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Where have all the poppies gone?

SaligoBay

By SaligoBay,
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SaligoBay Newbie

SaligoBay

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It used to be such a joy to see all those fields red with poppies.

Now there are none!   I haven't seen a single ONE this year.

So much new building going on everywhere, lotissements, big new roads, entire new road systems in fact.  Vineyards being ripped up all over the place.

France is changing in front of my eyes.  I want the poppies back!

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Coco Newbie

Coco

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Aren't you a bit early SB, or is it that much warmer down there?  We don't normally get poppies in Normandy til about June.  I wouldn't have thought all that building work would have made them disappear (unless it's already totally concreted over) cos that usually encourages poppy growth.  We have a new motorway round here and last summer there were masses and masses - poppies like to grow in roughly turned over soil - hence the fact that there were so many growing on the battlefields of the Somme and you get them on building sites and at the sides of new roads.
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zeb Newbie

zeb

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I love the countryside here; the verges, hedgerows and setaside fields at the moment are carpeted with cowslips, lung wort, blue bells, and lots of low growing white flowering plants and then in May, the poppies, wild orchids and margeritas etc take over if the eleage or hay makers don't cut them all down.

Still haven't tired of it after 4 years and much prettier than Barnet!
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TWINKLE Newbie

TWINKLE

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[quote user="Harley"]I noticed the lack of poppies too.  Can you buy wild Poppy seed anywhere?  I would love to start some off in the garden ( meadow area).  Poppies amongst the ripening corn.............beautiful sight![:)][/quote]

My mother-in-law has loads growing all around her house.  She gathered some at the road side a couple of years ago and waited for them to go to seed then planted these.

There are loads on the road side and along the ditches here in the south west at the moment, but the fields won't be filled until late May early June.
My daughter and I have a game of spotting the first 'coquelicot' (poppy) this year it was April 10th.

We do the same for sunflowers - now that's something to look forward to! [:)]

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Coco Newbie

Coco

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[quote user="Harley"]I noticed the lack of poppies too.  Can you buy wild Poppy seed anywhere?  I would love to start some off in the garden ( meadow area).  Poppies amongst the ripening corn.............beautiful sight![:)][/quote]

Now Harley, I know you're in Normandy, so it's way too early for them around here - at least another month.

We've got miwwions of poppy seeds in two old film roll cannister that we brought from the UK - keep forgetting to throw them round the garden every year.  I suppose after 4 years they'll still be OK?  Anybody want to make a serious bid for them?  Shall we start at say 200 euros?  You did all say you were really missing them [;-)]

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Will Newbie

Will

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I noticed at another France forum somebody was askng why there are so many pissenlit (or dandelions as they said, it is a forum for English speakers after all). I wonder if there is a connection? [:D]

Strangely, we don't get hardly any poppies at all where we are, but you only have to go to the next dept (about 8km) and there are loads. Still a bit early though.

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TWINKLE Newbie

TWINKLE

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I was half listening to a radio programme the other day and a bloke was on saying that loads of dandilions is a great indicator of a healthy garden.  Don't ask me why - it's a bit like the butterfly thing, lots of different varieties means that the environment is doing ok.

St Amour - don't sell them.  Keep them for next year and me and the other girls on the forum who are up for it could come round your place and help you scatter them.  We could do it at midnight and make a real ceromony out of it.  I can see us all now dressed in white floaty dresses with flowers in our hair.  We'll have loads of wine[:)]

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Missy Newbie

Missy

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My parents have red poppies in their garden growing wild around about june time. They came up to Wales on one of their holiday to see their grandchildren, they brought over some seeds for me to scatter in my garden.  Since in Wales we have a yellow variety growing wild all over about june time too I collect seeds for them to take back to their garden....

These red poppy seeds started as a dull red on the first year in Wales, as the years went on become a lovely kind of blush peachy colour and now are yellow! whilst in France the yellow poppy seeds have become sort of orangey colour. Must be the stone/soil in which they grow and the climate. Very limestone, dry condition in 79 whilst very slatey and wet in Wales....

