Tied to the wartorn earth of Flanders, a poppy rises above a thick patch of daisies to face the sun. A strong gust of wind from the northeast sends its scarlet bloom downward into a fluttering swirl, but the little flower holds its ground.

Each year millions of people turn to the simple poppy as the most easily identifiable expression of remembrance and sacrifice. We see it every time we hear John McCrae’s famous poem or think about a loved one lost or wounded by war. It is all at once an emblem of gratitude, hope and perseverance, and its haunting beauty can fill us with an abundance of silent resolve.

Perhaps this is why many Canadian gardeners ‘embrace’ the Flanders poppy, and are proud to include Papaver Rhoeas in amongst their flowerbeds as summertime tributes to remembrance. With this in mind, we are pleased to share with you a few photos of the poppy’s summer bloom on the battlefields of Northwest Europe.

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