Potential poppy problem?...

Hello fellow Poppy People!

While cleaning up beds for winter I noticed something that has given me concern; a bunch of P.somniferum seedlings just emerging. I'm assuming these tender seedlings will soon be killed by cold, but I'm concerned if they're germinating now I won't get self sown seedlings in spring. I've saved seed, mostly to share with others, but I'm thinking I better hold on to some just in case.

I've seen the same thing with Iceland Poppies, but those little plants formed rosettes that stayed there all winter and bloomed in spring. I had some P.somniferums that I'd winter sown that germinated early and got nipped by cold, so I'm thinking they wont behave like the Icelands. When cleaning out the bed, I did find more full seed pods and went ahead and sprinkled those around too- hoping its cool enough now to keep them from germinating.

What has you're experience been with them? Anyone else have fall germination from P.somniferums?

The bed in the pic is where I'm finding all the babies. I grew P.somniferums in other beds where I'm not seeing seedlings.

Thanks for any input,
Neal

sorry I dont have any advise, just wanted to say I winter sowed some P somn. in with my lilies and in the best of all possible worlds I hope for a garden like yours.
I also love the PS in thick bunches.
As a result of your thread I checked to see if mine were germinating as I am in the same zone. No little ones.
I kinda think they wont make it thru the winter.
Good luck with your question.

Thanks, ge! This is the first year I've combined poppies with lilies, and I've loved the contrast in forms. We've had a very dry summer, and a couple of weeks ago got the first (and only) good rain since sometime in July. I think the moisture and cooler weather prompted them to sprout.

I had a few of those poppies from above in this bed too- love them! They came from a friend's aunt's garden who has long since passed- I call them Eleanor's poppy in honor of her.

My gardens are new so everything is sparse.
Is that Agastache with the poppies too.
I sowed some popy som. in front of my agastache. Makes a nice combo.
I also sowed some with the lilies, so hope for them next year.
Trouble is I havnt had very good luck wintersowing in any garden Ive had, either they come up so thin or not at all. I' should sow a pound of seeds per two square feet.


This message was edited Nov 6, 2008 11:37 AM

forgot to send pik of lily bed where I sowed poppies.
As you can see this season was sparse. I have planted a tall sedum next to the yellow lily.
There were supposed to be three golden trumpets but the other two bulbs came up as something else.

Gemini, if your winters are not too cold the new seedlings will probably survive the winter. Even if they don't there are usually enough seeds scattered that will come up in the Spring. I find the 'naturalized' seeds that scatter on their own are the strongest and first to bloom the following year. Not to worry. There are always more seeds. Poppies are prolific seed producers.

Good to know.Balveni.
Do you know where I can find a poppy person who has seeds to send for postage. I need a lot.

Yep ge, that is 'honeybee blue' agastache. I think I sowed those poppies in March. That will be a lovely combo, and you'll see a huge difference in your lilies the 2nd year- they take a year or two to really put on a show. I've got plenty of Shirley poppy seeds (mixed colors) and a few P.somniferums I can send you.

balvenie, thanks so much, that is great to hear!

Gemeni sage I have agastache blur fortune.
The lilies came from B&D Lilies I ordered Three Gold Trumpet and three Moonlight Strain, out of the six bulbs there was only one bulb in each color, the other two bulbs out of the three werent Gold much less as tall as they should be. The moonlight strains had one MS and the other two were common regal lilies.
I'm keeping them where they are because they are too hard to transplant in this clay soil, I'm arthritic so that adds to the problem.

Oooh, Blue Fortune, do you save seed from it? I think its a darker blue than mine. Lilies typically don't achieve their full height the first year, I bet you'll see a big difference next year. As far as the color variations are concerned, that can be typical of strains. They're grown from seed and naturally vary somewhat from each other in color and height (the really special ones are sometimes cloned). The catalog pics can be misleading, showing the richest colored blooms in the whole field, when they should show the color range. The cooler weather in the NorthWest naturally makes lilies more colorful there too. I'm familiar with 'Midnight', a near purple trumpet, but haven't seen pics of 'Moonlight' yet. Some DGrs posted pics of their Midnight lilies that looked just like Pink Perfection (but costs more). However, your yellow should have definitely been yellow; I bet they'd replace them if you notify them. Free lilies are a good thing :-)

gemini_sage, Don't worry about your P.somniferum. The seedlings will be killed, but the seed survives the cold for sure. Did you know the seed stays viable for about 100 years! There are plenty left that dit not germinate now, but will do in spring.

ge1836
I have a lot of P. somniferum and a bit of P. commutatum Ladybird and P. nudicuale Island Mohn.
D-mail me, if you are interested

Gemenisage Blue Fortune is sterile sorry. But I will send some seed heads just incase my info is wrong.Dmail me w/ address.
I lnow this isnt a lily thread but the other two lilies with Gold Trumpet are no way near color or size.
I did write to them,but got no response. They were good about replacing some DL's .
Here are the noid lilies that came up w/ Gold Trumpet.oops Copper King.
The moonlight strain is chartruse yellow. I had high hopes as the companion plant was Lime Sorbet Aqualigia.

This is supposed to be Moonlight Strain Chartruse.I dont think so lol
I'll try to find he other two noids with this group of three.

Actually its not as bad as I remembered but this was supposed to be Moonlight Strain and there's no way.

I have a question about poppies in part sun.
Will it succede?
I also have full sun but a part sun local will give me more options.

ge1836k
The poppies will grow in part sun, but will not grow as tall as in sun. The P. nudicuale Island Mohn does very well in part sun.

Thats great ,now I cant wait until spring.

Wow, you at least got a bunch of really pretty lilies in the bunch, but looks like you got mixed colors instead of straight varieties. Both of the "not-Moonlight" are really nice, but it is a bother when things are mislabeled.

I will add to Copper King in the future or just wait and divide them in a few years.
I love lilies and with so much more space than my old house I have planted many, even some dwarfs or border lilies from LilyNook.
Expensive I know but when you turn 70 you get an attitude about such things so I'm going for it.

Just recieved the poppy somnifoleum(sp)
I pulled back the mulch on the lily garden under the window where my computer is and added a light dressing of container planter soil and winter sowed them there.
Heres the spot

this is how i record where wintersown seeds are.
Even has a folder for wintersowing

Hi gemini_sage,

I grow the kind of poppies you are asking about. Mine have never come up this time of year. But they have come up in the spring before the last frost, and lived through it. Those frosts in the spring have always been very light.

I have planted seeds in the spring, a few at a time through June and into July. They come up, grow up and bloom. - so I have blooming poppies all summer long - much longer than the self seeded plants.

Thats a great idea, Willie! It is kind of a bummer when they fizzle out