Growing Meconopsis Part1

 Himalayan blue poppies- one of my dream plants.

27th Feb

Put seeds of Bailevi and Lingholm. Sowed them on wet kitchen paper towels, rolled up, and put it in small zip bags, then bags moved into a fridge.

10th Apr

Checked zip bags. 

Lingholm- as soon as I opened the bag, I had the feeling that this would not germinate... It smelled like grapes, small, purple pigment of stains around the seeds.

However, Baileyi had germinated. I could see some rootings.

Picked up several seeds, including germinated ones, then put them on to coco peat pellets.

Covered them with a plastic ventilated lid, left them in a shady place outside. 

 

18th Apr

Could see leaves.

 Keeped them moisture. Watered them by using my small swan-neck coffee kettle. They are so delicate, can easily knocked down by watering..

6th May

Now I can see one true leave. So far, only two Baileyi have survived. Lingholm have, sadly, all gone. Started thinking about final location for planting.. or should I keep them in a large pot?

 

Apparently the yellow poppy or Welsh poppy also belong to the Meconopsis group.  

The places where Welsh poppy shrives could be the good place for blue poppies - near the fence, under the tree etc.

Hope to see flowers next year. Will update you sometimes!

 

 

baileyi

Mrs John Laing

 I suddenly realised that Mrs.John Laing is about to bloom... 

 

 

The bright yellow-green leaves are very beautiful... this rose is  susceptible to black spot disease and tends to lose its leaves. Even so, the buds come up slowly and surely and continuously bloom until mid November. 

The buds of Grace are starting to show some colour.

 

 When the garden is bare, it seems empty and lonely, so that I tend to think about planting this and that, but it may not be right. Should be brave enough to save some space for next year- perennials and roses get bigger bigger..