oriental poppy

[Mr. T.H. Outis]

Anyone have experience growing it? Second attempt, still no "luck".
NB: not drug-related.

[Mr. T.H. Outis]

There's one growing wild in my front yard. My wife said it was a poppy when I asked what that big red flower was. Looks like this.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1037.html


"It's not a good idea to plant oriental poppies in areas where soil stays wet for extended periods."

Low elevation here. I guess I should move to pots.

[Gott]

Oriental poppies are very difficult to move as they have very long tap roots. They generally need to be sown where they are to grow. If you try to move them and miss any of the tap root, the plant dies. Pots are not a good idea because of the long tap root.

Ordinarily they live for many years, are not attacked by many pests, are easy to grow and come in a nice assortment of colors from vivid red to pale pinks, salmons and whites.

There are lots of annual poppy types too.

[Mr. T.H. Outis]

Oriental poppies are very difficult to move as they have very long tap roots. They generally need to be sown where they are to grow. If you try to move them and miss any of the tap root, the plant dies. Pots are not a good idea because of the long tap root.

Ordinarily they live for many years, are not attacked by many pests, are easy to grow and come in a nice assortment of colors from vivid red to pale pinks, salmons and whites.

There are lots of annual poppy types too.

Well, what the fuck is Martha Stewart talking about? She says start in pots. I thought that was a bad idea myself and put them in the ground. Perhaps I put them too far down.

[Gott]

Some annual poppy varieties can be started in flats or pots, but it is usually not recommended for the perennial oriental ones. Perhaps....she suggests starting them in pots and then carefully transplanting them to their final destinations when they are still little/young? That could work. And, a couple of times when I was desperate, I did transplant small oriental poppy plants, but VERY carefully, digging as deep as I could and cradling the dirt ball so as not to break the tap root. Buying the plants (around here) is quite expensive and they are pretty easy to grow from seed.

A friend of mine grows opium poppy plants, which are weirdly legal to grow. Her plants have spectacularly beautiful flowers and the plant itself is nice looking sort of similar to the oriental types in a small scale way (but it might be an annual). The annual poppy types generally tend to have smaller everything - flowers, stems, leaves. But they are really easy to grow.

Right from where I'm typing is a window outside of which are two oriental poppy plants about a foot apart. I planted them 3 years ago (I think...) and probably did so from pots (but can't quite remember) when they were very small. That first year - nothing. Last year I got a few stunted flower stalks that rotted before they opened. This year I'm looking at a major explosion of flowers extending in a 3 or 4 ft circle from the base of the plant. It is worth the trouble once they get established.

[Mr. T.H. Outis]

Some annual poppy varieties can be started in flats or pots, but it is usually not recommended for the perennial oriental ones. Perhaps....she suggests starting them in pots and then carefully transplanting them to their final destinations when they are still little/young? That could work. And, a couple of times when I was desperate, I did transplant small oriental poppy plants, but VERY carefully, digging as deep as I could and cradling the dirt ball so as not to break the tap root. Buying the plants (around here) is quite expensive and they are pretty easy to grow from seed.

I went ahead with potting some oriental. I also potted a variety called "Persian Blue". How long was it before you transplated?

[Gott]

When the plants in the pots look healthy enough to fend for themselves in a real garden is when you should transplant them. Don't wait too long or the tap roots will hit the bottom of the pots and start to grow in weird ways, and also the bigger the root systems, the easier it will be to break them when you move the plants to their final homes. These things live near forever, by the way, and can't really be moved from place to place successfully, so be sure you want it permanently where you decide to plant it.

[Mr. T.H. Outis]

When the plants in the pots look healthy enough to fend for themselves in a real garden is when you should transplant them. Don't wait too long or the tap roots will hit the bottom of the pots and start to grow in weird ways, and also the bigger the root systems, the easier it will be to break them when you move the plants to their final homes. These things live near forever, by the way, and can't really be moved from place to place successfully, so be sure you want it permanently where you decide to plant it.

Absolutely nothing has shown itself yet. So I don't know what will happen. I have moved on to other, less challenging plants. I'm a beginner. But I will put your advice to work if they do grow, thank you.