Papaver Orientale, Oriental Poppies

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Oriental Poppies

Oriental Poppies, Sumptuous Silky Blooms

Papaver orientale

Oriental poppies are cold climate plants which need a sunny spot, with well-drained, moderately fertile, soil: the kind of conditions found in most perennial garden beds. They live for a long time, and you can sometimes see stands where the homes have disappeared into the past. Heights of 2 1/2 to 4 feet tall, these plants will go dormant in the middle of summer, but their show is during a time when the rest of the garden is transitioning and they hold center stage at that time, late May to early June, with lots of pizzazz. Their dormancy means they put up with summer dry conditions, like their other garden friend from Grandma’s perennial beds, the German Iris. To fill in that spot left by their summer disappearance, neighbor them with Boltonias or Chrysanthemums which will fill in nicely and bloom late in the season. Old fashioned garden favorites, they were also loved by artists, Georgia O’Keeffe

A Bit of History:
Cultivated for centuries, they were introduced to France from Armenia, and then to Britain around the beginning of the eighteenth century.(BBC says from Turkey, but that is due to changing borders, I think)

The poet Goethe: “On the 19th of June 1799 late in the evening when the twilight was deepening into a clear night as I was walking up and down the garden with friend we very distinctly observed a flame like appearance near the oriental poppy the flowers which are remarkable for their powerful red colour ”

In Your Garden:
With flowers stretching 5 to 9 inches in diameter they make a big splash of vibrant color. Bronze fennel is an attractive companion with the most pleasing harmony of color and contrast of texture, it will also fill in when the poppies are gone. One of my favorite garden pictures consisted of the bright orange oriental poppies with a background of the purple sand cherry shrub. It is a similar color harmony of the type seen in “red” gardens, like that at The Garden at Hidcote
in England.
Some of the most beautiful: ‘Cedar Hill’,‘Prince of Orange’,’Turkish Delight‘,’Mrs Perry‘ , and ‘Perry’s White‘.
Care:
Divide perennial poppies in the spring or fall, take 2″ length of roots and plant in sandy soil or take a piece of the plant roots and put it in cultivated soil. Divide to keep plant true to type. They may take time to settle in. You may also grow from seed gathered from the flower pods.