The poppies look absolutely fantastic this year, the best I remember them. I think the cold spring has actually been a big help to them as the flower stems are much shorter and stockier than they usually are, and they haven’t flopped over at all. Since I never get around to staking anything, this is a welcome sight. The orange-red flowers are as huge and striking as ever, and the whole plant looks so much tidier and more presentable than in previous years (it can get a bit scruffy when it grows all tall and lanky and lies about).
This is one of the easiest plants to look after as well as being one of the most spectacular. They don’t need dividing, in fact, they resent being moved or fussed with at all. The only thing I do is completely cut back the faded leaves in mid autumn, saving the wonderful big pepperpot seed heads. Fresh new leaves grow to about 6-8 inches high by winter, and they stay evergreen though the harshest weather. In fact, I think the foliage is at its best in winter, very attractive rimmed with frost.
Oriental poppies grow very easily from seed, and come in a range of beautiful colours. Check out the selection on eSeeds.com: ‘Pizzicato’ is a popular mix of pinks and oranges; ‘Coral Pink’ is a pretty soft pink that is easy to blend into a pastel colour scheme, and ‘Brilliant’ is the brightest, darkest true red imaginable. A definite showstopper in the early summer border