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Author Topic: Meconopsis 2016  (Read 18338 times)

Jonathan Lealand

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Purple?
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2016, 11:08:11 PM »
Hello everyone,

I planted 16 Meconopsis Betonicifolia here in Bristol, UK, almost two years ago and now they are finally on the verge of flowering for the first time. One of them has just opened enough to reveal the colour of the petals hiding within and, much to my horror (!), it's purple, not blue. Is this normal? I've heard that some start out purple and gradually change to blue. On the other hand I've heard that if the soil is too alkaline they can indeed turn purple, though this shouldn't be the case since I replaced the bed with ericaceous soil..

I'm going to be so disappointed if they all turn out purple after the two years of love.. any advice would be much appreciated.




Tristan_He

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #16 on: May 25, 2016, 08:05:31 AM »
Give 'em a day or two Jonathan. Quite a few blue poppies will open a bit purplish. Unless your plants are "Hensol Violet' which stays purplish. Spring growing conditions can also affect the blueness of these and things like blue Corydalis. Are they from seed? If so there could be variation.

Incidentally if you are into blue poppies I'd strongly recommend M. 'Lingholm'. Reliably perennial, larger flowered than M. baileyi (yes they have changed the name back again) and a good doer in most gardens so long as it is well fed and split every so often.

Jonathan Lealand

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #17 on: May 25, 2016, 10:39:35 PM »
Thanks for the advice, Tristan. This is my first time growing any Meconopsis plant so I'm obviously a bit inexperienced but I fell in love with them when I saw them the first time and am determined to give it my best shot. They're definitely not 'Hensol Violets' so I'm hoping that the purple will indeed change to blue. They're not from seed, I bought them as small plugs a couple of years back.

I'm very interested in trying M 'Lingholm', especially if it's reliably perennial, and have just ordered 8 of them! I can't keep up with the back and forth between Betonicifolia and M. bailey..!

How long have you been growing them for?

Roma

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #18 on: May 30, 2016, 10:57:38 PM »
Meconopsis 'Mrs Jebb'  - such a deep colour.  This one stood out for me on a visit to Ian Christie's nursery a few years ago so i mhad to have it.
Roma Fiddes, near Aberdeen in north East Scotland.

Roma

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2016, 11:19:37 PM »
This opened yesterday.
Meconopsis prattii. 
I think it must be a self sown seedling as it is a few years since I planted M. prattii in this spot.  The Rhodohypoxis in the background of the second picture have been there for years and seem quite hardy.
Roma Fiddes, near Aberdeen in north East Scotland.

Roma

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2016, 11:24:36 PM »
Two different red Meconopsis opened today.  I think the first (pics 1&2) is one I bought at a plant sale.  The poor thing is still in a 7cm pot but is well rooted into the ground.  The second was grown from seed as Meconopsis staintonii.  I think the pollen is yelow but it appears red in the photos.  I will check tomorrow.
Roma Fiddes, near Aberdeen in north East Scotland.

Lesley Cox

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2016, 11:39:28 PM »
I wondered if these two reds were perhaps paniculata? But I don't know the genus well enough and don't know staintonii at all ???
Lesley Cox - near Dunedin, lower east coast, South Island of New Zealand - Zone 9

David Nicholson

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #22 on: June 03, 2016, 09:35:26 AM »
Nice to see your Mecs Roma.
David Nicholson
in Devon, UK  Zone 9b
"Victims of satire who are overly defensive, who cry "foul" or just winge to high heaven, might take pause and consider what exactly it is that leaves them so sensitive, when they were happy with satire when they were on the side dishing it out"

Roma

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #23 on: June 03, 2016, 12:08:13 PM »
Thanks, David.
Lesley, I think the first one is Meconopsis napaulensis (hort) if there is such a thing as most of those in cultivation could be of hybrid origin.  I'm not sure if staintonii is a valid name.  It is a few generations from a wild collection.
The stamens are definitely yellow.  I don't know why they come up red in the pics.   
Roma Fiddes, near Aberdeen in north East Scotland.

Roma

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #24 on: June 03, 2016, 01:08:11 PM »
Just had a look at Meconopsis World website.  Should do my research before answering queries.  Meconopsis staintonii is a valid name.  The ginger hairs on the leaves are a feature but they can occur in hybrids too.  Most of the tall monocarpic poppies in red and yellow shades are hybrids of napaulensis, paniculata, staintonii and others.
Roma Fiddes, near Aberdeen in north East Scotland.

Lesley Cox

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #25 on: June 04, 2016, 12:28:13 AM »
Thanks Roma. There are good stands of red and yellow in the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and I grew a lot from seed summer before last but one day of hot, north west winds did for the lot of them, still very young and tender. I'll try again though. M. grandis does very well here with high, overhead shade and a decent water supply at last.
Lesley Cox - near Dunedin, lower east coast, South Island of New Zealand - Zone 9

Jonathan Lealand

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #26 on: June 05, 2016, 11:49:12 PM »
Meconopsis 'Mrs Jebb'  - such a deep colour.  This one stood out for me on a visit to Ian Christie's nursery a few years ago so i mhad to have it.

Fabulous. Do Mrs Jebbs always have such rounded petals?

Jonathan Lealand

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #27 on: June 05, 2016, 11:52:31 PM »
Here's an early flowering highlight
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 12:07:15 AM by Jonathan Lealand »

Jonathan Lealand

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #28 on: June 06, 2016, 12:04:22 AM »
I love the deep blue in these
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 12:07:45 AM by Jonathan Lealand »

Maggi Young

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Re: Meconopsis 2016
« Reply #29 on: June 06, 2016, 12:15:42 PM »
There's a real magic about a big blue poppy!
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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