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Patty's Plum Poppy

Wildthing68Wildthing68 Posts: 2
in Problem solving

Bought three of these last Spring and planted in my south facing herbaceous border. Last year started out promising but soon died back with no blooms. Thought I had lost them but grew back this Spring and looked healthy. Same thing has happened again, rapidly dying back, no flowers. I've watered, fed and mulched to no avail.  Why won't they grow? Read everywhere how easy they are to grow and at £6 a pot I'm a bit fed up!

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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090

    I think you're being too kind.   Stop watering and mulching as they need to be well drained.   Poppies naturally grow in spring, flower and then die back leaving space for other plants to shine later in summer.  Treat yours a bit more mean and they should flower.

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/86697/Papaver-orientale-Patty-s-Plum/Details for more info.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • SilverlightSilverlight Posts: 82

    Hi obelix mine finally flowered this year - do I dead head it or is that it?

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090

    Up to you.  It didn't make any difference to mine in my last garden but the seeds, if you get any, won't be true to the parent.  It won't flower again this year, in my experience anyway.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332

    It is so surprising that just when I am fretting about a plant, up pops a question about it on the forum! My Pattys Plum is horrible. It was a glorious pink in the first year but now is a dowdy pink followed rapidly by brown petals. It will get the heave ho later this year. Unless there is something I can do to improve the colour? Does anyone know?

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    Mine isnt pink - its a deep mauvy/plummy colour

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    They should be a rich plum colour, but a lot of sellers are now using seed grown plants, which tend to be a wishy washy pink.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889

    Mine just didn't appear this year.image

    Devon.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003

    My poppies are very late this year, not 1 has flowered yet.

  • Wildthing68Wildthing68 Posts: 2

    Thank you very much for all your responses.  I will leave them to die back and hope that next year they may produce a bloom and hopefully it will be the right colour!  If they don't, I will dig them up and try something else. 

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    Here's mine this year, not quite as dark as usual image

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
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