I think poppies are gorgeous. I would plant and grow poppies if they didn't take the same amount of effort that other perennials do that put on a show for a couple of months if not longer so ditto your big complaint about them being so fleeting. I'm going to stuff my beds with gorgeous perennials that bloom non-stop and thrive on neglect. When I get to the point the garden stops traffic, I might just plant a few poppies. They're incredibly easy to grow from seed via winter sowing. Now of course I'm going to have to Google Fruit Punch Poppies and wipe drool from my chin over what I'm guessing are stunningly vivid colors.

gardenweed,
Try some yarrow. Mine is starting blooming now and will bloom until after it freezes, and it comes back.

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kay

kay - thanks for taking the time to post the yarrow suggestion & photo. Yours is so pretty!! I have yarrow I grew via winter sowing last year but it's still in a square gallon pot. I'm hesitant to plant it because where I am it spreads like wildfire. Just yesterday I looked at all the new growth in the pot and wondered if I could keep it under control if I grew it in a container instead of planting it in the ground. The gallon pot it's in sat on the ground north side of my house all through our horrible, cold and snowy winter. That says indestructible to me!

Is it a thug where you are? Yours looks as though it's short and I thought they grew to 2 ft. tall?

I have the common yarrow -yellow. Would like to try to grow some red ones. Does it bloom all season for you.Mine got kinda ratty looking in middle of season. Maybe I should have cut it back-would that help???
I also love poppies. GM gave some red peopny seeds. reminds me of Her when I see them.

I have the Pink Yarrow,and pulled up all I could find and threw it away, yting to get rid of it,as it will take over a whole garden.It shoots runners out and just keeps on making more pants.I thought I had got tid of all of it, but seen some more yesterday.I could tolerate it better if it was a bright red, instead of a faded washed out pink...

Jean

So my Graceful Gardens order arrived yesterday. I unpacked the plants and left them on my back stoop overnight to rest. I guess I will go plant them now. Seems like there is always something to plant but at least I haven't ordered anything more. I have to figgure how I am going to arrainge them and probably end up moving some daylilies again to make the poppies have enough room.

I really, really did not want to move those daylilies in there around were I wanted poppies so I didn't move them. I just put the poppies in back of them were there was some room around the birdbath. Basicly I squished those poppies into the space that was there instead of being able to spread them out some if the daylilies had not been there in a row along the front. Whatever, it is done.

That's the way to do it, Rita!

Ha, you make me laugh at myself. My excuse to myself was that the poppies bloomed early in the spring and I needed to keep the daylilies there for summer color LOL! But really it was just because I couldn't stand the thought of moving all those clumps. I just wanted to plant the poppies and be done with it. I took the easy way LOL!

An update to this thread from last year. Those poppies never bloomed last spring but they are budded up now with these big fat buds so I can't wait to see them bloom. Meanwhile I already had ordered a compleate tray of them from Graceful gardens this spring which are already planted as of last Friday. Really nice plants.

I got so excited by the fact that they are gonna bloom that I went back to Graceful Gardens and ordered three more trays of these Fruit Punch Poppies. I guess I went sorta overboard.

Thanks for the update. Now, feel free to go overboard with pictures of those poppies! I still think their bloom period is absurdly brief which is compensated only partially by the POW factor of the flowers. I have seeds of Laurens Grape I got in a trade and never sowed. Pictures of your Fruit Punch blooms just might give me the urge to sow another winter sown container of seeds.

Can't wait!
Renee

Rita, Ha! I thought overboard was your middle name. I'm just kidding of course but I had to come back to the Cottage this year, as I do most years, just to see what you are adding to your lovely gardens this year. It's always so much fun to watch you and all of the other cottage gardeners adding more plants and more planting spaces each year. Have a great season!

MeMo

Overboard should be my middle name as it is very true. I always go overboard on my plant crazies!

This poppies have such nice fat buds. Soon they should start blooming.

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Blooming!

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Those poppies are so pretty. Love the colors.

Oh, they do look fruity. What delicious colors! The purply-black centers make the colors really pop. Thanks for posting them, Rita. We can't grow them here.
Renee

They come in a bunch of mixed colors so I know I will be having more colors as more blooms open. I do really, really love them. Finially found the best poppies for me.