One way to commemorate Memorial Day on May 29 this year is to plant poppies, or to wear a poppy on your lapel, in remembrance of those who have served in the military or fallen in war.
We’re not talking about papever somniferum, which is the source of narcotics like opium and morphine. (Remember that sleep scene in the Wizard of Oz). Instead, the poppies to have in mind are either papaver orientale or papaver rhoeas, like the flowers planted in front of the Town Clock in Pine Plains.
The papaver rhoeas are also called Flanders poppies. Both papaver rhoeas and papaver orientale are hardy in our climate zone 5, and their bloom time is theoretically between April and June, although in zone 5 peak blooms may be towards the end of May and the beginning of June. The Oriental poppy doesn’t like to be transplanted, so make sure you either direct sow seeds or buy small plugs.
The seeds prefer a period of exposure to cold before germination. Some Pine Plains Garden Club members sprinkle the seeds on top of a late snowfall. I haven’t tried this method, but will attempt it next winter. In springtime, sprinkle the seeds on top of your prepared soil and gently press the seeds into the soil. You can also start them inside in biodegradable CowPots, but you’ll need a very sunny window sill and maybe even a heated mat. CowPots are made with composted manure so you can plant them directly into the soil. Remember, poppies don’t like to be disturbed, so the CowPots are an easy solution.
Once planted, you may need to thin the seedlings so you have one strong seedling every 3 to 8 inches. To encourage a lengthy display of flowers, deadhead poppies by removing the spent blooms. Or you may prefer instead to let the seed pods dry on the stems. You’ll want to plant your poppies alongside other spring-blooming flowers like larkspur, bachelor buttons and snap dragons. The Garden Club uses poppies in the Memorial Day sprays we create for the American Legion ceremonies.
Flanders poppies are a common plant found across most of Europe, including Belgium’s Flemish region, which gave the poppies their name. Poppies became an enduring symbol of remembrance after World War I and the sudden blossoming of the flowers in Flanders Fields, where many soldiers had been buried.
John McCrae, a Canadian surgeon and World War I soldier, commemorated the flower in his poem, “In Flanders Fields”:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
After reading “In Flanders Fields” in November 1918, a young American teacher, Moina Belle Michael, decided she would always wear a poppy to honor those who had fallen in war.
She shared her idea with businessmen, who reportedly so approved of the notion that they gave her $10 to purchase poppies that they, too, could wear – essentially the first time a donation was accepted in exchange for the small flower. Wearing poppies to honor the military dead has been customary in the United States since 1924.
Vicky LoBrutto is a member of the Pine Plains Garden Club and the town historian in Milan.