Himalayan Blue Poppies

I planted one a few years ago and it never fails to appear. I have acid soil which they prefer.

The best ones I’ve seen are growing in a Scottish National Trust garden. I think they have to be grown in a situation that best replicates a Himalayan hillside.

I remember that you had to put the seeds in the freezer for a period before sowing them, which seemed a bit extreme, but that being so, they still didn’t grow. I have been looking at the photos I took at the quarry in June 2021 (sadly GN won’t download photos from my big camera) and at the Botanical Gardens. Different conditions at both sites and the Botanical gardens plants had the edge for colour and shape, but the quarry was a much better setting for them.

Another one here who failed miserably. I'm on slightly alkaline clay so tried growing them in a huge tub filled with ericaceous compost years ago, but they didn't like that either.

They need acid soil. I can’t grow them either.

A group of us tried them to no avail.

No, it won’t grow for me, but I’m trying the Lingholm variety this year, which has the RHS garden merit award, and is allegedly much less fussy. We will see.

My friend and I both tried years ago but no success at all.
They are so lovely, there must be a secret as you can see them in National Trust gardens but they keep that secret to themselves.

I haven’t had any success either. I wish I could.

I have tried unsuccessfully to grow Himalayan Poppies - from seed and plug. The nearest I get to seeing them is either in our Botanical Gardens or a wonderful quarry garden on the outskirts of the city. On both sites, they are fickle and don’t grow in great numbers if they put in an appearance at all, but oh they do look wonderful.

I don’t think they are easy to grow butI love them too.

We will go to the Himalayan gardens at Grewelthorpe to see their display soon.