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Weed or flower?

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2023
    It must be the heat @GardenerSuze 🥵 … Chilterns sell them 

    https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/search?q=Papaver+orient+ale
     👍 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Yep it's the heat!
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Oriental poppies do make a large clump that produces quite a lot of flowers in aroundJune, then die back and then produce a clump of new leaves which is what you have in the picture. You should get another load of flowers next June.
    I've never deliberately split mine but they regrow from any bit of root left behind when I've moved them, so you might be able to chop out a bit to plant somewhere else without lifting the whole plant. I'd wait for slightly cooler weather though.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Yes, I had decided to remove some root and propogate it for planting elsewhere. What I am not sure about is what to replace the old soil with in the small bed. Should it be topsoil or a mix of topsoil and  something to make it less dense? 
      Every contact leaves a trace - Locard

    My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
  • Yes, I had decided to remove some root and propogate it for planting elsewhere. What I am not sure about is what to replace the old soil with in the small bed. Should it be topsoil or a mix of topsoil and  something to make it less dense? 
    Why do you think you need to replace the soil?

  • It maye have been there for years and I can dig a hole for the new plant and replace what I take out with fresh, do that whenever I plant anything. That way I know what I have in the bed.
      Every contact leaves a trace - Locard

    My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    edited September 2023
    Your soul is a complex ecosystem made up of a myriad of different organisms and materials, all organised and working together to create life. It will, hopefully, have been there for decades, or built up over centuries...

    More info for interest here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil

    Happy gardening, Stephen

    PS, Part of my brain is boggling at what farmers would do if 'old soil' needed replacing when they plant each year!
  • theno2socotheno2soco Posts: 80
    edited September 2023
    The thought of replacing the soil came up when I read about propagating and dividing irises:

    https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/how-to-plant-and-grow-iris#howtocare
    snip>
    Rhizomes grow outwards, so discard the centre of the plant to remove the oldest parts, and plant the outer rhizomes in improved ground.
    snip>

    In 'improved ground.'

    It is confusing for a newcomer to gardening when I see several bags of different 'soil' in gardening suppliers. I did re-plant a clematis which was struggling, in 'seed soil' because its opposite one flourished. I was told soil, even a meter away can be different so I replaced the soil with seed soil I had but it still died off. The seed soil appeared very dense it situ. I have just 'found' gardening grit!

    Perhaps my query should have been, "How to improve the ground?"
      Every contact leaves a trace - Locard

    My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
  • Seed soil or compost is very low in nutrients because that’s what suits emerging seedlings. 

    Clematis need much more nutrition .., if in the ground  they need soil mixed with plenty of organic matter like well rotted manure and or garden-made compost, plus some Fish, Blood & Bone in the spring and some clematis, rose or tomato feed in the period before flowering. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Thank you @Dovefromabove, that advice is very helpful for next year. It also explains 'seed soil'.
      Every contact leaves a trace - Locard

    My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
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