RE: Poppies

Thanks for the information Claire.
	I seem to have come lately to the party!  Everyone else has already tried
this beautiful poppy!  I saw a Gardener's Journal on HGTV this summer where
Erica Glasener (sp?) interviewed Lauren Springer at her new home in the
Rockies.  This poppy is one of many excellent, very tough plants that she
has selected and naturalized on her mountain top. She lives at very high
altitude, >8,000' as I recall.  (that's up in nosebleed territory for me!)
 Lauren has been my inspiration since I read her book "The Undaunted
Garden" - an account of the transformation of her corner city lot and
parking strip (her old home) from ugly sparse grass and a few ratty shrubs
into an oasis of beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs.  I am happy to say she
will be speaking locally in the near future at one of our 2003 Hardy Plant
Society programs.
I spent a fair amount of time yesterday checking online seed catalogs and
found only one source - Select Seeds - sold out of course.  Hopefully they
will have it again in their 2003 catalog.  I am very smitten by the color of
Lauren's Grape.  I hope it really is grape color & not lavender which I
already have.
All types & colors of Poppies grow and bloom well here in our maritime zone
8 climate, so hopefully Lauren's Grape will too.  I can't recall seeing
poppies in pots at the nurseries (but then I don't get out to other
nurseries very often) except for the Icelandic Poppies in the spring.
Personally, I like the somniferums for their height, blue-gray foliage and
big sturdy stems that stay up no matter what.

Speaking of whimpy Poppies......the Oriental Poppy 'Patty's Plum'....I
couldn't wait to have it (me and several thousand other gardeners!) after
seeing slides of it in Helen Dillon's garden in Ireland.  I was salivating!
Finally managed to snag one plant from Heronswood Nursery last March.  When
it budded up I watched it with great anticipation, checked it every day.
When the big day finally came......what a let down!  A muddy purple at best.
Such disappointment.  :(  I felt like yanking it out, but didn't when others
assured me that THEIR Patty's Plum was just BEAUTIFUL and I should give it 2
or 3 years to get better.  I am suspicious that what I saw is what I'll get.
Anybody else have any experience with this oriental poppy?

Marilyn Dube'
Natural Designs Nursery
Portland, Oregon


-----Original Message-----
From:	owner-perennials@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf
Of ECPep@aol.com
Sent:	Sunday, October 13, 2002 2:24 PM
To:	perennials@hort.net
Subject:	Re: looking for poppy seeds

In a message dated 10/13/02 2:34:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mygarden@easystreet.com writes:


> long hot summer? I am searching for a source to buy Papaver somniferum
> 'Lauren's Grape'.  Does anyone know where I can find it?  Or better yet,
> does anyone have any to swap for a big black peony-type Papaver
somniferum?
> I like to sow my poppy seeds directly into the garden in November.  Its
> easy
> and foolproof.

Marilyn,

Lauren's Grape is on some of the society seed lists and once in a while in
some specialty nursery in 6-packs.  I have this plant reseeding in my garden
from 6 seedlings I purchased in Mass. a few years ago.  I was looking for a
while as you are.   The NARGS list is not printed yet but that would be the
place to look.

I have the very ordinary pinks, pink to shrimp with white or black blotches.
The singles reseed here in huge numbers every year regardless of the rain or
heat or any differences in weather from year to year.  We also save the seed
to swap or give away at meetings.

The pinks are mentioned because they are stronger plants, the seed
germinates
more freely and they are never lost in the garden.  Lauren's Grape, for me,
is a weaker plant that produces seed but the seed (which I let fall and care
for itself) does not germinate as freely as single pinks or what I think is
pretty close to the species.

I have put Lauren's Grape in any area where I have pulled out all other
opium
poppies to keep the color pure or at least attempt it.  This past summer the
Lauren's Grape plants appeared as usual in lesser numbers and not as
vigorous
as common pinks.

Since they do not produce as much seed we are not collecting the seed.  The
self seeded,  on site plants are by far the stronger and more successful.  I
am not certain they would maintain themselves if not helped along by me.
That is I clear space around them and water them if I think they are budding
at a small size.  I do not give any care to any of the other poppies and
that
would include the California poppies here in zone 4.   Along side LG, a
common pink single or some doubles will be twice the size.

There may be another purple out there somewhere and if I found one, I would
try it as LG is very pretty but not as strong as other poppies.  LG wants a
true poppy site, dry light soil, even rocky or pebbly and not too fertile.
As all the opium poppies, it attains height and vigor according to how much
water they get during the growth spurt at about the four leaf stage.  If
grown very dry, they are under a foot.  If it rains enough they can do three
feet.  If anyone has another purple listed in some catalog it would be well
to try that, too.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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