Shirley Poppies
February 21, 2012
Last night we had freezing rain. Today it is to be a mixture of rain, then snow, then back to rain, then sleet. Did I say I was a ‘Winter person’? I am. I am until around and about February 21st.
My pride and joy, sweeping across the bank at the front of our yard is my perennial garden. When we moved in, there was nothing there except dirt, and I had the pleasure of putting in whatever the heck I pleased. The conventional wisdom is that one should select several favourites and then plant them in ‘drifts’ of five or more to create the greatest visual impact.
That’s fine for those who have several favourites. My problem is that I LOVE THEM ALLLLLLLL. When I’m at a garden centre there’s no stopping me. So forget the idea of planting in ‘drifts’–I have one each of everything that grows on earth. And inbetween are clouds of Baby’s Breath and my favourite annual, Shirley Poppies.
They are as much fun to paint as they are to grow. This little watercolour was admitted into one of The Federation of Canadian Artists’ Autumn Shows and titled, “Lest We Forget”. In Canada, as in Great Britain and other countries of The Commonwealth, the Poppy is a symbol of Remembrance. It was bought during the show by a Canadian U. N. Peacekeeper.
