Antrims 2014 Real Poppy Campaign The 4 August 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 During WW1, the total number of military and civilian casualties was over 37 million. There were over 16 million deaths and more than 20 million wounded ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history. To honour this huge sacrifice, we would like to see the Antrim covered in real ...Flanders poppies during August 2014, just imagine thousands of bright red poppies growing alongside roads , hundreds in every garden, hedgerows, fields, window boxes - the entire town covered in poppies. The red, cornfield poppy, Papaver rhoeas, is the worldwide symbol of remembrance. It is not a weed, it is a wildflower indigenous to the UK. The annual seed will only germinate and bring new flowers next year in soil that has been disturbed, so please don’t sow yet unless you can rake/turn over the soil! Poppies will grow in a loamy, rich soil & will also do well in sandy or even chalky soils, but they’ll only reach their genetic height if the soil is tilled or loosened. If you try growing in compacted soil you’ll end up with tiny little poppies that are a mere shadow of their real selves. Try to stagger your plantings from April to June, if raked over/disturbed, you’ll have poppies blooming well into October. Don’t worry – you can always buy replicas during Novembers Poppy Appeal. They don’t like to be overcrowded, so scatter them as far and wide as possible (it helps if you have a handful of moist sand to a small pinch of poppy seeds, and cast them like throwing a discus!) For more controlled planting, just cast one or two seeds on top of the soil every 4-6”, then take a hand rake or fork, and lightly work those seeds into the soil. Or spread a very light layer of soil on those seeds, no more, your sprouts should show from about 3-5 days. For the 2014 crop (the 100th anniversary is 4th August) seeds should be cast no later than 1st June* That’s it – it’s that simple, the rest is up to the poppies and the weather! The 2014 Real Poppy Campaign has the approval of DEFRA – with the caveat that seeds should not be planted in agricultural areas or sites of scientific interest. * Sunday 1st June 2014 – Plant a REAL Poppy Day – join the thousands of people planting millions of poppies! A Number of groups across Antrim and Randalstown will be supporting this project and seeds will be on sale over the next few weeks at a cost of £2 per packet with profit going to the RBL Poppy Fund 2014 for more information or to keep up to date with the project follow us on facebook @ Antrims 2014 Real Poppy Campaign
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:33:19 +0000
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