For over a month now we have been seeing the beautiful blue of Meconopsis flowers in the borders. All the plants are new this year, some grown from seed, some new hybrids bought from specialist growers which formed part of last year’s Christmas present from himself, the undergardener! The first to flower were Meconopsis baileyi, formerly M. betonicifolia.
Showing just enough blue to tempt me out of the house to investigate.
The crumpled petals open up to a perfect flower. This was the only plant out of 6 to flower, hopefully the others will flower next year.
Slowly, more flowers opened on the same stem.
Soon all three flowers were open.
I planted out 5 small plants of Meconopsis Lingholm which I grew from seed, but none have decided to flower this year, hopefully I won’t lose them over the winter and I’ll be able to enjoy them flowering next year.
One of my new hybrids, Meconopsis Crewdson Hybrid.
M. Crewdson Hybrid, such a beautiful blue.
Meconopsis Mophead, with its very large flower.
Mophead again with a second flower.
Two flowers open on Mophead.
Meconopsis Jimmy Bayne
Meconopsis don’t all come in the colour blue, this is Meconopsis baileyi var. alba.
A few of the new hybrids didn’t flower this year, so next year should be even better! I have been cutting back the branches of the Chestnut tree which overhang the border where I’ve put the hybrids so that they will get more light. There is still a lot of work needed in the new bed which will have more plants than just Meconopsis. I think white foxgloves at the back will make a nice contrast as they flower at the same time and then I must have interest at the front for different times of year. I think this is an opportunity for more hostas, ferns and heuchera combinations, plus spring bulbs, but I think that will have to wait until autumn now as there are other jobs that are more urgent, like catching up with all the weeds which are appearing in the rest of the garden faster than I can pull them out!
I will now be watching for seedheads forming so that I can increase my numbers of Meconopsis, one plant flowering is lovely, but a drift – that is pure heaven!
I hope they thrive and flower even better next year for you. I have tried and tried with blue poppies several times, and just cannot get them to live from one year to the next. But I wish you better luck with them! Let us know how they do next year.
Thank you Alison, I too hope that they survive the winter and are better next year. I was doing quite well with seedlings that I had grown, but I think they got too wet over the winter in the spot where I had them. These new ones will be cosseted over the winter, covered over if we have a very wet one, I am determined they will survive!
I can see why you are so smitten Pauline – that blue really is lovely, especially in that close-up! Good luck with creating that ‘drift’ of blue… 🙂
They are such a beautiful shade of blue Cathy, with no hint of purple, I can’t resist them! Splitting and seed sowing will hopefully create the drifts I’m hoping for, watch this space!
Oh Pauline, your patience has been rewarded in abundance. They are so beautiful. I enjoy seeing the amazing pictures of your superb garden. Thank you .Love Jeanx
Lovely to hear from you Jean, I’ll have to be patient a little longer, at least until next year when hopefully they will all flower. They are such beautiful flowers and a stunning shade of blue, I just wish they were easier to get through our winters, in the Himalayas, where they come from, they would be under 10ft of snow!
All so beautiful Pauline. Can they all be grown from seed? I only have Lingholm which does produce viable seed so is easy to replenish or increase stock. Your plans for a combination with white foxglove sounds lovely. I look forward to the pictures as this bed progresses!
I grow M. Lingholm and M. baileyi from seed Denise. All the hybrids are new and some don’t set seed at all, if they do, they won’t come the same as the parent, being a cross between 2 others, but who knows , they might be even better! I’ll have to wait and see what the seed pods contain and see if they are worth trying.
Always loved these flowers, I admire your patience, and nurturing skills. Maybe I will try again sometime.
Lovely to hear from you Jackie! Good to meet another fan of meconopsis, they are a bit tricky, but really worth the effort, do give them another go!
What a color!
I foolishly requested a few seed and started them last winter. The seedlings came up nicely but only two remain now that temperatures have gone up. I’ve moved them under lights but it really is an experiment in futility for me to try them here…. but it’s fun of course!
I agree Frank, the colour is amazing, so hard to resist! You have too much heat in the summer, I have too much rain in the winter, but we still try. Maybe this coming winter I could put a cover over them for Jan/Feb, the two wettest months and see if that helps. Keep trying Frank!
I was waiting for you to show these, well done for collecting the seed or small seedlings; they are the perfect blue flower!
I was expecting too much really to think that my seedlings would flower this year Christina, but hopefully they will do next year as long as I can keep them drier over the winter. In the Himalayas they are covered with a deep layer of snow which keeps them nice and dry.
Oh gosh, captivated I was by the heavenly blues!! What delights they are, I grew them from seed one year and they disappeared two years later. I had to confess to a little envy!xxx
I have to admit Dina, that they are fussy as to the conditions they like, wet in summer and dry in winter – not easy to maintain in this country! The colour is so beautiful that I think they are worth trying again and again! The Hybrids that I was given are supposed to be more perennial than Lingholm and baileyii, we shall have to wait and see!
This is such a marvelous blue color! I can envision just what you described with the foxgloves and other plant combinations. It will be wonderful! Lots of weeds are popping up here, too. I am constantly amazed at their vigor and growth rate.
I can see the border in my head already Deb, I now just have to plant it! Clearing the border ready for the new plants, I have discovered a white wild rose tucked away in a dark corner, so that will be allowed to stay as it fits in with the scheme of things.
Gorgeous blues Pauline–what a thoughtful Christmas present. The ones you’ve shown are interesting and hope next year your laggards will perform well too.
Yes, the Undergardener does take notice when I’m going on about plants that I like Susie, I was really delighted when they turned up unexpectedly! The Meconopsis that haven’t flowered have been making good plants down below, some forming 3 or 4 rosettes, almost ready for splitting, so I have high hopes for next year.
Yes, what an achievement – and where so many others have tried and failed! It would indeed be wonderful to have a whole drift of them and I do so hope they oblige in due course.
Cathy, if I ever manage to have a drift, you will be the first to know! I will be saving seed from any promising looking seed pods and hoping they will germinate next Feb/ March. I don’t usually have a problem with the seed, it is after that that things go wrong, all down to too much winter rain!
How heavenly and how seriously impressive to have raised them yourself. Your photos are wonderful portraits of how the flowers develop and differ. Thank you
It’s just M. Lingholm and M. baileyi that I have grown from seed Kate, the hybrids were plants bought for me as a gift. Even though most of them are the same beautiful blue, there are differences in the petals and also in the leaves which weren’t shown on the photos.
These Meconopisis may be the single most beautiful garden flower. So sad I cannot grow them.
I agree Jason, they are so very beautiful and I feel are worth the extra effort needed to keep them going from one year to the next.
You are so lucky to be able to grow the blue poppy. Of course, I failed In CT, and seeds should not even be given to growers in climates where this spectacular poppy wont grow! It was a waste to even sell them to me…but we love a challenge, dont we?
I think even in this country Jayne, seed in garden centres is already dead as it isn’t stored properly at about 5C. I was lucky that the seed I bought on our holiday in Canada was viable, probably as it was a garden famous for its beautiful Meconopsis, but after that first lot of seeds germinating, I have been hooked!