Colourful Poppies

The brightly-coloured flowers shown here are Welsh poppies (Papaver cambricum, formerly known as Meconopsis cambrica). Their citrus-coloured orange and yellow tones brought a touch of liveliness to an otherwise green and quiet spot in a mix of sunshine and partial shade.

These perennial poppies are native to Wales, parts of the west of England and some areas of Western Europe. They are widely planted in gardens too. I grew the yellow one in my previous garden in Scotland, where it was suited to the generally moist soil. They can spread themselves around a lot from seed. However, I was usually happy to see them popping up when they brightened up the cooler, shady areas of that garden.

The Welsh poppy is a plant that I wouldn’t try to grow in my present garden, because the drier and hotter conditions here wouldn’t suit it. Instead I’d go for one of the other Papaver species that are more likely to cope with a very well-drained soil. Wild Papaver rhoeas, the annual field poppy, seeds itself around my garden, so one of its cultivars would probably do well. There’s the lovely P. rhoeas ‘Pandora’, whose petals are a mix of deep and rosy red, striped with a soft grey. Then there’s the delicate pastels or deeper colours of the Shirley poppy, and the very tempting silvery-blue shades of P. rhoeas ‘Amazing Grey’.

Another poppy that I’ll probably try is the gorgeous plum-purple Papaver somniferum ‘Lauren’s Grape’, which would look right at home amongst the other deep purple shades in my garden. (I’d like to see it contrasted with plants that have silvery leaves to add a dash of drama to a border.)

Other poppies that cope with dry conditions include the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) – I see the annual orange flowers reappear every year as they seed themselves around a nearby garden. In the past I’ve grown a rosy-red cultivar called ‘Carmine King’ and it’s one that I’ll sow again. It’s one of many poppies that should do well here, so, happily, I have plenty to choose from.