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Harley Newbie

Harley

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[quote user="St Amour"]

[quote user="Harley"]I noticed the lack of poppies too.  Can you buy wild Poppy seed anywhere?  I would love to start some off in the garden ( meadow area).  Poppies amongst the ripening corn.............beautiful sight![:)][/quote]

Now Harley, I know you're in Normandy, so it's way too early for them around here - at least another month.

We've got miwwions of poppy seeds in two old film roll cannister that we brought from the UK - keep forgetting to throw them round the garden every year.  I suppose after 4 years they'll still be OK?  Anybody want to make a serious bid for them?  Shall we start at say 200 euros?  You did all say you were really missing them [;-)]

[/quote]

Sorry, meant to say that I noticed the lack of them last year (summer) - but didn't like to brag[;-)]

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hastobe Newbie

hastobe

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There are lots of different types of poppies (annuals, bienniels, and

perennials) - the welsh poppies are bienniels (I think) whereas the

common corn poppy (Papaver commutatum) is a hardy annual.

If you want to buy the wild poppy seed there is a variety called

'Flanders' sold by Thompson and Morgan and 5% of proceeds goes to the

British Legion (http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6553/1)

- not sure if there is one that donates to the equivalent French

organisation.

Hastobe

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Harley Newbie

Harley

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[quote user="TWINKLE"]

I was half listening to a radio programme the other day and a bloke was on saying that loads of dandilions is a great indicator of a healthy garden.  Don't ask me why - it's a bit like the butterfly thing, lots of different varieties means that the environment is doing ok.

St Amour - don't sell them.  Keep them for next year and me and the other girls on the forum who are up for it could come round your place and help you scatter them.  We could do it at midnight and make a real ceromony out of it.  I can see us all now dressed in white floaty dresses with flowers in our hair.  We'll have loads of wine[:)]

[/quote]

Dancing round the fire, chanting.  Don't the ones in white dresses end up offered in sacrifice?  They do on the telly.  Don't fancy that bit much! - Should get us a paragraph in Le Manche Libre though, don't you think![:P]

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TWINKLE Newbie

TWINKLE

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You're right Harley, there aren't as many as there were a few years back.  I will pick the local farmers brains as to why?  Wouldn't be suprised if it was due to overwatering, poppies prefer poor, drained soil. 

There!  I'm going all Charley Dimmock again.....Trescos fault!

Enjoy my dear

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Dick Smith Newbie

Dick Smith

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Argh, Bill, you got there before me.

Performed by Peter, Paul and Mary (who is apparently very ill).

Still lots of poppies in Flanders Fields at the right time of the year. I like the idea of seeding them everywhere, they are such a cheerful flower. Especially for the Taleban.

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hastobe Newbie

hastobe

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[quote user="TWINKLE"]

Wouldn't be suprised if it was due to overwatering, poppies prefer poor, drained soil. 

[/quote]

Its a combination of things, over cultivation, over grazing, use of

selective weedkillers, cleaning of seeds...  the 'normal'

consequences of modern intensive faming methods.  It really sad -

there is nothing prettier than a meadow of wild poppies, corn cockles

etc

Hastobe

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Richard-R Newbie

Richard-R

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I'm a big fan of random acts of planting non local and non invasive plants. We have scatterd poppy seeds in our locale. Plus a great many South American and African plant seeds. There is even an Avocado Tree doing very well the we planted near our river.

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Scarlett Newbie

Scarlett

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[quote user="hastobe"]If you want to buy the wild poppy seed there is a variety called 'Flanders' sold by Thompson and Morgan and 5% of proceeds goes to the British Legion (http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/6553/1) - not sure if there is one that donates to the equivalent French organisation.

Hastobe
[/quote]

Probably not because they use the cornflower as their symbol of remembrance rather than the poppy.

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