Himalayan Blue Poppies from Seed

by Bill Terry
Images © Bill Terry

"Success with Meconopsis is the crowning achievement of any gardener". This heading of an article by Graham Stuart Thomas, in the American magazine Horticulture, feeds the wrong-headed belief that it's next to impossible to grow Himalayan Blue Poppies. True enough if you live in Australia, Texas or Regina. Not true if you have the good fortune to live in a moist and temperate climate with cool summers. Generally, if you can easily grow rhododendrons, Meconopsis are worth a try. Like rhododendrons, Meconopsis prefer acid soil. Like rhododendrons they must not be allowed to dry out. Nevertheless, like rhododendrons, Meconopsis must have well drained compost. On British Columbia's 'Sunshine Coast', I have had considerable success with meconopsis. Propagation requires care and close attention, as will be described. But success is within the reach of any gardener prepared to make the effort.

Propagation and Cultivation

Do not rely on seed from commercial sources. Seed is short lived and may well be useless by the time you buy it. (This is one reason why people believe growing Blue Poppies is beyond them. They buy commercial seed, follow the instructions carefully. Nothing happens. They blame themselves.)

Get seed from a seed exchange or better still gather it ripe (summer) from a friend's garden. Seed should be kept in the frig until you are ready to use it. Start the seeds in a controlled situation, whether indoors under lights or outside in a cold frame. That is, do not plant directly in the garden. This is most unlikely to be successful. Garden books suggest starting in the fall. This will work, starting the seeds in pots outside, sheltered in a cold frame or under the eaves on the north side of the house. However there may be considerable loss of the tiny seedlings over winter. I have tried various methods and will describe here the technique I have consistently found to be most successful.

Start seed indoors in February/March under fluorescent lights. Ordinary 40 watt tubes will do perfectly. You don't need the expensive "grow lights". The lights should be controlled by a timer, providing 12 hours of light and 12 of dark. The seed trays should be very close to the lights.

I use plastic six-pack containers, the sort of container that garden centres use for annual bedding plants. Any quite shallow plastic tray will do, with drainage holes of course. Whatever you use, sterilize first in a well diluted bleach bath.

Do not use garden soil or your own compost. Buy a sterilized commercial soil-less, peat based mix such as Pro-mix, John Innes, Fisons, etc. Brand names vary, but look at the list of ingredients. I use 'Sunshine #1'. According to the label, this is 70&perc - 80&perc; Canadian spaghnum peat moss, with perlite, gypsum and small quantities of various minerals. To this I add roughly 10&perc; by volume each of clean sand and perlite. This ensures perfect drainage.

Moisten the mix well. It should hold together when you squeeze a handful, but not drip. Fill the container to the brim with the damp compost, tamped down firmly. Scatter seed thinly on the surface, and press gently to ensure contact with the mix. Meconopsis need light for germination, so do not cover the seeds. You may (and I do) scatter a very thin coat of fine vermiculite, which helps to keep the seeds moist. Seeds need to be started in a cooler part of the house, or in a shaded, frost free part of a cool conservatory, where night temperatures will dip to 15°C or below. Do not use bottom heat. Keep moist, using a gentle, fine mist once or twice a day. Add no fertilizer.

If your seeds are viable and if you start them as described, you'll have germination in 2-4 weeks. If by this time, there's little risk of severe frost, you may move them outside, to a space protected from slugs and out of the rain. Heavy rain can wash out all your efforts. You need to control the watering and you must make sure the seedlings do not dry out at any stage.

Transplanting

If the seedlings are very crowded, pluck some out with tweezers. When they have their first true leaves (tiny, hairy) they are ready to transplant, even though no more than 1cm across. Use sterilized 4 inch (10cm) plastic pots. One plant per pot. Knock the seedlings out of the seed tray and very gently tease them apart, with as little disturbance as possible. Hold the plants only by a leaf; not stem, not roots. Fill a pot loosely with the same sterile mixture as before, make a hole in the centre with your finger and, holding the seedling by the leaf, lower it to the correct depth. Hold it there and use your other hand to firm up the soil, adding more as needed. Water gently with half strength 'plant starter' that is a liquid fertilizer with a high middle number (e.g. 10-50-10. Or 5-15-5) This promotes root growth. Scatter a few grains of slow release fertilizer on the surface and leave the seedling, as before, sheltered from rain, sun and slugs.

The transplants will be slow to start and you may lose a few. Once underway they grow rapidly. Never let them dry out. Plant out in the garden at about 10 - 15 cm size. Leave about 30cm space between plants. And do not let them dry out! This should be July/August. They need to grow on more in the garden before dormancy.

The ground should be deeply dug and enriched with lime free compost and manure. (Do not use mushroom manure). In a word, humus rich. Well drained. There should be no competition from tree roots. The area should be part shaded, preferably protected from hot afternoon sun. Deciduous shade is good, admitting plenty of winter light. Blue Poppies are heavy feeders and will enjoy a dose of balanced fertilizer.

Over winter, the plants will disappear entirely. Frost or snow will not damage them. However, if water pools around the crown, they'll die. In spring, all being well, you'll see furry noses emerging, followed by a rosette of hairy leaves up to a foot long or more and a flower spike. In summer, if the plant is preparing for a second season, you'll see new green leaves erupting at the base. If not, it's finished. Some say you should cut off the flower stem as soon as it appears in year one, in order to build up strength in the plant and ensure survival in year two. (These plants have a habit of flowering themselves to death) I have never been able to bring myself to do this. Knowing there will be losses, I raise a batch of replacements every year, selecting seed from the finest plants.

Bill Terry is a retired CBC Radio executive with a lifelong passion for gardening. He hosted the Cable 11 TV program "Coast Gardeners" and is a past president of the Sechelt Garden Club.