Why wear fake poppies?

[flobadob]

When it's Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland a lot of people will wear a bunch shamrocks on their breast. However when it is Poppy Day in Britain everyone seems to wear fake poppies. Why does no one wear real poppies? Or do they and I have not noticed?

[flobadob]

I guess we'll not worry about it. Let's just have a song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntt3wy-L8Ok

[Prudie]

The red poppy represents the standard wild one (not the opium poppy) that gows in fields in the UK (and Flanders funnily enough) in early summer. As a cut flower it wilts and falls apart almost immediately.

[grasscarp]

Its a quiet night Naomi. I am about to go to bed.....

[RATTER15]

I also dont like fake flowers, who does!!

Poppies are not about fake flowers or real flowers, they are a symbol of the people that died for our country, fake or real!

Just go buy one!

[Philtaz]

I've resisted the urge thus far but couldn't contain myself any longer. Your million pound question was decidedly inane but the content of this one leaves me wondering if it's a little slow on bebo tonight.

[flobadob]

Whats a bebo?

[flobadob]

I love that song steve. Always will get the crowd going.

[joko]

i suppose because the collections wouldnt make money if we did... theyre not just commemorative, but to raise cash

[riversong214]

this could be the answer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IglUmgYGxLM

[rowanwitch]

Hoever they could make money selling small packs of poppy seeds so that people could sprinkle them on patches of bare ground..as a reminder at other times too. or better still miced with seeds of cornflowers and white daisies great for wild life too

[rowanwitch]

quite a few in birmingham do ...the local florists sell little pots of it