"POPPIES! POPPIES!"
Posted on 03/08/2008 1:34:27 PM PST by BenLurkin
Out on Lancaster's west side sits the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Downtown, at the State Parks Mojave Desert Information Center, senior park aide Judy Elgin fields phone call after phone call inquiring about the reserve. "Almost every call we get this time of the year is, 'Are there poppies yet?' When I tell them there are no poppies yet, some people are really disappointed," Elgin said.
However, since Wednesday, Elgin doesn't have to disappoint callers - the reserve has its first poppy of the season.
The 1,800-acre reserve, on Lancaster Road (Avenue I) at approximately 150th Street West, might have a couple of more poppies pop up since Wednesday, but it probably will be at least several weeks before the celebrated wildflower blooms with any consistency.
Jean Scott, interpretive specialist for the Mojave Sector of State Parks , walked some of the trails at the reserve Wednesday morning, looking for poppy plants.
"Some of the poppy plants are big enough to be identifiable, but none are almost regular size," Scott said, cupping a young poppy plant with her hands. "I think there's the beginning of a bud."
"We have red stem filaree blooming on the side of our walks and a poppy bud has been seen by one of our researchers, but it will be a while before we start seeing poppies."
Overlooking the first poppy at the reserve would have been easy. The stem was only a couple of inches high and wind gusts bent the young flower almost sideways. The flower was just off the exit road beyond the park's kiosk.
"I hope it's a sign of a good bloom that's coming," Scott said after she learned of the sighting.
Elgin said she hopes to pass on poppy updates to enthusiasts who phone the information center.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
I think our statewide burn ban remains in effect throughout this month.
I have a horseshoe driveway that goes around the house.......one side is dry, the other is still muddy and behind the house it is still a mucky swamp.
Thanks for the ping gabz.
gardengirl, you have freepmail.Took me all day, but I did finally answer it (it was BUSY here this weekend).
I feel much better today, the sun is shining, it’s in the 60s.
I’ve never tried to raise poppies, but I love them.
Wonder if they’d grow in northeastern TN?
Thanks for the reply! I saw it but I’m at work—ha, ha. Glad you feel better. That stuff has really kicked our butts this winter. If not the bronchial stuff, the throwing up, etc flu.
weather is about the same here and I’m stuck in the office doing paperwork. Sigh.
Don’t know if poppies will do in Tenn. or not. We were in southern Ohio. They may be like lilacs—need a certain amount of cold to bloom. Have you seen the blue one?! I want one, but I’m not even going to try it.
Isn’t that absolutely amazing? I had the luck to be in the Anza-Borrego State Park (Desert, inland from San Diego, CA) one February when EVERYTHING was in bloom. It blew this little Farm Gal’s mind, LOL!
There was so much color and so many hummingbirds you could swat them like mosquitoes. (Of course we didn’t!)
Gabz! You have GOT to start growing violets. They make awesome jelly. I have a whole lawn full of wild ones. :)
No Poppies here, yet. I have a few of the Oriental types in red and peach, and I’ve been “seeding” the meadow with the standard orange California Poppies, (you know...that meadow that doesn’t belong to me?)...with poppies and all manner of stuff for years.
I’ve only gotten a few poppies to thrive; too much competition from the other floral and fauna. ‘The Meadow’ needs a good burn, but I’m not going to go THAT far, LOL!
Looking forward to Spring and Dandelions, believe it or not. I’m down to my last few sips of Dandelion Wine, and my last two bottles of Rose Petal Liquor. I plan on scarfing up as many rose petals from work as I can to make more. (We don’t spray them once they get to us. They come to us in bud, so no problem, re: chemicals.)
I need to get bizzy! (Like I won’t be putting in 60 hour weeks starting tomorrow. Grrrrr!)
Those things grow all over around my place.
Wish they’d stay the he!! in CA.
How do you make jelly out of violets? Violets rank right up there with dandelions and clover—half the world is trying to eradicate them and the other half is busy blowing dandelion fluff!
