Day 271: If you've been following along for any time, you'll know that I have a fondness for black flowers: tulips, hellebore, hollyhocks, iris and so on. At my former home, I had black Shirley poppies just outside my door, but having not anticipated a move, I didn't think to gather seeds the autumn before I moved. Only this year, I found them available in a single-colour packet (as opposed to being in a mix), so of course I had to add them to the rampant chaos of the Barren Wasteland where they will be allowed to re-seed lavishly. Also known as "corn poppies," the Shirley takes its common name from the English parish where William Wilks served as vicar. An adept horticulturist, Rev. Wilks hybridized Papaver rhoeas to produce a number of varieties, largely in shades of red and pink. Work by his successors led to other colours, including picotee (bordered petals) types and my much-loved black. Shirley and Bud make a handsome couple, don't you think?
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