Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now

The National Shrine of St. Thérèse overlooks the deep waters of Lynn Canal northwest of Juneau, Alaska. It’s more retreat center than tourist destination, although visitors do find their way to the quiet gardens and the chapel that sits on a tiny island you reach by crossing a stone causeway.

We visited a couple of years ago while waiting to catch the ferry for a ride back to the Lower 48. Walking the Merciful Love Labyrinth, I stopped still at the Himalayan blue poppies edging the narrow path. I’d only seen them once before along the Japanese paths within the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. Meconopsis baileyi is a cousin of the Oriental poppy—Papaver orientale—that comes in bright reds and oranges. Both kinds have delicate, paper-thin petals. But the Himalayan blues—the ones I love—look like shreds of sky.

Their home territory, roughly 10,000 feet in the Himalayas, means they like cool ,wet summers. Finding them in Southeast Alaska and in British Columbia makes complete sense.

What makes much less sense is me buying a seed packet. What are the chances I can coax the sky beauties to blossom in my yard, a mere 400 feet above sea level and with summer temperatures that can hit 100 degrees?

Still, I do have microclimates in my yard, shady, damp zones that might work.

The seeds are in the freezer, and I have scoped three places they might find comfy. In early winter, the seeds will come out of the freezer and be started indoors. Then we shall see.

Perhaps the blues will be outraged at being expected to grow at this latitude and altitude. But seeds want to live and grow and become, will do it if given half a chance. Maybe Eugene—with some coddling from me—will give them three-quarters of a chance.

Photos by Susan Palmer