Annual poppies with veggies

The day the first poppies bloom, the veggie garden is transformed. The subtle blending of shades of green — dominated by the lettuces in June — makes way for the more galvanizing contrasts of red and orange with green. We seeded the breeze-blocks that line the central walkway, holding back the soil of the main bed, with icelandic poppies. At times the progress of the poppies seemed excessively slow, teasing us with furry buds long before they were ready to open. There is something particularly satisfying about the proverbial ephemerality of poppies in partnership with humble vegetables. Perhaps the purposeful harvesting of plants for food is leavened by the frivolity of bright blooms whose fading has no meaning.