“A Field of -…”

If you could have a great big field of any plant, what would you choose?

My first thought is lilac, because lilacs smell sublime when they bloom in Spring, they give you nice little shady grottos, and because they remind me of the Mother’s Day Lilac Festival at the Arnold Arboretum (Mother’s Day is coming up- are you on it?)

My second thought was poppies, because high summer in a field of papaver orientale sounds magical.  Just remember to forget the connections to The Wicked Witch of the West and flying monkeys and the “Poppies will make you sleepy” cackle. because they don’t actually make you sleepy and they don’t actually look like those plants in the Wizard of Oz (unless I’m very much mistaken, in which case my whole life is a lie).

My third thought was saffron crocus.  Saffron crocus (crocuses? croci?) produce the filaments from which we get saffron, the spice.  Saffron is pretty difficult to cultivate because each flower produces only three filaments (stigmata) and is thus generally considered to be the most valuable;e spice by weight.  According to Wikipedia 50,000-75,000 plants are needed to produce one pound of saffron, so maybe my money-making schemes are poorly thought out and I need a more productive plant.  But I think harvesting that many tiny stamens would be very zen. It would certainly keep me busy (if not destroy my back and knees).

My last thought: Can I have my field with a border of rosemary hedge and boxwood?

What plant would grow in your ideal field?

(The painting is by Isabelle Dupuy- I’ve been in love with her work since I stumbled on it in New Orleans more than five years ago).