In the fall or winter of 2015, a lady gave me some poppy seeds she'd been trying to germinate and grow on. She didn't know the species, but she remarked on how beautiful she thought the flowers were (in the yard from which she'd kidnapped the seeds, that is
).
Fast forward approximately two and a half years... The first flower opened yesterday. It's a deep, clear red (though the picture looks a little pink on my monitor) without any hint of orange/scarlet and measures slightly more than 7" across. (I was guessing 6", but the ruler proved me wrong
)
Now I understand why the lady thought they were so beautiful! I assume it's Papaver orientale, and I sure hope I can increase the population in my yard.
