The Meconopsis

I like Meconopsis, Himalayan blue poppies. They're very hardy, they like our acid soil, love our damp, chilly summer climate and add height and/or colour to the garden at an otherwise rather boring time, bloom wise. They're not too fond of the mild winters we occasionally have, but they've pulled through.

Here are most of our Meconopsis:


This little jewel is quite small. The leaves stand about 5 cm or 2 inches above the ground, and the flowers add another 7-8 cm or three inches to it's height. It still stands out because of it's intense blue colour:



Meconopsis delavayi ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )






Meconopsis delavayi ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )



The M. betonicifolia are in my experience the hardest to grow. I find the different hybrids a lot easier, but I still think they're worth a bit of effort:



Meconopsis betonicifolia alba ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )






Meconopsis betonicifolia ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )



The M. "Hensol Violet" has an unusual colouring for Meconopsis betonicifolia types, but I'm ever so glad it has. I think it's quite showy:




Meconopsis "Hensol Violet" ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )






Meconopsis sheldonii 'Lingholm' ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )



I like the creamy colour of the M. beamishii. We nearly lost it last year, but this year it bounced right back:




Meconopsis x beamishii ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


The M. prattii is a new aquisition from last autumn. We never thought it would bloom for us so soon, but we're ever so glad it did. It's a small Meconopsis, only about 15 cm or 6 inches tall:



Meconopsis prattii ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )






Meconopsis prattii ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


The M. quintuplinervia, also called Harebell Poppy, is the easiest to grow in my experience. It spreads out well and blooms for a rather long time:



Meconopsis quintuplinerva ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )






Meconopsis quintuplinerva ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


These Meconopsis are all perennial. We've grown the biennual Meconopsis napaulensis and the Meconopsis horridula too, but we never managed to get the seedlings past the two-leaf phase, so we've given up on the monocarp ones.

I hope you like our Meconopsis. I'll add more photos if we're lucky enough to see blooms on a couple of fickle primadonnas we got two or three years ago.

 

Good morning, yes Droopy I certainly do love the poppies, have quite often seen the seeds available but never been brave enough to try, I might now...
thankyou.

 

Hi Droopy,
i have had a second viewing of your beauties in your garden page,..i love those blue blooms,..stunning.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a Poppy in "real life". What a nice variety and the colors are awesome.
They leaves look to be "prickly". Are they?

 

Wow! Meconopsis betonicifolia is my favorite, I love blue and yellow together!

 

Thank you all.

chocolate, good luck with trying to grow them. I'm so lousy at sowing it's a waste of seeds.

Thanks, Philip.

eileen, I'm so sorry something ate yours.

cheryl, the leaves aren't prickly, it feels more like hairs. I believe it's a defence against drying out.

Cris, are you Swedish?

 

Oh, that's right! ha ha! No, French by way of Canada and English by way of Norway!

wow, the Lingholm is a very pretty blue, with some violet?

 

Love them all. Very pretty.

 

Super foto's of your Meconopsis collection. I really do find that they are doing very well up there.
Mine did oké, but not as nicely as last year. Every year is different here.
You have such a nice variety The M. quintuplinerva have a certain demure charm about them, don't they. My fav remains the Lingholm.

Very nice posting, meid.

 

Droopy I am left speechless :-D :-D I love these plants :-D I tried and I try to cultivate but not working But I am very happy that I see your own:-D
CONGRATULATIONS

 

Cris, it's got some violet at the base of the newly opened blooms, but it fades into blue quickly. This is the tallest Meconopsis we've got, about 150 cm.

Thanks, Donna.

Thanks Sjoerd, ours also differ from year to year. The Harebell poppy is neither big nor showy but I think it's very sweet. The Lingolm's supposed to be the showiest and easiest to grow of the big ones, so I'm glad you picked that one as your favourite.

Theodoros, thank you very much. I think your climate's way too hot for these plants. You'd need an alpine house for them.

 

The poppies are breath taking.Seems many have tried & not succeeded in growing these.I know our Iowa climate wouldn't suit them.So I will just admire yours.
sewNsow

 

Thank you sewNsow. We've got to have some perks since we've chosen to live here.