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Like millions of other people this week, I'm wearing a red poppy on my lapel - and what a wonderful symbol this simple flower has become worldwide. The author of the famous poem, "In Flander's Fields," Lieut. Col. John McCrae, was a member of the First Canadian contingent who died in France after four years of service on the Western Front during the First World War. The wearing of a poppy as a symbol of honour on Remembrance Day has become a tradition - one you may want to cultivate.
Many Canadians are surprised to learn why "In Flanders fields the poppies blow" - as the poem suggests. If you visit the site of the battle today, you likely won't find any poppies. And if you had visited prior to the First World War, you probably wouldn't have found them either. So, why were they prolific during the devastation of the First World War?
The answer is that the devastation itself was responsible for the poppies growing on the battlefields of Flanders. Poppies are tough plants and their seeds are tougher still, lasting many, many years in the ground. Poppy seeds found in ancient Egyptian tombs have been germinated after thousands of years of dormancy. It seems that the destruction caused by the shelling over Flanders fields destroyed everything BUT the poppy seeds, which had been lying dormant for goodness knows how long, until the soil was disrupted and the seeds exposed to moisture and sunshine.
The poppy is a survivor and for that reason I think the flower is a fitting symbol for the fighting spirit of all those who fought for Canada in the Great War.
| Cultivating Poppies |
In regard to growing poppies, although we cannot actually plant them this time of year, we can plan ahead for sowing seeds and designing poppies into our perennial beds in the spring.
| Perennial Poppies |
Perennial poppies are usually pu
