense heat. I'm happy to share mine with you, though :)

* I love the annuals which come up unannounced too, Abe...like greeting old friends :)

* Welcome, Shammickite, and thank you for your kind words :)

Try them in little pots so that you don't dig up the seedlings thinking they are weeds...Also, mine seem to prefer poor soil with no fertilisers. I often sow mine along the paths, as they love to grow at the edges where there's more light :)

Kathleen said...

Oh my Wildlife gardener. Your poppies are better than ever this year. I remember admiring them last year, but I don't remember that spectacular black peony poppy??? I think it's my favorite although I'm partial to peony poppies in general. No wonder you look forward to this time of year. Me, not so much. It signals the garden season coming to a close which is always hard for me to bear. But your poem is right, we shouldn't take time for granted. So I'll do my best to savor the garden while I can (which includes marveling at your gorgeous photos/poppies). They are each exquisite. Thank you also for all your kind comments on my blog. You are so encouraging.

Naturegirl said...

Your poppies are stunning God's work at it's best and I loved reading the prayer...so true so appropriate!Your blog is certainly a place of respite...soothes my mind body and spirit. Thank you for inviting me to stop by tis restful place...
hugs aNNa xo

A wildlife gardener said...

* How lovely to have your company, dear Kathleen :)

The black double-flowered poppies are new this year...and the Danish ones...I like to expand my repertoire and keep up my interest :)

It's always hard to see the end of the season in the garden...but, God has made everything beautiful in its time...and we must try to find the beauty in the seed-time and the harvest, and the going-over of the year :)

Thank you for your encouraging thoughts and commments..they are much appreciated :)

* Dear Nature Girl, I am so pleased you found rest and respite here...that's what I aim for... :)

Gardens should feed the mind, body and spirit as well as the wildlife...We need to replenish our batteries, for life can be tough, the road hard and difficult...and, in times of adversity, we can find that elusive peace in a garden :)

the inadvertent farmer said...

What a beautiful post...love the words along with your poppy photos, just perfect! Kim

A wildlife gardener said...

* A warm welcome to you, Kim...lovely to make your acquaintance :)

Thank you for your gracious comments :)

Duxbury Ramblers said...

WG - we have raised our glasses of wine to you & your garden - the ramblers.

Q said...

Your Poppies are so beautiful.
I also love the ones that grow in my gardens.
Sherry

Bimbimbie said...

The colours of those poppies are eye poppingly gorgeous*!*

Tira said...

My goodness, what a beautiful show. Love the prayer,too.

A wildlife gardener said...

Welcome to you all on this blustery, but dry, August day, here at Barleycorn :)

* Dear Duxbury Ramblers...I am doubly-honoured that you should return to leave a comment for a second time on my blog-page and that you have been drinking a toast to the garden and to me..thank you...and cheers! :)

* Thank you, dear Sherry...we have poppy-mania in common :)

* Good Day, Bimbimbie...lovely to see you again. Glad you liked the poppies :)

* Welcome, Nicole...that is a compliment, thank you...coming from one whose garden is a very colourful as well as being a tropical delight :)

Barbara said...

Your garden indeed is full of beauty...wonderful poppies in all shapes and colours. I also liked very much to watch the two videos with the perfect music, "dancing" with the flowers....very calming! Thank you for this lovely post.

Sorrow said...

What a wonderful variety you have.
Is there not something so enchanting about their end of summer beauty?
paradise...
Need to see if you have posted any paintings of these beauties!

Libby said...

Sorry for the lack of visits over the summer, I knew this would be the last whole summer I would spend with my daughter, before she joined the 'Rat Race'. Which she has now done, hopefully some normality should return by September!
As always your blog is an utter pleasure to visit, the poppies are amazing!
I bought some waspcatchers which are doing exactly what they state!!!

Miranda Bell said...

Your poppies are just fabulous - I have all the large oriental ones like yourself earlier in the year but not many around now... shall have to get planting a few more for next year - just a stunning site! Have a lovely weekend Miranda

Green thumb said...

Beautiful words, dear W.G.
Thanks for reminding us through those gorgeous poppies that we need to savour every moment of life, and to thank God for the life he has given us, which though ephemeral, needs to be lived every second, every minute, every hour...
I have poppies growing - or as you rightly said - magically appearing in the garden, but this time I'll appreciate their ethereal beauty more than ever.

A wildlife gardener said...

Welcome, Everyone, to the Barleycorn garden :)

* Lovely to have your company, Barbara ...I'm so glad you liked the poppies. Choosing what I feel is appropriate music takes a fair bit of time...so, thank you for the compliment :)

* Welcome, Sorrow...great to see you again...I do have lots of poppy varieties for they appeal to me so much. I have only posted a few of my poppy paintings...not started these ones yet...maybe this autumn... :)

* I'm glad you solved your problem with uninvited wasps, Libby...and glad you have spent most time with your daughter, for family always comes first in my book too :)

* A warm welcome to you, too, Miranda...yes...we can't have too many poppies... :)

* Dear Green Thumb, lovely to see you once more...you are right, the prayer makes us stop and think about how time flies and how we have to embrace it every day of our lives... :)

Wanda said...

Good Afternoon ~~ Finally getting around to smell the roses, or in your case, every lovely flower on the face of the earth. Your garden is so amazing. Love all the pictures.

My first radiation treatment today went very well. 20 minutes in and out, and only 4 min. actually radiation. Back tomorrow....
Thanks for you love and prayers
Wanda

A wildlife gardener said...

* A warm welcome, dear Wanda...so lovely to have your company in the garden...I am with you in prayer :)

Laura Paine Carr said...

oh. what a treat! I especially love to click on your photos and experience the not-so-obvious up close! those bumblebees are amazing.

sorry for not getting over here sooner, as I have been gone for 2 weeks. and it is nice to land here for a few prolonged moments...
xoxo

A wildlife gardener said...

* How wonderful to have your company here in the Barleycorn garden, Swallowtail...love your name :)

Thank you...I love to look closely at details on plants and insects too...see you soon :)

Terra said...

The colors of these butterflies, bees, poppies and other flowers are glorious.
I too cherish wildlife of all types, even our 2 skunk visitors. Or shall I say residents, since I am sure they live in our blackberry bramble patch.