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Poppy flowers are so dramatic and exotic that most gardens contain at least one variety, but I was a bit surprised to learn how extensive the Papaveraceae family really is.
There are 23 genera and 210 species of perennials, annuals, biennials, and subshrubs. Identifiable by the white, yellow or orange milky sap, with flowers that are usually large, solitary and produce seeds inside a capsule that is often very attractive.
The poppies we are familiar with belong to the genera papavar, argemone, corydalis, eschscholzia, hunneremannia, maclearya and meconopsis.
Extremely easy to grow, most poppies love the sun and tolerate nearly any soil condition. They range in zoning from zone 3; Papaver Orientale or the Oriental poppy, to zone 8, Meconopsis napaulensis.
Annual poppies are extremely easy to grow year after year. Simply crush the seed pods and spread them about in the garden and they pop up, sometimes in unexpected places. More exotic varieties of poppies can be purchased at nurseries or through seed catalogues. Thompson and Morgan have some of the more unusual ones.
Some varieties of poppy are monocarpic [they die after they flower] this includes N, betonicifolia, the blue Himalayan poppy. Some people are lucky enough to have it become a short lived perennial, but I have not been that fortunate with it. It is, however, so lovely that it is worth the effort.
If you like the blue color but not all the work, try Cordalis flexosa ‘Blue Panda”. Its zone 6 and I have it in a slightly sheltered spot in my garden, where it does extremely well and is very spectacular in the late spring with its slender blue tubular flowers.
Two species of romneya are native to California [zone 7]; the California tree poppy has beautiful papery white flowers with bright golden centers. It suckers, making it slightly invasive, but if you are lucky enough to have a spot in your garden where it will grow it is unlikely to become a problem.
Papaver orientale is of course a common sight in many gardens, and the only drawback is finding a way to deal with the empty space in the garden after it is finished flowering, because it is so showy you want to have it front and center in your garden. I plant an annual or two in front that will take over the space after the poppy is finished flowering.
There are far too many fabulous varieties to mention, but it’s always tempting to try any new varieties that one happens upon. Why is it that there never seems to be enough garden space no matter how many new beds have been dug?
By Lindi Karmason
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