This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Monday 4 July 2011

Poppy Show

Poppies are in flower...
they've mostly self seeded and bring a splash of colour to many areas.

Variety: Californian Poppy 'Special Mixed', Carters Tested Seeds, 500 seeds, 90 pence.



These poppy are described on the seed pack as "poppy-like flowers with silky petals" and that's exactly what they're like.
Poppies add colour to the flower bed - the white poppies are quite nice. These are approx 10-12 inches (25 cm) high.

This is the first year I'm actively deadheading poppies and it makes a big difference. They flower much longer when deadheaded.
At first I found it difficult to see what was a spent flower. The little bud at the front with the 'pink collar' is the one that's finished. (I'm the sort of person who would make the mistake of deadheading the buds still to open :) )

Wild foxglove in the background. Roses mixed in. Californian poppy in the middle. I forget what the orange-yellow flowers are at the front but I really like them (a perennial that comes up every year).



Left: I think these are 'Field Poppy'. They grow taller, 35-40 cm (16 inches). Its hard to believe they've grown so well from a tiny crack in the paving!
 I like the way you can see the seed pod developing in the centre of the flowers. Next year I imagine I'll have three times the number of poppies as they self seed.
Left: Photo taken at Belfast Botanic Gardens - poppies are so cheerful!
Left: Seed packs. The Papaver 'Picotee Mixed' were sowed this year in seed trays and planted outside in May. They don't like to be transplanted so not sure  they will survive.
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13 comments:

  1. Egretta Wells blog4 July 2011 at 12:48

    Kelli, I love your poppies. They really are colorful and cheerful. I have always seen the reddish orange ones, but not yellow or white and I really like them. The photos are nice, too, especially the close up of the white one. That photo is really stunning! It's Independence Day here and lots of times veterans sell little paper poppies to help veterans and remember them for keeping our freedom! So your post is very appropriate for today.

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  2. Mark Willis4 July 2011 at 13:01

    Hmm. I did once try to establish poppies in my garden en masse, but they failed dismally. They don't perform to order. If there is some piece of waste ground available, poppies would much rather grow there than in a nice tidy flowerbed!

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  3. Rainy Day Gardener4 July 2011 at 21:14

    Hi Kelli, I agree with Egretta..a very appropriate blog topic for July 4th ;) You perennial garden with the poppies, roses, foxglove and others is so lush and cheerful! I enjoyed Mark's comment too...as it does seem that poppies don't follow directions well at times, although, yours are gorgeous and mindful :)

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  4. Jo5 July 2011 at 03:52

    Lovely. I have a Californian poppy in my front garden which has self sowed itself in between the paving. It's lovely when flowers do that and you end up with things which you didn't expect.

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  5. Petronela5 July 2011 at 10:45

    Wow what a lovely colorful explosion in your garden. I can barely take care of my lawn:). Congrats. Kisses.

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  6. HolleyGarden5 July 2011 at 10:58

    Beautiful poppies! They are so delicate looking. I should try some in my garden. I rarely plant seeds, but your post makes it seem so doable.

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  7. Malay-Kadazan girl5 July 2011 at 20:40

    Poppy do thrive in neglected place :). So pretty. I think I unconsiously weed many poppy seedlings this year. Admire your cottage garden very much.

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  8. ann5 July 2011 at 21:45

    Your poppies are great. I had them in the old garden, but am really struggling to get them started here. I guess I'll keep trying. Yours are inspiring.

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  9. Hazel6 July 2011 at 15:12

    I especially love 'Iceland Poppies'. In Australia Poppies are sold on remembrance day ... November 11th... last day of WW1.

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  10. Malar6 July 2011 at 16:54

    Beautiful poppy flowers! I wish i can grow them in where i live! You have very beautiful garden!

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  11. Laura Bloomsbury8 July 2011 at 02:53

    Love the clumps of buttery yellow poppies. For some reason, mine fail to establish in situ

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  12. littlekarstar8 July 2011 at 10:00

    I adore poppies. Seeing huge fields with wild poppies growing is amazing (France) and in Ireland I saw lots of foxglvoes growing wild too - so gorgeous

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  13. Anonymous12 July 2011 at 19:03

    Did you plant the poppies in the cracks of the patio blocks, or did they seed themselves there? I was amazed at your cool July temperature average of 64F. I don't suppose you would like the high of 92F we got up to today!

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