California Poppy


I know spring has truly arrived when the first California poppy blooms in our garden. Ours bloom a little later than the wild ones on the hillsides. I think the hillsides get more sun than our front garden does. When I see swathes of brilliant orange on the green hills, I know that it won't be long before I see the same fantastic color along my front walk.

On Sundays, I like to walk my garden. I don't work in the garden on Sundays (it's a day of rest), but I still want to be in my "natural habitat". So I'll usually go out and walk the paths with camera in hand, looking for what's new. I'll eventually settle into a chair somewhere and watch the world go by with the internal permission that I don't have to do one garden chore no matter what I notice needs doing.

The highlight of yesterday's Sunday walk was the California poppy that had just bloomed. We had cleaned out the garage on Friday in preparation for some work to be done and had dragged a sheet of sheet rock out onto the front walk until the work had been completed. It was still there on Sunday when I noticed that it made the perfect aqua green backdrop for the poppies. So I bent down and snapped away.

Later, I added a vintage feel and a texture in post-production. I can't quite describe how the end result makes me feel. Every time I look at it, I feel like I'm transported back to being 6 years old when I first discovered the California state flower on a visit to my Grammy's house. It as then that I made a special mental note to never pick one within sight of the roadside. I've never forgotten that ever since.
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18 comments:

  1. I miss the California Poppy. I've got sagebrush out here.

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  2. When I was a little girl, my grandmother always had California poppies growing in her front lawn. Well, when I think about it, I'm sure that's not where they were originally planted. But we all know the poppies are certainly free-spirited blooms!

    So thanks for the lovely photo and the opportunity to think about my dear grandma!

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  3. It looks so fantastically surreal! Love it!

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  4. Lovely picture and the backdrop is perfect! I may just have to walk around my yard and photograph my flowers using the foam boards I just bought. Great idea! I've used them inside but hadn't thought about doing that outside!

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  5. This is wonderful.... Love the editing you did to the poppy.
    Happy Spring!

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  6. That is beautiful! It has the 'feel' of one of the old Redoute botanical prints.

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  7. Don't you love the ferny poppy foleage? And those sassy, brassy flowers that are so tough!
    Poppies always take me back to Greenville, to the bank in front of George and Vivian's house, and I'm a kid again, climbing the hill again and loving the wildflowers in spring!
    Thanks!
    Love ya, Aunt Annie

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  8. We have lots of poppies blooming around. And the giant coreopsis just popped out last week. So I know spring is truly here.

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  9. Now isn't that just simplicity at its best?! Beautiful!

    I'm not sure if we have any Poppies in our garden...not yet anyway! Mum has been planting some more seeds (and buying more seeds!) and I have been sorting some more lillies out. At the end of this week, the kids nextdoor are on holiday from school, so they are going to be coming round and helping Mum with some sewing of seeds, planting and gardening jobs. They are really excited, which is nice to see! Although it looks like one of them has the measles, so he might not be able to help. He is at the doctors today but he is happy because he gets the day off from school! LOL

    Hugs to all, from Meg and cats xxx

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  10. What a beautiful picture Cindy! I've always wanted to put some poppies in my garden.
    Hugs,
    Cathie

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  11. Lovely! I love poppies. They are starting to come out here too.

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  12. So pretty. Every sprout and blossom is an amazing miracle, isn't it?

    I feel the same way about picking wild flowers. If I pick it, then no one else will have the pleasure of its beauty and I will have shortened it's life.

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  13. I adore the california poppy....she is so colourful....I grow them from seed every year....my summer would not be the same without them......
    Your photograph, as always, is beautiful....I love your work.....

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  14. California Poppies are so pretty, they look like they are made from very thin tissue paper! Just beautiful!!

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  15. It's gorgeous. I miss poppies. One of these days I'm going to get one your poppy photos, framed. Just to remind me of California.

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  16. My seeds of it are beginning to sprout. :-) So exciting! In the garden I've started to see bees arrive. It's definately Spring even thoughthe days are often overcast.

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