I'm no expert, but a gardener friend once told me that rare flowers like blue poppies and lupine, also Alpine plants and rockgarden flowers, like a little bit of sand in the dirt from seedling to old age.

If your pot holds 1 cup, add at least 1/8th a cup of sand. It can be any clean sand from the hardware store, or in a pinch, a box of parakeet gravel from the pet dept.
Up to 1/3 sand to the seedling mix is okay.

Maybe they get scratched a little in the gravel and that helps them germinate. The technical term I think is scarification, but these seeds are too little to be scratched with a knife--so the grit in the soil helps them, plus provides the drainage they like.

Watering once a week should be safe, but in the beginning check it every couple of days to make sure it doesn't dry out. If you see moss, give it more sun.

They like cold weather, spring rain, and bright light so I think they would do really well in WS.

When they are ready to transplant, look for places that get good drainage and good sun.

Wendy, while they don't need the chill, they do winter sow well. You might find it easier, because the seedlings can be a bit prone to damp off indoors.

Humus rich, moisture retentive but well draining site so lots of organic matter in the soil. They do OK in sandy loam if you are willing to provide enough water regularly.

I sow them in whatever good quality commercial soil I have on hand, by preparing the pot and lightly tamping down soil, then barely covering the seed, or covering only with a light layer of grit.

Meconopsis are easy to winter/spring sow, they germinate like cress, so sow thinly. You'll have to prick when they get 4-6 true leaves, they don't like to compete with each other, and only start to take off when they get their own pots. Give them peaty, well-draining moist soil in a cool, shady spot; too hot or too dry and they croak.

If you want them to perennalize, it's important to remove the first flowering stem. If you choose to let them flower in their first or second year they will usually act monocarpic, and die after setting seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Some of my Mecs

Yep, winter sow in whatever good commercial soil you have on hand. No need to add sand.

You can give them am sun, but mine get dappled shade from 11:30 am onwards and I know they would croak if given full sun. Never let the soil dry out where you plant them.

Milo has great suggestions as to how to get them to perennialize. I did exactly as he states and mine have been blooming for two years. This will be their third and I am looking at dividing them this year.

Best of luck Wendy. You will love these beauties!

So..trying to understand here..nip off buds, or don't let the flower go to seed? "First flowering stem" means...no flowers ar all? I can handle that, if I live for the next two years..I suppose. :O)

Wendy,

Now that I think of it, I let half of my plants flower their first time which was year three. When I saw the blooms fading on those, I deadheaded them right away before they put any energy into seed making. All plants returned last year and they all acted the same - more growth at the base, same bloom size, and lots more blooms.

So, in my experience, as long as you don't let them go to seed they will become perennial.

Hinkley, Explorer's Garden: " Undoubtedly, removing their inaugural attempt at flowering during the first spring will stave off a swift demise. This painful decapitation (painful at least for the decapitator) allows for sufficient basal growth to ultimately permit full flowering as well as to encourage survival."

Meaning don't let them flower, or no pain would be involved. I do let my own flower their first year these days, but because I sow scores of backup plants; and, it doesn't seem to be as important in ideal growing conditions. Hinkley's garden is NE of my own and gets less summer moisture, a little more heat.

It's mostly been a problem here if they flower while still young (in their first or second year after sowing), but even then about half have survived. They are heavy feeders, so work in some well-rotted manure, and fertilize each spring.

Well, I have a package of 125 seeds. Just getting some germination will be exciting for me. If they all germinate & thrive (LOL) I guess I can let a couple bloom. (Very wishful thinking here!)

I've always understood that meconopsis seeds needed to be sowed while they were fresh-that is as soon as they matured on the plant and that they have a short viability.

The American Horticultural Society propagation book states that they should be sowed immediately or stored in refrigeration and sowed in the spring.

Have those of you who have germinated these successfully been using purchased seed or seed that you've collected yourself? Did you store it any particular way?

I've always passed up buying packaged seeds of Himalayan Blue poppies because I thought the seed was not likely fresh and wouldn't have much of a germination rate.
I'd be interested to know what kinds of seeds you've all been using.
And I'd love to hear how your seeds do, Wendy! :)

Hello, poppy experts.
Are blue poppies a different family then other poppies?
Do you have to pick other poppies before they flower too, in order to get perennials?

Tansy moon, first, the blue poppies are meconopsis, not papaver. And no, I can't think of any other perennial poppies that need to put all the energy into forming basal growth before being allowed to flower.

Wendy, I've bought commercial seed for three types meconopsis from Chilterns and had great germination with all. I've sown seed from my own plants immediately, and I've also left that seed on a plate to dry, then stored it in zip locks on my desk for up to a year and had the same good germination. But I don't think I've kept it longer than that so I couldn't say what kind of germination you might find after 12 months.

That's good to know morz8, thanks.
Now if I could only remember where I saw those packages of meconopsis seeds for sale! I know I saw some a couple weeks ago.

The seeds I planted were a commercial pack that I bought on vacation and forgot about for 3 years. They germinated well.

Milo,

I'm hoping you return to this thread. I have been drooling over your photos and am wondering where you obtained seeds of your Poppies. Do tell!

I have only the Benotifolia (sp?) and would like to expand on my repertoire!! :O)

Has anyone grown Himalayan poppies in the hot/humid summers of
the Southeast? The blue is to sit and meditate over...

> wondering where you obtained seeds of your Poppies. Do tell!

Gardens North, J.L. Hudson, Thompson & Morgan and in particular Chiltern Seeds usually offer a few species each.

There's also a group of Czech botanists travelling to China and the Himalayas each year collecting seeds, and they've become my favourite seed sources. See their individual pages for price lists and some pictures: Vojtech Holubec, Mojmir Pavelka, Josef Jurasek and Vladislav Piatek :-)

(Those really bitten by the bug should consider joining The Meconopsis Group, their annual seed exchange have almost every species out there.)

Thanks Milo!!

Just checked out Chiltern. A bit on the pricey side for me but since I've only placed one seeds order this year, I might just go for it. I love the purples!

Thanks Again!

I bought mine from a local nursery, "Mr. Fothergill's" brand, out of Edmonton, packed in England (?) for 3 bucks for 125 seeds. I saw them online at www.seedsandmore.com as well, for a reasonable price, (2.95) for 50 plus seeds and I've also heard good things about their seeds and service.

Here's a link www.fothergills.ca