The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Annuals => Topic started by: Umbrian on May 29, 2012, 06:46:31 AM
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Papaver rhoeas, the commomn red poppy, is particularly prolific this year in my part of Italy with fields and roadside verges ablaze making any trip out a real pleasure. I leave a lot on the garden too in many areas and yesterday noticed the one in the photo below. The petals are a very pale pink with a slightly darker area at the base . Is this just a common aberration?
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Are you sure it is not Papaver dubium? They are normally red or white, but occasionally they have pale pink petals (with or without a dark patch at the base).
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Definitely Papaver rhoeas JTh and daily inspection of plant has revealed it is suffering from some kind of distress! Subsequent flowers have been distorted/failed to open properly/had half red, half colourless petals etc. The first one was so perfect and unusual that I really thought it was something different. C
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We tried a couple of different varieties of field poppy this year:
American Legion, bright red with a white cross in the centre;
Mother-of-Pearl,pale colours, these are white and grey ones,
cheers
fermi
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In November last year a second generation of the poppies came up including a plain red and a pale orange (no pics of the latter, sorry) but also some that were similar to 'American Legion' and one like 'Mother-of-pearl',
cheers
fermi
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Don't know about the rest of the world but here in Rome the weather has been so mild recently that lots of poppies are in flower. I don't recall having seen them so early in the 20 years that I have been here but maybe my memory is playing tricks?
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How lovely they all look. We are waiting for ours to open up. I sprinkled last year's seeds everywhere. Some very near the gate so passers- by will see them too.
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The poppies have started to flower:
1) 'American Legion'
2) Dark red Papaver rhoeas
3) 'Mother of Pearl'
cheers
fermi
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Lovely flowers . I like the 'Mother of Pearl' very much
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Hi Hilary,
'Mother of Pearl' has a variety of colour forms in the mix - here is a grey and pink as well as a pure white!
Two pics of each taken a day apart,
cheers
fermi
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A pure, clear mid-pink Papaver rhoeas has appeared this year, along with a clear orange-red.
I presume that these are the results of the different varieties being cross-pollinated by the bees
cheers
fermi
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Pale pink Papaver rhoeas - appearing similar to "Shirley Poppies" but arising from 'Mother-of-Pearl', possibly crossing with the "Flanders Poppy".
Two pics taken 2 days apart,
cheers
fermi
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Strangely the "Shirley" poppy faded to almost pure white the next day!
When enlarged on the computer faint red streaks can be seen,
cheers
fermi
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Some more of the poppies showing slight variations
cheers
fermi
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I love them all!!!
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A couple more - I really like the stripey red one!
cheers
fermi
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Must make every visit to the garden exciting wondering what new variations of colour and markings will appear. Such a shame each flower is so short lived. Lovely to see them as we sink further into winter. :)
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Today felt like winter with low temps for this time of year! However we'll soon be sinking into a hideously hot and dry summer!
It is a bit of excitement to see the different flowers. You may notice the "bread tags" on the stems in the lower left hand side of the last pic; I write the colour of the flower on the tag so I know which seed is likely to give us what colour - though with the cross-pollination who knows what will arise!
cheers
fermi
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A new season of poppies!
cheers
fermi
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Some gorgeous ones there Fermi - something to cheer us up as we approach winter although at the moment a mild autumn sees the garden still alive with colourful Salvias in particular.
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Hi Fermi
I have just bought some seeds of Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey' from Plants of Distinction. https://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/flowers-a-z/flowers-a-z/papaver-amazing-grey-2030 I don't know how they got to this colour but whatever they put in the mix they should be alright for me as spring flowers. They are annuals so I will be extra happy if I get some seed that will come true the following year.
Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey' looks similar to one of your recent postings.
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Hi David,
they look like a great variety. Quite possibly developed from Cedric Morris' selection 'Mother of Pearl' which was one of the types I sowed here a few years ago.
Please post pics here when yours flower :)
cheers
fermi
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Some more poppies!
The last two are particularly special; the 9th is the most unusual grey/red and the 10th is a red with a white edge - apparently in the 1880s the Rev Wilks found a field poppy in his garden which had a white edge and by selecting seed from it and growing it on for generations he developed the poppy named after Shirley,the parish where he was vicar.
cheers
fermi
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Breath taking
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Thanks Fermi- beautiful pictures and interesting to hear how Shirley poppies got their name :)
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But wait, there's more ;D
cheers
fermi
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"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
between the crosses row on row..." John McCrae
For Remembrance Day tomorrow
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The poppy season has started with the typical "Flanders Poppy" in brilliant red but now some of the softer colours are appearing,
cheers
fermi
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So good to see these photos Fermi as we head for winter 🙏
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A few more from this season
cheers
fermi
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I have tried several times to grow poppies from seed. Repeated failures; which simply has to be impossible given that they grow in the cracks in the walls and pavements as well as the park around my house.
This year I decided that next year I am going to have the perennials that I have been successful with over the last few years as the spine of my little garden. Then spring annuals to provide early colour and that I don't need to worry about except to be sure to collect seed.
To this end I am trying early autumn sowing with, amongst others, poppies. So far success with Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey', Papaver somniferum 'Hungarian Blue' and Eschscholzia californica. I posted about Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey' almost a year ago to the day. Not one of those seeds germinated in a spring sowing. Thank goodness I tried autumn sowing this year.
Now all I need to do is build myself the cold frame I've been promising myself since summer.
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I wish you success with your poppy seeds
Yesterday I finished the autumn tidying up of the balconies and sowed all the seeds which Chantal so kindly sent me.
Then it started raining in the middle of the night , about time .
I am sure there is an article in an issue of the journal about the necessity of sowing annual in autumn in Greece but , in haste, I have not found it
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To this end I am trying early autumn sowing with, amongst others, poppies. So far success with Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey', Papaver somniferum 'Hungarian Blue' and Eschscholzia californica. I posted about Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey' almost a year ago to the day. Not one of those seeds germinated in a spring sowing. Thank goodness I tried autumn sowing this year.
Hi David,
a friend ordered some 'Amazing Grey' seeds from the UK so I now have some to sow this autumn!
In the meanwhile here are some more of the new season's poppies
Papaver rhoeas pure white
Papaver rhoeas orange, pale centre
Papaver rhoeas grey
Papaver rhoeas grey with red centre
Papaver rhoeas stripey grey-red
glossy red Flanders Poppy
cheers
fermi
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Papaver rhoeas grey, red centre
Papaver rhoeas stripey red and white
Papaver rhoeas grey
Papaver rhoeas stripey orange and white
Papaver rhoeas grey with red edge
Papaver rhoeas red with central white cross - like 'American Legion'
cheers
fermi
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Amazing variety of colours, all very beautiful and exciting to see what will be revealed next 😊
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Amazing variety of colours, all very beautiful and exciting to see what will be revealed next 😊
Yes, it is exciting to see what new combination comes up!
cheers
fermi
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A single orange poppy with a pale edge
cheers
fermi