Talkback: Poppies and suchlike

Posts

• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  I have poppies in my garden but they have not opened up yet. This is my first time of growing them. (my children did).

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  I was given some poppy seeds 2 years ago. They flowered into a large mass and were wonderful, but last year there was nothing... no poppies, but this year they have appeared again, but in several places that I didnt sow seeds... is it usual for them to miss a year ????

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  maureenmay, perhaps conditions were not just quite right to produce plants in time for last year? Now you have them self sown, they will continue year after year I imagine. I love my poppies but don't like the leaves after they finish flowering. Just read a blog by www.gardeningbloggers/theruralgardener called 'we all need a little support at times' in which she said to cut off the leaves and hide the gaps with the right plants, I am trying to do this now.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  oh, above web site should have ended /theruralgardener sorry!

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  I have never successfully moved annual poppies, they REALLY don't like their roots disturbed. I understand that poppy seeds can lie dormant in the soil for up to 10 years, and germinate best in disturbed soil, so where I have weeded they pop up, where I "forget" they don't....

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  I do so agree that poppies are the tops, and James your description of them is spot on, my garden has the full colour spectrum, mainly papaver somniferum although I do have others.I am about to sow 10,000 more seeds in my conservation area, I look forward to that. This year one even self seeded and flourished in the gravel of my greenhouse:)

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2009

  I have poppies one plant I got from a cottage garden nursery(dark orange large flowers) and 3 from a neighbour which have been moved twice and they still flowered beautifully some plants had 4 heads open at one time and they are the dark red large heads with centres that look like they've been painted black and the bees were covered in purple/blue pollen after visiting them, there are lots of leaves and seed heads left but there's also lots of plant coming into flower around them because they're in a mixed boarder.I hope the seeds fall and germinate for next year.I also have the small yellow and orange ones that never cease to amaze me were they come up.I have sown 2 packs of poppy seed in trays in the greenhouse but only a few have come through and they look so fragile I think they will be there for a lot longer.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  July 2009

  Gail: Always best to sow the seed in situ than in seed trays: they transplant very badly.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  July 2010

  James, I like your poppy pics. I collect poppies, they are my absolute favorite. I would like to share my pics but don't know how. My perennial poppies are done blooming now and need to be cut down. My annual poppies are just getting started and are spectacular. If you allow links on this post I would like to tell all your readers about the wonderful poppy seed available from http://www.OneStopPoppyShoppe.com
  Your friend Sue Ann in GA

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  November 2011

  My poppies are wonderful too. Each year they surprise, sometimes blood red, sometimes shades of pink and purple. Some double, some single. They never cease to delight and are the inspiration for me starting to paint in acrylics.

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