I’m looking at the same 60 hour + right here shortly—if not this week, then next. We hit that spot every year when the green house is full to bursting, then the weather changes overnight and we get wiped out. Then people wonder why our plants are gone/too small, as if we can jsut wiggle our noses and produce more. Sigh.
Here’s a laugh for you guys—Gentleman came in the other day, wanted a pound and a half of potato seed. I grabbed a couple seed potatoes, put them in a sack, weighed them, showed him and asked—is this enough? He looks at me, dead serious, and says—no, I want potato seeds. One of the old farmer/loafers was sitting by the woodstove and I thot he was going to roll. We both managed to keep a straight face until the guy left—with the potatoes.
All the farmer said was—he hasn’t got a clue.
I have been to Anza-Borrego too, but it was many years ago. I live in the desert at the foot of the highest mountains in the lower 48 and love the contrast of beautiful wildflowers against the stark background of the rugged desert terrian.
I can top that...though I know exactly what you mean, LOL!
Try keeping orders straight for dozens of crates of onions, when EVERY customer’s name is “Vang,” most with the same first name too, LOL!
Yep. It’s just starting for me; end of April, when I open up the yard, is going to be nuts this season. I have three new workers to train today. I’ll be Mother Duck with her babes following her around all day.
I take it you have a large Vietnamese (?) population? Too funny! Must be like Smith or Jones. My dad’s name is Ed Smith. Do you have any idea how many Ed Smith’s there are? LOL
Quack, quack, waddle, waddle. Have fun!
Wow! Beautiful! It would take me ten years to pick that many violets! They just don’t like eastern NC.
The Wood Violet is our Wisconsin State Flower. We are blessed to have them all over the place in Spring.
They’re nice to “candy” too. You take egg white, brush it on the (picked) flowers, then dip them in superfine sugar. They’re edible, and look so cute on top of a pastel cupcake as a Spring treat.
I eat a lot of things right off my lawn; dandelion greens wilted in olive oil and garlic (& dandelion wine) purslane, violets, etc. Obviously I don’t treat my lawn with any chemicals, but then I don’t have any neighbors to compete with for “Most Sterile Lawn.” *Rolleyes*
That jelly looks absolutely beautiful ... such a gorgeous color. Maybe someday I’ll learn to can. My mom used to do it, but I never learned. I should ask some time.
I sampled some nasturtiums from my yard last year, as they’re edible, and they were okay. Maybe they could have used a sugar coating though.
Last summer, I made myself cups of herbal hot tea, using borage, mint, or lavender. My favorite is lavender. It is SO relaxing, just before bedtime. I’m surprised I don’t see lavender tea/pills marketed as a sleep aid, at least not in local stores. I have seen the tea online though.
I sowed some pink peony poppy seeds in a container outside, and just today noticed some teeny tiny sprouts :)
"POPPIES! POPPIES!"
Have a friend who used to cater—she did a beautiful wheel of cheese—brie, maybe?—with layers of glaze. Inbetween layers, she’d put pansies, herbs, etc. Stunning.
Dandelions are too bitter for me. Shudder. The only bitterish thing I like is dark chocolate! My grandma used to have a recipe for dandlion wine. Is it really wine or is it more of a tonic?
I don’t have to worry about chemicals—just dogs. i’ve got 3 rat terrorists.
I’m jealous!
“Maybe they could have used a sugar coating though.”
I find that they have a nice “peppery” taste, so I go “savory” with them. I like them in salads (the leaves, too!) and I like to remove the stamen from the blossom and stuff them with a cream cheese and herb mixture. Yummy!
Another fun thing to do is to get boring old Triscuit crackers, top them with an herbed cream cheese, then chop up a variety of edible flowers (nasturtium, rose petals, violets, calendula, fresh parsley or blossoms from peas) and top the crackers with that.
I had a “Garden Tea Party” for my 40th birthday. All of my female friends and relatives came over and I served a High Tea right in the garden and everything we ate was straight out of the garden. My Mom is a Costume Mistress, so she brought a box of fancy hats and long white gloves and goofy purses and we played “dress up” while we had our tea.
It was a bit of work, but so much fun...my friends can hardly wait the next three years until I’m 50 for a repeat performance. :)
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