The last month of summer may seem like an odd time to be dreaming of next year’s poppies, but if I don’t harvest and store seed now, the window of opportunity will close.

These pods are from our perennial Himalayan blue poppies, Meconopsis betonicifolia, which bloomed back in May. It was an excellent year for these heavenly flowers, and last week I harvested 16 bristly flower pods.

The pods sat in our breakfast room for a week, slowly drying. Today I gently broke open each pod and tapped the seeds out onto the table.

These tiny seeds will be babied into producing more poppies, a process that’s at once specific and daunting with these Himalayan blues. I can only hope for success! And after all these monochromatic photos, I will be sure to post some bright dahlias soon.