The seeds of the Flanders Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) had lay dormant on the front lines of France until 1915 when they were disturbed by the soldiers fighting in World War 1. Every year for the next four, the Poppies grew and their flowers lay like a red blanket across the fields on which the soldiers fought. They also flowered in Turkey when the ANZAC’s landed at Gallipoli.
The flowers of the Flanders Poppy are now a poignant reminder of the fallen soldiers on both Remembrance Day (11 November) and on Anzac Day (25 April) in Australia. They are worn with pride, used in wreaths and sold to raise funds for charities that support returned solders.
Our Garden has Poppy flowers that appear every October to November. These seeds were bought back from Canberra while the year 7s were visiting about 5 years ago.
