I have been watching the fat bud on the oriental poppy for some weeks.
The plant was rescued from one of the dilapidated borders towards the house, where we spotted the distinctive foliage emerging again in the spring, and dug it up just before the recent fencing work destroyed the remains of the border. Having housed it in a large pot for several weeks, I hastily thrust it back into the ground as soon as we had dug over the first few metres of our new borders; mindful of the hot dry days, its long tap root and the plump green bud that was already promising this year’s spectacle.
Wednesday morning dawned dull and damp, wind dancing through the trees and the cool air thick with drizzle; a marked contrast to the warm sunshine of the previous day. As I glanced out of the bedroom window, I saw a splash of scarlet in the garden below, announcing the arrival of this long-awaited bloom. I snatched up my camera and dashed out into the garden between showers.
Already her lowest petal was missing, no doubt torn away by the wind and rain, but even that could not mar her scarlet majesty.
Ah, I suspect this bloom may not last too long after such a wet start, but what a splendid sight she makes.
hillwards 
What a wonderful poppy — and perfect flowering, to cheer up a rainy day. It’s sunny in north Wales, but I’m shooting out to check my poppies now!
Thanks – it really lit up yesterday’s gloom. Today is sunny here too, and the poppy is shining brightly, albeit looking a little ravaged by the wind and rain!
Poppies – such a luxurious temporary beauty.
nellie
Yes, ephemeral but so striking while they last!
Sara
Worth the wait, I’d say. And it will be even better next year once it has had time to settle-in.
Yes, and hopefully by next year it will form part of a tapestry of plants, rather than stand alone in its space…
Hi Sara, how wonderful, well worth the rescue and the wait – and the anticipation of more flowers next year!
Yes, it looks very bedraggled now, but still a lovely splash of colour.
Beautiful. We have quite a few that self seed every year, unfortunately they are more salmon pink in colour and I’d much prefer scarlet but they are still very pretty. Bethx
I really love the deep red of this one, and the dark purple one that appeared last year. I have grown new plants from the seed I collected from that, but they are very small so I’m not sure they will flower this year. But indeed, even the pale pink ones are pretty x