Apparently the seeds can lie dormant for decades waiting for the right conditions (sunlight!). I had a row of leylandii cleared when we moved in here, and the next year a load of those opium poppies popped up where there was suddenly sunlight hitting the ground there for the first time in god knows how long!
Apparently the seeds can lie dormant for decades waiting for the right conditions (sunlight!). I had a row of leylandii cleared when we moved in here, and the next year a load of those opium poppies popped up where there was suddenly sunlight hitting the ground there for the first time in god knows how long!
That seems likely because this isn't one or two plants. I cannot count them accurately. There are many and I have found more saplings popping up today. The P. somniferum are big plants and they are swarming over everything else (lupins, roses, etc.)
I also think my gardeners have been suppressing them as "weeds", but they are entirely bounded by a flower bed so I suspect they were planted here intentionally (a long time ago).
My view is they need to be moved to where they would be slightly less successful. Are there any good examples of P. somniferum being put to good effect in a garden by design? Nothing much grows in the shade of a big apple tree, except nettles. Maybe these poppies would survive there?
They do prefer a sunny site, so might not flower under your apple tree. Also, I don't think they like being moved - they produce a tap root - though you might get away with it if the plant is tiny. Best to scatter seed around where you'd like them to appear next year, and see what happens... also tell your gardeners not to pull them up! They'll need to leave one plant to ripen its seed head, which may look "untidy" but is necessary if you want to spread seed in specific places.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I have found that the soil has to be disturbed (as with other poppies, famously) for them to come up. I had hundreds in one border one year, allowed them to seed, and looked forward to seeing them the next year. That border wasn't weeded or replanted or anything in the interim, and not one came up. The following year I purposefully disturbed the soil - loads of poppies again. The same the following year (after disturbance). This year I didn't do any weeding/ disturbance until a bit late, and I've only had 3 or 4 poppies. I know there's a gazillion seeds there, just waiting to do their thing. You pulling up the nettles has achieved the same thing.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
It is the Oriental poppies, rather than the Opium poppies which have tap roots. Opium poppies are annuals, so will die after flowering, so you will need to spread the seed where you want them to grow.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Fascinating. However, SWMBO mandates our P. somniferum be removed to allow light onto other plants. It looks likely I will put out a wheelie bin of opioid pods for collection this week.
Do you find that the foliage starts to go yellow and die off as the plant comes to flower? Mine are looking very tatty and I usually whip them out right after the flowers are done. I wonder if this yellowing and dying back is more pronounced in full sun sites / on gravel rather than in a fertile garden bed where they foliage might stay greener for longer. Are the fully, instantly monocarpic?
Posts
I also think my gardeners have been suppressing them as "weeds", but they are entirely bounded by a flower bed so I suspect they were planted here intentionally (a long time ago).
My view is they need to be moved to where they would be slightly less successful. Are there any good examples of P. somniferum being put to good effect in a garden by design? Nothing much grows in the shade of a big apple tree, except nettles. Maybe these poppies would survive there?
You pulling up the nettles has achieved the same thing.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Are these different plants poppies also?
The second photo shows a hardy geranium, could be magnificum.