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Poppies and People

| Flower Roberts

I have strong feelings about these flowers.

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The seeds were a gift from an artist friend decades ago.

Bill Troutman  is no longer alive, but his poppies bloom each May to remind me of this wonderful man.

The blooms remind me of Bill, but the pods remind me of how people ruin things.

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Opium can now be produced synthetically, by-passing the poppy.

Some places still use this plant’s sap to produce the drug.

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Humans make the drug. Poppies are just plants.

They do what plants are supposed to do. Make flowers and seeds.

I love these poppies.

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Poppies don’t make opium, people do.

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Flower

 

Another Star in the East

| Flower Roberts

This is called “Star of Bethlehem”, but it is not the weed that is native to North Carolina.

This is Ornithogalum arabicum.

Its blooms sit on a eighteen-inch stalk.

It has a lovely fragrance.

I love the shiny black eyes in the center.

Mine are planted near our walkway into the house.

It is a star in my eastern garden, though it comes from the Mediterranean.

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The Burden of Beauty

| Flower Roberts

I love my single Peonies.

Krinkled White peony

I love their floppy petals and their dusty yellow centers.

But I adore the doubles.

Beauty can be a burden.

These blooms need staking.

They must be shaken lightly after rain to prevent broken stems.

Sarah Bernhardt Peony

I marvel at the loveliness of all those clustered petals.

Duchess de Nemours Peony

Oh, the burden of beauty!

Poor peonies.

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You Can’t Move Magic

| Flower Roberts

I thought that I had moved the fairy garden this spring.

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I was tired of crawling around on the ground weeding.

It was too hard lying down to get those close-ups.

But you can’t move magic.

I stopped by the old tree today.  Or maybe it called me over.

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I felt it immediately, the magic.

Even through all the weeds and sticks and leaves, it was magical.

So down I went on my hands and knees,

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crawling around that big old tree.

Cleaning out all those nooks and crannies between the roots.

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Gently brushing away debris.

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If one is lucky enough to find magic,

one needs to be wise enough to know

you can’t move magic.

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Taco Supreme

| Flower Roberts

Taco Supreme is an iris of mystery.

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The light plays tricks with the blooms all do long.

Its beige turns to peach

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and its burgundy turns to red…or is it purple?

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What a color-shifter it is!

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Is this a trick or a talent?

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Taco Supreme is a surprise.

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Same Old Slime Mold

| Flower Roberts

It appeared in the late afternoon. It was not there that morning when I hung out the laundry.

It climbed up the edge of the concrete just feet from where it emerged from the ground last year.

Same sulfur yellow, same blobbing fan of puffy, pasty goo.

The bunnies seemed undisturbed by its presence.

Of course, they also ignore snakes and chipmunks…and me when I call them to come in.

It was much bigger this morning.

I am going to keep an eye on this sneaky slime mold.

No telling what it plans to do.

I think I can outrun it.

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‘Little Much’ Shows Up

| Flower Roberts

I was very excited to find ‘Little Much’ amongst the ‘Persian Berry’ patch this afternoon.

I try to separate out the slow-growers.

I thought I had lost this lovely lilac and white bearded iris.

What a nice discovery on an otherwise strange day.

I hope it is a sign not to lose hope.

I am struggling with my other blog and book.

I want to drop it all until the fall.

I am the FLOWER after all!

Flow movin’ slow.

Azalea Aflame

| Flower Roberts

This is one plant that Mr. Flower and I both love.

We picked this one out together, actually we got two.

The one closer to the house does better because it gets more attention.

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Gibraltar is its name.

It looks as though aflame.

When the sun hits it in the morning, it glows.

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