Poppies are Popular With Me
This May was the first time I had genuine Poppies (Papaver) blooming in our garden.
I don’t know what kind they are. They were a gift from my friend Linc, and I planted them last fall. Last year I grew California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) from seed. These, however, are not true Poppies, as they come from an entirely different genus. I didn’t plant any California Poppies this year, as their performance was a bit disappointing, and also their botanical name fails to meet my new rule on the minimum ratio of vowels to consonants.
Anyhow, Linc’s Poppies bloom in time to accompany the the blue flowers of ‘Kit Kat’ Catmint (Nepeta fassenii). And they are bright orange, a big plus in my book.
I love the bursts of vibrant color that they add to the daintier spring flowers, and also to the green of the larger plants bulking up and preparing to bloom in summer. In a sense Poppies carry on in the spirit of the tulips, who fade away as the Poppies open. The pointy, fuzzy leaves are endearing, as are the nodding flower buds that remind me of kiwis.
Linc’s Poppies (I think that will be their name from now on, at least in our garden) spread vigorously, and I look forward to seeing them fill in all the spots which have been bare up through June in the Driveway Border.
The only reservation I have about Poppies generally is that their bloom period seems to be fairly short. This year they seemed to come and go in less than two weeks, with the help of some big rainstorms. Of course, this is also true of some other flowers I love, such as the Crabapple blossoms.
Do you grow Poppies? What kind? Which are your favorites?
gardeninacity 
Lovely!
We inherited the same kind of poppies when we bought our place eight years ago. I also do not know what kind they are. There are hundreds of them and more each year. They are stunning and have people stopping to take pictures. Would like to know the variety.
Me too – let me know if you find out.
Your poppies are stunning! We grow all sorts of different varieties, some stay around and come again, others quickly disappear.
Mine are definitely perennial. At the Chicago Botanic Garden they plant a hillside in Iceland Poppies every year – I believe they are annual.
I agree Lincs poppies add a good pop of colour to liven the Spring soft colours.I grow perennial poppies ‘Pattys Plum’ and ‘Perrys White’ they are a good addition to the border I think. I am liking your vowel to consonant rule.
I guess poppies come in both hot and soft colors.
That they do.
Your borders look great and the orange poppies add a nice pop of color. I don’t usually grow anything except zinnias from seed but am going to try poppies.
Good luck! Maybe you have a friend who could give you some starts.
The orange poppies look great with the lovely tall alliums in the background too!
Good point!
I would grow these if I could even though their bloom time is short. They make a memorable statement in their short lives. I have tried to grow them many times and have yet to find a place in my garden that they like. They remind me of my Mom. She had a spot that she would have to pull them out to thin them.
I wonder what the problem is – not enough sun?
I really love poppies, but….they don’t seem to like me. I have tried several times in two gardens but no luck. Sparse first blooms and then…..
Sorry to hear that.
Love your poppies, but unfortunately I don’t get enough sun for them, the plus side means that I can grow the Himalayan Blue Poppy which has to be my favourite.
Himalayann Blue Poppies are incredibly beautiful. I could not grow them, though.
I don’t grow poppies but I don’t know why because I love them.
I’ve grown them for a lot of other people-you couldn’t ask for an easier plant to grow.
The ones I have seem to be pretty easy, but some find them challenging.
These are really pretty – quite delicate too. I love my big Papaver orientale, but the advantage of those you have is that there isn’t too much foliage so the gaps aren’t too big once they go over. I have not had any luck with the Californian ones in this garden. They grew like weeds in my last garden and were really lovely. We also have a few field poppies growing in our ‘lawn’. 🙂
Maybe I’ll try the Papaver orientale for next year.
Aren’t they lovely! I sowed some poppy seeds for the first time and they are just blooming (red, like Flanders Fields) but I don’t remember the actual variety. Naming them for friends who ” pass along” is such a nice idea. I have “Nancy’s ferns” and “Jean’s peony” and so it should be!
Red poppies can be truly striking and dramatic.
So pretty! While they are not orange, we have some that are very similar – frilly (pink) poppies. But ours think they own the place and self-seed everywhere!
Not necessarily a bad thing.
I love poppies, but I’ve never had good luck growing them here — they neither come back for a second year nor self-sow. I don’t know what it is about my conditions that makes them unhappy, but I’m resigned to just enjoying them in other people’s gardens — like yours.
With some plants that’s the best you can do.
I have one pink poppy plant. I LOVE it. I’ve tried dividing and moving with zero success so I enjoy my one plant. The beauty of the bloom just makes me smile.
I guess it just wants to stay where it’s at.
