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These four portraits will give some idea of the range of flower forms in the Annual Poppies. There is real diversity in color, too. In order from left: Peony-flowered, white; Carnation-flowered; 



Ranunculus-flowered; Single, fringed 



Poppies for Everyman's Garden 



G. W. KERR 



Gorgeous in Barbaric Brilliancy of Color and Silk-like in Texture, a Group of Wonderful Plants That Can Give Flowers at 



Almost Any Time of Year. Easy to Grow Too 



IN VARIETY of form and color the Poppies 

 (and especially when we add their many 

 allies) would almost complete a garden of 

 themselves, and we may have Poppies of 

 one kind or another in bloom from May until 

 frost. Thus the Alpine Poppy (Papaver al- 

 pinum) in flower during May also the Iceland 

 Poppy (P. nudicaule), closely followed by the 

 brilliant oriental Poppies (P. orient- 

 ale), then Papaver rhoeas, the most 

 popular and beautiful form of which 

 is the Shirley Poppy, and so on 

 throughout summer and early fall we 

 may always have Poppies in bloom. 



' I A HE Poppies proper may be 

 ■■■ roughly divided into four garden 

 sections, these being Papaver som- 

 niferum, the Opium Poppy; Pap- 

 aver rhoeas, the Corn Poppy; 

 Papaver nudicaule, the Iceland 

 Poppy; and Papaver orientale, the 

 Oriental Poppy. The Opium Poppy 

 is easily distinguished by its suc- 

 culent, glaucous green foliage, the 

 plants averaging from i\ to 3 feet 

 in height. In this section there are 

 now a large number of distinct 

 varieties both single and double 

 flowered. Among the latter are the 

 immense double fringed flowers of 

 the Carnation-flowered Poppy; the 

 Peony-flowered Poppy with large, 

 heavy, extremely double flowers 

 which average 4 to 5 inches in 

 diameter. AH are exceedingly hand- 

 some and showy, and splendid color 



schemes can be carried out by planting them 

 in separate colors. 



"T*HE best of the double forms of the Opium 



-*- Poppy are Snowdrift, pure white; Cardinal, 



scarlet; Shrimp Pink, delicate rosy-pink; Fairy 



Blush, white tipped with rose; White Swan, 



Fire King, and Mikado; and in the single-flowered. 



The stately Opium Poppy used for mass effect in shrubbery. 



in foreground 



Clump of Field or Shirley Poppy 



varieties, Virginia, immense fringed white with 

 rose colored edges; Danebrog or Danish Cross, 

 brilliant scarlet with white blotch on each petal. 



PHE most popular of the annual Poppies is 

 -*■ the selection from Papaver rhoeas, the 

 scarlet field Poppy of Great Britain, known as 

 the Shirley Poppy. It was evolved after several 

 years of careful and painstaking 

 selection from the wild form by the 

 Rev. W. Wilks, Secretary of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society of Great 

 Britain, and is easily distinguished 

 by its rather hairy and much cut 

 leaves, these being smaller and lack- 

 ing the glaucous color of the Opium 

 Poppy. The flowers are exceedingly 

 dainty in their coloring, ranging from 

 pure white, cream, salmon, through 

 all gradations of pink to scarlet and 

 crimson. The true type lacks the 

 obnoxious black blotch which is 

 found at the base of the petals of ' 

 its parent Papaver rhoeas. 



In jhis family we have also the 

 Ranunculus-flowered Poppy, but it 

 lacks the beauty of the Shirley. Do 

 not omit to make several sowings of 

 Shirley Poppy throughout the season, 

 say from early spring until July, and 

 again in the fall for next year's early 

 flowers. 



1V/FOST dainty for decorative work 

 ■*•'■*• is the Iceland Poppy. A table 

 decoration composed of the three 

 colors (red-orange, yellow, and 









For barbaric 

 splendor the 

 Oriental Poppy 

 indeed has few 

 rivals. Effect- 

 ive when used 

 in mass against 

 a green back- 

 ground 



„ 

 <\\<-^. 



Quite dainty is 

 the little fragile 

 looking Alpine 

 Poppy nestled 

 amongtherocks. 

 Photographed 

 on the Higgin- 

 son estate, 

 Manchester, 

 Mass. 











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161 



