Hungarian Bread Seed Poppies

This year i have a flower bed full of Hungarian bread seed poppies. The blue-black poppy seeds are used in baking Hungarian poppy seed rolls and strudels.

The flowers are a stunning purple that i've been trying to grow for years. Year after year i buy a packet of seeds. Finally! Success! These annual poppies reseeded themselves from last year's poppies.

We try to grow wholesome qualities in our mind. Sometimes, we plant the intention--for generosity, for patience, for compassion--over and over again. And then--It blooms, perhaps unexpectedly, in some situation.

We can't really say that those previous attempts were failures. We have faith that by re-setting our intention for a skillful quality of mind, that beautiful mind state will eventually show up.

The purple poppies proliferate.


Photo credit: https://www.selectseeds.com/annuals/poppy-seeds-plants/poppy_hungarian_blue_seeds.aspx

Sow Poppy Seeds on Snow. Now.

Is this the last snow of the year? We can't be sure, but if it is, it's time to sow poppy seeds. Strap on your snowshoes and trek out to the flower beds where you want your annual poppies to grow. April is too late. Sow poppy seeds on snow. Now.

(If you need poppy seeds, email your snail-mail address to me at cheryl.wilfong at gmail.com, or message me through Facebook, and i'll send you some.)

What seeds do you want to sow in your life? Kindness, patience, tolerance, skillful speech?

We can sow those seeds now, even if our inner climate is cold and snowy, dark and dreary. Simply begin now with a few moments of mindfulness.

The Worthy Reader

I have about a pint of poppy seeds, which i packaged into glassine envelopes to give away as Christmas gifts. If you would like a packet of annual poppy seeds (Papaver somniflorum), please message me with your snail-mail address.

My morning meditation group is reading a sutta about giving offerings to those who are worthy. In our society, we give tips to worthy waiters and waitresses.

How about an offering to the worthy reader?

Gardening in the Snow

My 84-year-old friend, Trudy Crites, tells me it's time to scatter poppy seeds. NOW. Now when my flower beds are covered with a foot of snow.

You know how you feel when you hear truth?

Something inside relaxes. Oh! Yes. The body relaxes; then the mind gets busy and tells you a story. The mind is so entertaining, and the story so believable (even if it's not true), that it's easy to miss that initial body response of calmness.

Regarding poppies, i have tried scattering the seeds in the cold mud of April--a month before the last frost date here in the north country. I've never quite been satisfied with the results.
In late autumn, i've seen teensy-weensy two-leaved poppies volunteering, so i know they like to get an early start. Really early.

I'm strapping on my snowshoes right now to go out to the garden and plant poppy seeds.