Commanding attention with their substantial crinkled petals composing a flower 6" across with stout stems and fat buds bristling with hairs, Oriental poppies are always sensational. They do best in cooler regions and go dormant in summer, so growing at the border's edge with a mounding lax spreader such as hardy geraniums is an ideal association. Provide support early as the new foliage sprouts and deadhead to slightly prolong the bloom time, which is fleeting but not to be missed. After flowering, remove the yellowed, declining foliage. Be sure to grow in fertile, sharply drained soils and mulch with evergreen boughs or a nonmatting mulch in winter to keep it long-lived.