This coming Saturday (July 25), the Humboldt Botanical Garden will host the first-ever Himalayan blue poppy sale. Plants of the enchanting Meconopsis ‘Lingholm’ will be offered for sale from 10 a.m to 12 p.m., or until supply lasts. It is a rare thing to find Meconopsis for sale locally, or anywhere this time of year. Seeds were collected from plants growing in the Moss Family Temperate Woodland Garden. Seeds were germinated at the Garden and plants were grown by staff and volunteers. Husky starts in 3-inch pots, will be $10 each. There is no limit on how many you can buy.
‘Lingholm’ Himalayan blue poppies are among the less fussy of meconopsis, though Himalayan blue poppies are generally well-known for their difficulty to grow. They are native to the Himalayas, where soil is gritty, summers are cool and rain is plentiful. Fortunately, we can duplicate these conditions here on the North Coast — but it takes some doing. These special poppies are captivating when in full bloom, well worth the time and effort if you have a green thumb. Here are a few tips for success with blue poppies.
LIGHT — Meconopsis like morning sun and afternoon shade. Dappled light from leafy shade trees is ideal. If you have a woodland type garden, Meconopsis will like this.
TEMPERATURE — Meconopsis love our cool coastal summers. They tolerate neither heat nor wind.
WATER — Meconopsis must never be allowed to dry out, especially to the wilting point. At the same time, it is important not to over water, either. Keeping the soil evenly moist requires constant vigilance during the summer. Soil moisture extreme is where failure often occurs.
SOIL — A gritty, and peaty, well-drained soil suits Meconopsis just fine. At the Humboldt Botanical Garden we use Black Gold potting soil when growing Meconopsis. When installing the poppy plants in the ground, dig a hole the size of a two-gallon nursery can and fill with one part native soil and two parts Black Gold potting soil.
FERTILIZER — Constant, light feeding makes Meconopsis thrive. Every 10 days, give newly planted starts a liquid feeding of 20-20-20 or the like. Try this for the first three or four weeks after planting. Apply a time-release fertilizer, such as 14-14-14, on top of the soil at planting time. The time-release fertilizer will take over after four weeks.
TIMING — Healthy starts planted now will bloom next spring, if all goes well. Towards the end of summer or early fall, if lower leaves begin to yellow or look sickly, remove them immediately. Downy mildew can quickly set in. It is important to keep the plants healthy and disease-free. Always remove and dispose of diseased leaves. Lightly dust with sulfur.
Terry Kramer is the site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. Contact her at vlngirl@yahoo.com.
