Blue poppies

[Roma]

My blue poppies have started to flower.  The wind and rain we've been getting has not been kind to them.
First the one I know as Meconopsis x sheldonii 'Cruickshank' though I believe it is identical to Meconopsis 'Bobby Masterton'
In the third picture the one behind to the left is Meconopsis betonicifolia 'Glacier Blue' from AGS seed sown in December 2008.  this is their first flowering and what a glorious colour! Then a closeup of 'Glacier Blue'.

[angie]

Very nice Roma, I do love these blue meconopsis. They will be enjoying the rain this afternoon.

Angie

[Philippe]

Hello

Lovely!

By me was today the first day of the meconopsis new flowers season. It started too with M.betonicifolia, which I was soooooo happy to see again after a whole year of waiting.
Best weather this morning to take some shots of it, under light sunshine. Amazing how a plant can really thrill you!
Unfortunetaly, we had a strong thunderstorm on the afternoon, heavy rain, windgales, and even lots of ( fortunately) little hail. I prayed the hail doesn't get larger, and it actually stayed by the size of little green peas.
The thunderstorm ended into thick fog, thus giving a strange monsoon atmosphere
Though the garden didn't appreciate much that violent "watering" and everything looks so "tired" this evening.
At least it brought some welcomed water to the plants, even if the major part of it just rushed down the beds into the pathes.
Under a pic of the morning meconopsis after the little hail/downpour of the afternoon. A little shocked but still ok. The flowerbuds weren't hurt by the hail ( but some of the rhodos look now quite ugly, sad).
M.punicea, integrifolia, grandis, and aculeata, non flowering, also stayed unharmed .

[Philippe]

Hi

Home seedling surprise, twice more pleasure and blue with this doubled flower M.betonicifolia.
Though I'm not very keen on double flower with any plant, I think it could get somehow interesting this time with blue poppies 

[Philippe]

A few meconopsis from this morning

M.betonicifolia and orange M.cambrica together. ( did someone already try to cross both? I am making the try, and I'm now waiting if seed is going to form or not. For the moment, it rather looks like it isn't going to give everything at all. Well, our european meconopsis doesn't really belong entirely to the asiatic meconopsis family, but it is well worth a try)

M.grandis. With very few pollen available in the stamens.

And finally M.horridula 'Silver'. A tiny thing, but with great charm beside his giant brothers. Perhaps somebody can tell me if this one is a horticultural selection or simply a natural variation which was named 'silver'?

Bye!

[Philippe]

Brand new flower of meconopsis horridula, with some sunlight to make it even more pleasant to look at.

[majallison]

Lovely Meconopsis, Philippe. With regard to hybrids between M. cambrica & the Asiatic species, they have been created. I would think they're more curious than beautiful, as the flowers are brown.

[jandals]

Taken a picture of my Meconopsis betonicifolia today before I put the flower netting on . Two layers . One at 300mm and another at 600mm . Hopefully this will stop the stems snapping .

[Maggi Young]

My goodness, they look healthy. Isn't it tricky to get them fleeced with the trees in the middle?

[jandals]

Going round the trees should be OK . I put them there because the plants are out in the open in a paddock and hope the flowering cherries will provide shade as they get older . I'm too lazy to put up a shadehouse for them .

Being south of Dunedin means cooler weather but often it's windier usually just as the plants come into flower . The flower stems partially break a third of the way up then lie on the ground and try again to flower vertically . These S -shaped stems will still flower but set no viable seed .

Pleased the cookies arrived Maggi . When I realised I didn't have your mailing address I ate them , then had to get some more . Ate those too . Third time lucky

[jandals]

Blue poppy update . The M.betonicifolia are starting to flower but the M.Lingholm are well under way now

[Roma]

Super crop of blue poppies .  I have late flowers on some of mine.  I had a single flower at this time a few years ago but there have been a few this year.

[WimB]

Blue poppy update . The M.betonicifolia are starting to flower but the M.Lingholm are well under way now

WOW, those are....WOW  Wish we could grow them like that over here.

[Will Youngman]

Stunning looking Meconopsis you guys are growing. I may be wrong but I think M.betonicifolia was renamed in (2009)? and is now known as M Baileyi?

Regards Will

[jandals]

Cheers guys . An advantage of living south of Dunedin is the deteriorating climate as you head south . Rainfall is (usually) more frequent and the summer temperatures are cooler . Add to that lots of compost made from the leftovers at the local coffee factory and you have Meconopsis growing in a cool climate and with loads of caffeine on tap .

Further south of us is an area known as "The Catlins" . They can grow Meconopsis  there in the full sun (metaphorically speaking) and never have to water them as the climate has reached rock bottom as far as NZ is concerned . Lovely scenery though

Will - I read Chris Grey-Wilson's paper and according to that I am growing M.baileyi and agree with it but it will take me awhile to get out of the habit