Growing Meconopsis From Seed

Dr. James Cobb examines this genus of the famous blue poppies.

This group of plants is native to the Himalayas and western China with the exception of our own native wildling Meconopsis cambrica - the Welsh poppy. They are best known as the 'blue poppies' but as we shall see they are very unusual in the plant world in having yellow, red, blue, pink, purple or white flowers of the most perfect purity of colour. The flowers of some species can be of enormous size and that of Parrer's' lampshade poppy (M. integrifolia) has been reported as 11 inches (28cm) across in the wild. They differ from true poppies only on certain rather variable botanical features and the Himalayan species that are best known are most easily identified by the hairs and spines on the leaves and, for many species, the blue flowers. Blue roses are a pale lavender but with blue poppies there is every imaginable shade of blue from the palest duck-egg blue to the deepest royal blue.

Meconopsis tend to be thought of as difficult plants found only in specialist plant collections but it is a reputation that they do not deserve. There are less than fifty species and about twenty of these are regularly offered by specialist seed list sources and about half that number are available commercially. They are very much a group of plants that require to be grown from seed, especially as many of them die after flowering although in some cases taking up to six years to come into bloom.

There are species that will grow in most parts of Europe except those with the fiercest summer heat and could be grown in many parts of temperate North America, Australia and New Zealand for example.

The best known is M. betonicifolia (which is sometimes incorrectly called M. haileyi). This plant is easily raised from seed and a proportion of the seedlings may be perennial, M. grandis is related and, as its name implies, has bigger blue flowers. It too comes from seed but this is more difficult to obtain as many plants in cultivation do not set seed. There are many good forms of this plant as well as the fabulous hybrid with M. betonicifolia called M. x sheldonii. These have to be propagated vegetively, normally by division. There are other relatives of these two species, some with a tendency towards being perennial and these include M. simplicifolia (blue), quintuplinerva - Farrer's harebell poppy - (mauve), punicea (blood red) and integrifolia (yellow).

There is quite a separate group with three related species in cultivation, all with good blue flowers. These all die after flowering, usually as biennials. These are M. horridula (all shades of blue), latifolia (pale duck-egg blue) and aculeata (shot silk blue/purple). They have very spiny leaves and become winter dormant with a carrot-like white tap-root and re-emerge the following spring as an attractive prickly rosette of leaves.

Another marvellously useful group of species are evergreen with ground-hugging winter rosettes of leaves up to a metre across and although they may take up to six years to flower, they too die after flowering. Eventually a spike of flowers arises from the flat rosette of leaves in early spring and flowers open from the top which may be 8 feet (2.5m) above ground level. The flower colours are of every shade that is possible. Species include M. napaulensis (all colours and shades including the most perfect pale blue), paniculata, dhwojii (both yellow), regia (red or yellow) and superba (white). There is a tendency for some of these to hybridise.

Seed of most species needs sowing in early spring in either a soil-less peat based sowing compost or in a home-made mixture with leaf-mould, peat, grit and dried sieved sphagnum moss in equal proportions. It would be wise to sterilise this seed compost as Meconopsis can damp off and, as a general rule, hate modern chemicals. Insecticides (against aphids on the seedlings) and fungicides require using dilute and with great care to avoid scorch or worse on the seedlings. Seed should be sown very thinly (amounts of seed of species like M. betonicifolia can be generous) and lightly covered. The seed pans, which need not be more than 3 inches (8cm).deep at the most, should not be covered but kept lightly shaded from strong sun. They are better in gentle warmth that does not exceed 18 to 20°C (64 to 68°F) and is cooler at night. Germination is usually rapid or not at all. All species have distinctive long narrow seed leaves rounded at the ends. They should be pricked out when there are two good true leaves, into the same sort of compost types as used for sowing. Seedlings need the gentlest of treatment and only very lightly pressing into the new compost. They should be rapidly grown on in gentle warmth and potted on into 4 inch pots (10cm) when they are about 1 inch (2.5cm) across. The new compost should contain good nutrient levels either in the form of well decayed organic matter (leaf-mould) or as a balanced inorganic fertiliser. Soil-less composts can be excellent. The plants should then be grown on in light shade and with as humid an atmosphere as possible for the rest of spring and early summer and ideally planted out in the flowering site by early August. They can be grown without heat in a lightly shaded frame kept moist but the plants will be smaller to take through their first winter.

Most species are normally self sterile and so more than one plant is required if you wish to collect your own seed. The seed of some species quickly loses viability and for one of the most delightful species, M. quintuplinervia, which is fortunately perennial, this is a major problem and seed should be sown in autumn when there is some small hope that it will germinate the next spring. The same is true for the beautiful M. punicea, which is a very rare species that has only just been re-introduced from China. Most species however germinate freely from seed stored over winter.

All the species require feeding and relish plenty of rich organic matter incorporated into the soil. Well rotted farmyard manure is excellent for large species such as Meconopsis regia is attractive at all stages of its life.

The winter rosette types and for perennial M. betonicifolia, grandis and the hybrids, this needs digging in two feet (60cm). All of them enjoy rich feeding but even more importantly they need the moisture compost holds in the soil. Nearly all species crave humid conditions in summer and can wilt in a heatwave however saturated the roots but the healthier the plants the more likely they are to survive periods of drought. The perennial species need the soil renewed and the plants splitting up every three or four years and the bed completely remaking when the rosette species have finally flowered and died.

The ideal situation for the perennial species and the winter rosette species is a semi-shaded woodland glade but most gardens will have somewhere that does not have fierce sun all day and is damper than the rest. They prefer shelter from wind when in leaf but do not like competition from the greedy roots of trees. In a dry garden it is still quite possible to grow blue poppies, especially M. horridula (the horrid bit refers to the spines, it is a lovely plant) and M. latifolia. The latter has exquisite pale blue flowers and comes from the dry western end of the Himalayas. It should be much more frequently grown as areas of the world providing the seedlings could be grown on in damp shaded conditions in the first place. It freely self-sows in my dry garden (less than 20 inches (50cm) of rain a year) and did so for years in the botanic gardens in Edinburgh which is nearly as dry.

If you are going to start growing the easier of Meconopsis in a dry area it is essential that you have the richest possible soil, even if you can afford only a tiny packet. The first to try would be M. betonicifolia, because the seed is always plentiful and you can keep on experimenting. Another easy species is M. paniculata Which will delight with lovely winter rosettes that are frost hardy to at least -20.C (-4.F) and least liable to rot. A third species to try anywhere is M. latifolia (or M. horridula if seed of the former cannot be obtained as it is the easiest for a dry sunny spot. Remember however this third easy species needs just as rich feeding as the other two. Finally when you have mastered these there are some very rare, difficult and immensely desirable species for you.