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Show Oriental Poppies a Dream of Beginners Come True ORIENTAL, SHIRLEY, CALIFORNIA AND ICELAND POPPIES. Oriental popples are perennial flowers such as gardening beginners begin-ners dream about, the kind that once planted, bloom every year without any further attention. They bloom at the same time s the tall, bearded Irises, which they rival in spectacular beauty. They are long-lived, hardy as 'oaks, with few insect enemies, and altogether make so pleasing a contribution no home garden ahould be without them. Poets have given poppies high praise for their beauty, coupled with a reputation for fragility. This Is based upon the fact that they will not last long as cut flowers, so are never seen in florist's shops, and rarely used in bouquets. But in the garden border bor-der they provide dazzling color tor several weeks. Oriental poppies do not produce opium. Quite a list of annual poppies, pop-pies, double and single, which used to be popular garden flowers In this country, are now forbidden forbid-den by federal law, because they can be used to produce it. Shirley poppies are the pnly annual type that may still be grown, and they are much smaller in size than the perennial poppies, though lovely in coloring. Deep soil with good drainage are necessary for perennial popples. pop-ples. New plants are propagated at this time of year, when the roots are dormant. The long tap roots are lifted and cut into sections sec-tions two to six inches long, making a slanting cut at 'the top, and a straight cut at the bottom, to make sure of planting it right side up. These root sections may be let out in your garden, or started in a flat or flower pot. Set them with the top an inch or two below the surface of the soil. Plants which have developed roots and top growth are usually in the market during August, and dormant dor-mant roots may be obtained and planted during the fall. Amateurs who lift oriental poppy roots seldom succeed in getting up the whole root and from any piece that may be left in the ground a new plant will grow. If you intend to lift a root later in the season be sure to mark the plant's location before the top growth has ail died, or it may be difficult to find it. Plants must be obtained, rather than seed, if you wish to be sure of the color of the flowers. flow-ers. These are limited to white and various tones of red and pink. Divisions of named varieties vari-eties will duplicate the parent, but seed will produce a mixture of colors, some desirable, some less so. Seed are best sown in the fall and will germinate in the spring. When established plants make new growth in. the fall, hill up soil around the plants to make a low mound, so that water will drain away from the crown during dur-ing the winter. A mulch may be placed around the plant, but do not cover the leaves, except with material which will shade them, and protect them from rabbits. Baskets or chicken wire will give this protection. |