Oriental Poppy

Day 232: I could have captioned this post "Throwing in the Towel," although I did eventually manage to weed all of the Oriental Poppies out of my primary flower bed. That said, I wasn't ready to eliminate them entirely. They just needed to go somewhere else to make space for plants whose appeal lingered after their flowers had faded. Y'see, Oriental Poppies have foliage rather reminiscent of thistles, at least to those not botanically inclined. They are not thorny, no, but they are rather bristly to the touch. My father enjoyed his vegetable garden enormously, and decided to extend himself into my mother's flower beds. He diligently pulled out all the "thistles" he could find, being the helpful sort, but my mother was not pleased with his efforts. So good was he at his work that he accomplished in one season what it took me years to achieve here: total eradication of Oriental Poppies in the perennial beds. Today, mine live in the Barren Wasteland, another success story from the place where few things can be successfully grown. However, I dead-head the "salt and pepper shakers" before they dry, lest I find "thistles" in places they are not welcome.