Meconopsis 2024

[Leena]

Really pretty M. x cookei and flowers look big.

I have sown several times M.quintuplinervia with no success, but couple of days ago I noticed that there is germination  in a pot of M.quintuplinervia sown in January and pot kept outside (nder snow).
I am so pleased.

Blue Meconopsis are looking good coming up. These are Jim's ex, or maybe I should just say FBG plants.

[Leena]

Meconopsis intergrifolia from seeds from Tristan couple of years ago started to flower in late May.
They are so nice!

[Leena]

This Meconopsis zhongdianensis was sown in 2020, and I managed to grow one plant to flowering size. In more moist spots the seedlings died but in this a bit drier place it survived.
A very nice smallish Meconopsis.





Meconopsis baileyi flowering now.



The last flower of Jim's ex FBG, it has now flowered for a month!

[ian mcdonald]

I have several of the more common ones such as Baileyi and Lingholm but don,t know suppliers of others. I would like to try other coloured perennial species. Does anyone have suggestions for suppliers?

[Leena]

I have several of the more common ones such as Baileyi and Lingholm but don,t know suppliers of others. I would like to try other coloured perennial species. Does anyone have suggestions for suppliers?

I have gotten most of my Meconopsis seeds from SRGC seed exchange.

[Diane Whitehead]

A friend belongs to the Meconopsis Group and gets her seeds from them.

https://themeconopsisgroup.org

[Margaret Thorne]

I have several of the more common ones such as Baileyi and Lingholm but don,t know suppliers of others. I would like to try other coloured perennial species. Does anyone have suggestions for suppliers?

Perennial species of Meconopsis come mainly in blue, purple and white, the vast majority of yellow and red flowered ones are monocarpic. Seeds are sometimes available from perennial forms of Meconopsis punicea (which has red flowers), but in my experience these produce monocarpic plants. The hybrid between M. punicea and M. quintuplinervia is M. x cookei and the cultivar 'Old Rose' is a reliable deep pink perennial, but I know of nowhere from which this is available commercially. In Scotland, the best specialist nurseries for blue, purple and white perennial species and cultivars (many of which are sterile) are Edrom, Macplants and Kevock. The best source of seeds is The Meconopsis Group (and the Group's website is the best source of information on cultivation, identification, nurseries etc). M. sherriffii is a glorious pink flowered perennial species, but has sadly been lost from cultivation.

[ian mcdonald]

Thanks Margaret.

[Margaret Thorne]

Meconopsis intergrifolia from seeds from Tristan couple of years ago started to flower in late May.
They are so nice!

This looks like the Balangshan form of Meconopsis integrifolia which has until now been included under the subspecies souliei, but is quite distinct due to its wide open saucer, rather than cup-shaped flowers. It is probably sufficiently genetically distinct to be described as a new subspecies or maybe even a new species, certainly it is worth preventing it from hybridising with other Integrifoliae. It has become uncommon in cultivation in Scotland and only one member of The Meconopsis Group reported having successfully raised plants in 2023. So, please take care of it, hand pollinate if possible and grow more plants if you get fertile seed. Do you have more than one plant? Congratulations on having such a special plant!

[Leena]

This looks like the Balangshan form of Meconopsis integrifolia which has until now been included under the subspecies souliei, but is quite distinct due to its wide open saucer, rather than cup-shaped flowers. It is probably sufficiently genetically distinct to be described as a new subspecies or maybe even a new species, certainly it is worth preventing it from hybridising with other Integrifoliae. It has become uncommon in cultivation in Scotland and only one member of The Meconopsis Group reported having successfully raised plants in 2023. So, please take care of it, hand pollinate if possible and grow more plants if you get fertile seed. Do you have more than one plant? Congratulations on having such a special plant!

Thanks Margaret. They were really nice shape, and also the colour was intense yellow, especially in the beginning of the flowering.
I have five plants, and three of them flowered this year. Unfortunately I stupidly planted them to different beds (in hope that if any of them died in the winter, some would survive) and so they didn't flower close to each other. I tried to hand pollinate them, but not all seed pods look good. There may be some which are good, and hopefully provide seeds, but I'm not sure yet. The remaining two plants will flower next year, and they grow next to each other, so pollination is more sure.