I have several poppies in my inherited garden. I don’t know what kind, but they are gorgeous. Even after their blooms fade, the foliage is interesting. I’m trying to grow some California poppies from seeds this year. We’ll see how they do.
Their foliage is interesting, isn’t it, with the pointy shape and hairy texture?
So vibrant! But there are no poppies at the little house in the big woods.
Too bad. But you have so much beauty around you anyway.
I do, and I have learned to cherish and appreciate the beauty.
Love your vowel: consonants rule !
Love poppies too, but I agree with you that the flowering period is far too short. You just have to appreciate them even more for that short time they are actually in bloom, I think. I have been growing some annual poppies which are a dusky pink, and are quite full and frilly – I saw them growing in some soil which had been dumped on a grass verge, so stopped the car and gathered some seed.
They sound like tough plants, even if they are frilly.
That is a lovely poppy, it sits well with your other flowers. It self seeds all over our garden and even grows though the paving stones. I like it so leave it be.xxx
I cut off the seed heads – perhaps I shouldn’t have. I assumed it would spread by rhizomes.
Linc’s Poppies are lovely Jason and looks perfect in your garden – I grow Opium poppies here (Papaver somniferum) or they grow themselves, self seeders aka plants for free. Yours looks very similar to Papaver rhoeas – the poppy most known here as the Remembrance poppy.
P. rhoeas is the one that grows in Flanders’ fields? Do the flowers of P. somniferum look all that different?
Very different Jason, they grow about a metre high, have glaucous large frilled leaves and can be doubles or singles in shades of pink and lilac. They grow really easily from seed and self sow. The seed heads are like little pepper pots and spill out when shaken. Pollinators love them too.
We have just come back from Italy, where I noticed poppies growing wild all over the place, including amongst ruins near Rome! I love the colour of poppies, but I think your LInc poppies are about the best I have seen. (something for me to try growing next year.)
On behalf of Linc and myself, I thank you.
I have an orange one similar to this called Papaver rupifragum. It seeds everywhere and is so pretty. And of course the Oriental popies are wonderful, big and blowsy. They are over too soon and they flop, still I wouldn’ t be without them.
Vowels to consonants in your plant names. Hmm. How do you stand on Paeonia mlokosewitschii? Lots of nice vowels in Paeonia, but mlokeswitschii?
Simple. The genus name is allowed, but the species name is prohibited. If you want to name the plant after someone Polish, how about something simple like novakii?
Ha ha, I love your rule for horticultural names. Californian poppies do have an odd one. I’ve raised some from seed this year and they’re doing well in our garden. So far… I love the foliage and the flower colour. Linc’s poppies look great with the purple/blue Nepeta and the purple alliums. It’s that winning colour combo again!
Meant ‘botanical’ not ‘horticultural’!
Yes, I find it hard to resist repeating the yellow and orange with blue or purple over and over.
I can’t get Californian poppies to grow here (notice that I’m avoiding trying to give it’s Latin name). We have Papaver rhoes and P. somniferum seeding all over. I’m not good at weeding them out because they really make a border sing – and I’m always worried they’ll give up on me completely if I’m too brutal with the seedlings. Your poppies are glorious! Thanks for sharing them -and well done Chloris for (probably) id-ing them.
Why do you need to weed them out – are they choking other plants? Maybe you should just enjoy them!
The P. somniferum are often too tall, with very broad foliage that smothers other tiny things below them – the P. rhoes I have begun to leave because the foliage is much lighter (although they can often be monsters too!). The truth is that ALL my plants are choking other plants, so I have to be very selective with the self-sown things.
I have a mother load of Oriental poppies this year. Never before did they perform so well. I never had much luck with California poppies either. Too much clay and too wet of springs I guess.
A “mother load” of Oriental Poppies must be a beautiful sight. Did you know there is a novel called “River of Poppies”?
I have never grown poppies, but this spring I have seen them growing in a couple of gardens, and they were glorious! So I am considering them. I love the bright orange of yours combined with the blue. Truly inspiring!
Thanks – try a couple and see if you like them.
I’ve never tried to grow poppies. You don’t see them much in the Binghamton area of upstate New York, but I’ve seen several in bloom. I love how bright and cheery they are.
They might do OK for you in a sunny spot that isn’t too wet.
Hello Jason, my personal favourite is the orange California Poppy, Eschscholzia. They’re incredibly vibrant but the only place in the garden they might thrive in is the gravel drive, the rest of the garden will be too rich and too wet for them, lord knows we’ve tried in many places and they just fail.
They are indeed vibrant, I hope you succeed with them.