Himalayan Poppies and Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's

There are things we know to be true, things we know can't be true, and things that conspire to confound us. Years ago, while rummaging through a thrift shop, I found and claimed a watercolor with a blossom so intensely blue I believed it existed only in imagination. I had never seen a blue poppy and, doubting Thomas that I am, it, ergo, could not exist. To keep me humble, the fates and furies made sure I found the fabled Himalayan poppy. It was tucked in a far corner of a greenhouse flaunting a flower so intensely blue it hurt the eyes. That, of course, led to some investigation and, as things happen around here, a voyage of discovery. While I lobbied for the Himalayas, my soulmate thought Butchart Gardens a more practical destination. So we headed North in search of more blue poppies. We found them and since that time we've grown them, some years with more success than others. Gardeners know her to be a fickle lady. I thought you might enjoy a peek at this fabled beauty, so I'm send this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event. For the record, I'm still lobbying for the Himalayas.