Germination temperature
Cool: 13-18 °C (55-64 °F).
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Himalayan blue poppies come from cool, wet mountain meadows and woodland and are a challenge in most gardens. Sow fresh seed on the surface, give it cold and light, and grow the plants in moist, shaded soil where summers stay cool.
Cool: 13-18 °C (55-64 °F).
Surface sow; seed needs light.
About 3 weeks for fresh seed; up to about 90 days.
Light for germination; partial shade for plants.
Cold: sow in autumn-winter outdoors or store seed in the fridge.
Sow in pots or modules; plant out in autumn or the next spring.
Meconopsis seed loses viability quickly, so sow it as soon as possible. If you must keep it, store it in a paper packet in the fridge at about 4 °C (39 °F), not in a warm room.
Not needed. The seed is tiny and thin-coated; nicking it would only damage it.
Helpful. Either sow in late summer or autumn and leave the pots in a cold frame over winter, or sow between December and February outdoors so the seed gets natural cold. Seed stored in the fridge has already had some chilling.
Not needed. Moisture on the compost surface is enough; never let it dry out.
Keep pots cool, around 13-18 °C (55-64 °F). A warm room or a hot spell is a common reason for failure, so start pots in the cool season.
Sow thinly on the surface. Leave the seed uncovered or add only a very thin layer of fine grit to hold it in place.
Two parts peat-free multipurpose compost to one part sieved grit, or another well-aerated mix with grit or pumice. The mix must stay damp but never waterlogged.
Water from below or with a fine spray. Seed and seedlings die quickly if they dry out, but sitting in wet compost rots them too.
Seed needs light to germinate, so do not bury it. Keep seedlings in bright shade, out of direct sun.
About three weeks for fresh autumn-sown seed. Seed sown after winter storage can take up to about 90 days; keep pots for a full season before giving up.
Prick out as soon as seedlings have their first pair of true leaves. To avoid losses, sow three to five seeds per module and pot the small group on together without separating the roots.
Pot on regularly so roots never become pot-bound. Give a weak liquid feed every two weeks during the growing season and overwinter young plants in a cold frame.
Plant out in autumn or the following spring in partial shade and humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, sheltered from wind. Most plants flower from their second year, in early to mid summer, on stems about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall.
Cause: old or warm-stored seed, seed buried too deep, or a warm room. Fix: sow fresh seed on the surface, keep pots cool and give a winter outdoors or in a cold frame.
Cause: damping off where seed was sown too thickly, or compost too wet or too dry. Fix: sow thinly in gritty compost and keep it evenly damp.
Cause: dry roots or bright, exposed sun. Fix: move plants to partial shade, water through dry spells and mulch the soil.
Cause: many Meconopsis are short-lived or monocarpic. Fix: sow a little seed every year so new plants replace old ones; divide clump-forming perennial kinds in spring or autumn.
Cause: wind on brittle stems. Fix: choose a sheltered spot, such as between shrubs at a woodland edge.
Blue poppies grow best where summers are cool and wet, like Scotland or high mountain gardens. The hot, dry Indian plains are unsuitable even with shade and irrigation; in India attempt them only in cool, moist hill climates.
Water during dry summer weather; plants scorch after only a few days of sun on dry soil.
These are hungry plants. Mulch each year with about 5 cm (2 in) of leaf mould or composted bark, keeping it clear of the crown.
Besides sky blue, Meconopsis flowers can be purple, pink, red, white or yellow, and seed-raised plants can vary.
Sow the seed fresh on cool, gritty compost for the best chance with these demanding mountain poppies.
Not on the plains: the plants need cool, moist summers and suffer in heat and dry air. Cool, moist hill climates give the only realistic chance.
Stored seed often needs cold and can take up to about 90 days. Keep the pots cool, moist and in the light for a full season before giving up.
Usually not. Plants spend their first season building a rosette and normally flower from the second year.