Welcome to Ton's Garden!

Hi and thanks for stopping by Ton's Garden, my blog that will document my poppy gardens, starting with the Spring 2008 planting. Located in the deep south of the eastern seaboard of Australia, I live in a cool to moderate region with cold winters and warm/not too hot summers. Ideal for poppies!

This year I'm growing the following poppies and flowers: Mixed Californian Poppy, Papaver Glaucum (Rose Tulip Poppy), Papaver Rhoeas (Flanders Red ANZAC remembrance day poppy and mixed color Shirley's) and of course, various Papaver Somniferum species including 'Drama Queen', 'Shabby Shaggy Mauve', 'Persian White', 'Tassie White' and 'Neon Crimson'. A truly beautiful mix of colors and styles. Luckily I still have plenty of seed left over to ensure an Autumn planting for two grow lots in 2009 and to also replace seedlings that might be eaten by snails.

In this blog I'll also be documenting and displaying photographs of the various plant stages until the emergence of absolutely spectacular poppy blooms of the most dazzling styles and colors! The first lot of pics shall be posted when my seedlings truly emerge and have 4 leaves. These were were sown four days ago now, on Monday, September 1st. Finally after a long winter, spring is here!

Now I already have more than 30 strongly established, yet unknown type of papaver somniferum which are currently from 3-6 inches tall from seed I scattered six weeks ago growing in various soil and dirt compositions. This proves that the regular supermarket poppy seeds (which are opium poppy/papaver somniferum seeds by the way) DO GROW! There were a lot more but the last winter frosts a few weeks ago and snails destroyed them...I've a few Californian Poppy Seedlings as well from 1/2 to 1 inch in height which were sown at the same time ago, also 8 Sunflower seedlings (sown same time also!) which are at 2cm height thus far. Photos will be posted of these also when the freshly sown poppies are properly sprouted enough to show on photograph.

As I type this there are the first signs of new poppy sprouts from both the garden and pots that are being used this year. My intention on growing these is for personal accomplishment, great flowers and photo's of the anticipated blooms, to collect the seeds and finally to share the beauty of the poppy with the world. Papaver Somniferum is not an 'evil and immoral plant' or a 'thorn in society's side for the past 3000 years' as I so recently read! It is simply a flower that produces some of the most magnificent blooms I've ever seen and everyone should be entitled to experience them, there's no point in even using the latex in them as the flowers and thereafter the gorgeous pods themselves will make you feel happy enough just looking! By the way, how can a plant be immoral? :-| Maybe people who use grow poppies for opium may be deemed immoral, but who has the right to judge? Not me!

Now one problem I have with growing papavers is damn snails, my worst enemy when it comes to poppies. They will clear a patch of papaver seedlings in a night if you let them. I use a combination of beer traps and snail bait to keep these at bay. So far this week I have kept 40 snails from eating my above mentioned established poppies. Soon I'll be known as the Snail Slaughterer as it's all I seem to do of late!

Well until next time I ask that if you're interested in watching my poppies and other flowers bloom, them please bookmark my blog and share my poppy journey over the next four to five months. I'll be posting at least once a week, but most likely twice a week as I will document things such as weather conditions, new sprouts on the different garden beds etc. Many outside influences affect the quality and quantity of the final blooms. It takes a good gardener to produce multiple large blooms on each poppy plant and I am determined to have the biggest and best poppies for my photography and personal satisfaction as a lover of gardening!

Catch ya later,