The poppies always bloom around Memorial Day...

...hence the symbolism. Tho I think that also has to do with WW I. I found this special poppy plant as a "newbie" flower gardener, about 1984. I simply purchased one red poppy plant from the perennial section at a local hardware store. I had no idea the plant would send up such tall stems--about 5 ft. tall. It's difficult to photograph the flowers without cutting them; I hate to do that. So, the plant is 26 years old now--older than my youngest kid (the blonde guy in CA). If we move, I'll have to leave the plant, since poppies seem to have a tap root; once that is broken, it's curtains. Another of life's pleasures which must be savored at each moment.