2003- The Year of the Poppy |
Poppies deserve a place in any garden: in wildflower and meadow plantings, perennial borders, cutting gardens or mixed-shrub borders. Their flower colors range from vibrant to subdued-from deepest crimson, bright orange and yellow to soft pink, dusky peach, rose, lilac and cream. Flowers may be single, double or semidouble, with amazing texture and size.
In a border garden, poppies combine beautifully with lamb's ears, cornflowers, larkspur, Shasta daisy, and veronica. For a meadow look, you cannot go wrong with a sowing of poppies among lupine, coreopsis, Indian blanket, black- eyed Susan, and cornflower-the colors complement each other and the various plants extend the flowering season into fall. The beauty of poppy blooms is like a magnificent sunset, somewhat fleeting.
Flowers appear primarily in the spring or fall when cool temperatures prevail. Poppies vary in height from 2 to 3 feet tall, although there are dwarf strains of the Iceland poppy that reach only 12 inches. The latter work well in rock gardens, in containers, and at the front edge of a border. Most poppies look good in the middle or towards the rear of perennial beds.
Poppies At A Glance-
Annuals
- Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas), grows 2 to 3 feet tall, blooms from late spring through summer and bears red, purple, lilac, white, salmon, peach, pink or orange flowers with a distinctive dark blotch at the base of each petal.
- Shirley poppy, a selection from the species, grows to 4 feet tall; its pastel blooms lack the blotch but have a narrow white or tinted edge on each petal.
Perennials
- Alpine poppy (P. alpinum), grows 5 to 10 inches tall, blooms from late spring to summer and bears white, yellow, or occasionally orange or red flowers. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 8.
- Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule), grows 1 to 2 feet tall, blooms from late spring through summer and produces orange, red, yellow, apricot, pink, salmon or white flowers up to seven inches across and has attractive blue-green segmented foliage. It is hardy in Zones 2 to 8.
- Oriental poppy (P. orientale), grows 2 to 4 feet tall, blooms from late spring to midsummer and bears scarlet, salmon, pink, peach, white or rose blooms, usually with a black blotch at the base of the petals. The foliage dies back after flowering but begins to regrow in fall. It is hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
Growing Poppies
Poppies grow easily from seed. Be sure to select the correct species for an annual or perennial planting. They are known for self-sowing, sometimes with abandon, and you may find seedlings popping up all around the garden bed, but they are not invasive.The seedlings are easy to pull up if they land in unwanted places.
Poppies are frost tolerant and germinate best in cool weather and soil. Sow seeds as early as the ground can be worked in spring. Poppies bloom profusely under cool growing conditions. When temperatures rise poppy plants tend to bloom only sporadically.
- Select a site in full sun, one that receives at least six hours of direct sun daily.
- Prepare the soil first. Poppies grow in almost any kind of soil with good drainage. Waterlogged soil, especially in winter, is one of the main reasons some perennials such as Iceland poppies fail to survive from one year to the next. If your soil has poor drainage, amend it by digging in a couple of inches of compost.
- Mix the tiny poppy seeds with some sand to make spacing easier. Sow thinly where you want the plants to grow in the bed. If you plan to make your own "wildflower mix" for a small meadow planting, mix 3-4 parts sand and 1 part seed to help you keep the seeds separated.The seeds are less likely to clump together, and this eliminates some of the need for thinning.
- Do not bury the seeds. Poppies germinate best with some sunlight.Instead, cover them with a very thin layer of fine soil and water the area. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy, until seeds germinate. At a soil temperature of 55 degrees expect germination in 10-15 days.
- When seedlings are about 1 inch tall, thin them to 6-10 inches apart.
- When you grow annual poppies sow more than once during spring to extend the color season in the garden.
Poppies are seldom bothered by pests or diseases, and this resistance is advantageous because they often react adversely to sprays. The best solution is prevention. Space plants so they have good air circulation. Do not over water. Plant them in soil with good drainage. Aphids may attack young plants in bud. Wash them off with a hard spray of water from the garden hose or, in severe cases, use an insecticidal soap spray. Downy mildew, a fungus, can be a problem for young plants. Its symptoms include yellow blotches on the upper sides of leaves with a gray mold on the undersides. Because of their sensitivity to sprays, chemical or otherwise, your best cure is prevention, as noted above.
Source- National Gardening Bureau |
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