Wishful dreams

When I first became a home owner, I wanted certain things to grow in my garden, I had a mahonia japonica, and I wanted big blousey red poppies. I wanted fruit trees and lots of veg beds. Due to time , veg beds have never really been any option, I try and the bulk dies due to lack of care or get over run with weeds I haven't taken out. The fruit trees are getting there, we have had apples and cherries so far and my fruit canes are looking good too!
The problem was my mahonia died the first really cold winter (gets to minus 14 on average here in the middle of winter) and with some research I found it would never thrive here like it had in London. But I was determined to grow Poppies. I asked my neighbors and did my research, I got Icelandic poppies, and wild poppies, and the much wanted big red ones.
My neighbours all very helpful, but each also decided to see if poppies would grow and now half my neighbours grow various poppies in the gardens near me. Some have been successful in Icelandic and the colours, some in the wild yellow ones (which seed every where) While some also have the red ones. One lady has very green fingers and I go past her array of poppies for the month they flower, green with envy as I have a few plants that finally are coming into their own. This morning while driving past I stopped and snapped a general shot of the area and have cropped it to the much envied poppies.
These are my wishful dreams, I don't have the time or skill to bring mine on to any where near this, but I go past dreaming!