Of the many things we like to seed in our gardens, or have them volunteer year after year, annual poppies and larkspur are two very satisfactory plants. Both will do so in great numbers and bloom like crazy until our temperatures turn hot. At that point all energy goes into seed production. Falling to the ground occurs as summer heats up, their life cycle comes to an end as temperatures rise and rains diminish, the seeds simply lie there. Few plants would do better than these in your hell strip, that place the hose won't reach and the south sun bakes.

These tiny seeds have tiny outer coatings. The rain of fall, combined with cooler temperatures work on their trigger mechanisms. Fluctuations of freezing and thawing take them out of their sleepy, dry summer period and tell them it's moist, it's the right time to grow. Layers and layers of inhibitors are broken down as cold aids wet to imbibe the seed, convince it that winter is passing and spring is coming. That old adage; "The best time to throw out seed is with a new snow", is true. No need to cover them, these are both light germinators, they need light to germinate. Left to rest on the ground, what could be easier? With their sprouting might come the challenge, many of our weeds play the same game. Knowing the good guys from the bad guys, removing the right ones? Here lies the effort.

In my garden I have isolated a spot. That place that supports few plants and stays bare in late summer. After 3 years of trying various plants, only the bearded iris remain. They cycle themselves to match rain and cool as well. Quiet and sleepy in the hot days of summer, the iris don't want the sprinkler or a layer of mulch. So I tossed my poppy and larkspur seed there last fall. As the snows melt I think of my little seeds, loosing their outer layers, waking from the anesthesia and thinking about growing. They are just beyond my snowdrops that I will soon be investigating everyday. The snowdrop watch. A little further and it's the poppy watch. The larkspur watch. A garden is a wonderful place.