First poppy flower blooms in Altadena, mission accomplished for the Great Poppy Project

On March 2, 1903, the California poppy became the official state flower of our Golden State. On Feb. 23, almost 123 years later, the first-known bloom from the Great Altadena Poppy Project was sighted on Calaveras Street in that burn-ravaged town.

“My property was among the very first ‘poppified’ as a proof-of-concept for the project,” said founder René Amy, who led the scattering of 250,000,000 (yes, six zeroes) poppy seeds beginning in November. He found many plants on his cleared lot the week before spying this orange-hued beauty among them. A moment to celebrate.

The seeds were watered only by each of the season’s rains, Amy added, declaring himself a “particularly proud poppy papi.”

To date, the Great Altadena Poppy Project has served more than 750 fire-impacted properties that signed up for the free “poppifying” and more than 8,000 poppy seed packets were distributed, some to folks from out of state and around the globe.

The renowned ArtCenter College of Design, symbolized by a similarly poppy-colored dot, threw a sowing community gathering to mark the first anniversary of the Eaton fire. Other local spots “poppified” include the hillside home of the Star of Palawoo, several acres of Nuccio’s Nurseries, the campus of St. Mark’s School, and High Point Academy in Pasadena.

“Poppified” properties were located throughout the burn area, from several adjacent to the Arroyo Seco on the west to upper Upper Hastings Ranch on the east. The southernmost property was down on east Orange Grove in Pasadena.

For now, Amy, 65, is done sowing seeds for this labor of love, his way of continuing his annual wildflower seed distribution interrupted by the Eaton fire. That he remains displaced nearby hasn’t stopped him from the poppy project, working with the nonprofit Amigos de los Rios to save Altadena’s legacy trees and volunteering with every group from the Altadena Rotary Club, the Pasadena Jaycees and the disaster relief nonprofit Shelterbox.

He funded the great poppy plan to the tune of $20,000, so strongly did he want the flowers to spread tangible hope in the community. Of course, in low-key Altadena style, others stepped in: Realtex Homes in Pasadena, the Altadena Rotary Club, and Altadena Grocery Outlet, each of which donated or pledged donations of $1,000.

“Each of these helps make an appreciable dent in (what) I’ve spent on seed, equipment, and limited promo materials for the project,” Amy said.

But the biggest boost of all came on Feb. 27, when Arturo Lopez, owner of Altadena-based Lopez Tree & Landscape, Inc., delivered a check for $10,000, double what he had pledged at the soggy end of the Altadena Forever Run on Jan. 4.

“We’ve been a part of Altadena for more than 35 years, and the Great Altadena Poppy Project resonates with me, my family, and my team more deeply than I can put into words,” Lopez said. “My family is now in its third generation of providing discerning tree lovers with the service they seek, and even with the loss of so many trees, we want to help bring back as much of Altadena’s natural beauty as possible.”

Amy said the business has been his go-to when he still had what he called “The Forest” on his property, before the Eaton fire razed the myriad trees, and everything else, on it. Getting this much support from his “tree guy” means the mission was accomplished in great style.

“Each property ‘poppified’ told a tale of loss, and each seed sown — through each crank of the spreader’s handle — became a symbol of hope and love for the Altadena community,” Amy said.

For now, the Great Altadena Poppy Watch commences, as a second spring comes to Altadena.