I can't name it...but I get the impression I've seen it before (on web/paper). It appears to be in liliacea, but that's about all I can say.

Ever had any luck growing any Meconopsis (one of my 'I wish it were possible in the South' plants)

"Ever had any luck growing any Meconopsis"

Never even tried. No chance of surviving - the blue Himalayan ones find southeastern England "too hot". My understanding is that the least fussy of them, like M. cantabrica, can be grown in coastal New England. That's still a vastly different world apart from my climate. A collector I know on the coast of CT can grow several lepidotes rhodies that quickly die here.

[update - just googled, the welsh poppy is now considered Papaver]

There actually is a rare Lilicaceae that kind of looks like this, but it's not that. It's a dicot.

Yeah, well, we all wish for impossible gardening things. I hate taxonomists (just saying).

M cantabrica is virtually a weed here. Self sows all over the place.

Can’t recall your mystery plant but I’d go Campanulaceae. Wild guess at Euphorbia for the background.

OK, it’s come to me. Michauxia. But no idea which one.

I believe you're right Floral. I've seen that genus in Plant World Seeds *lol* that's where I saw it.

I live in coastal New England and tried several times to grow the Himalayan poppies. No luck.

Yep, it's Michauxia campanuloides from Jelitto Staudensamen!

I checked my plant database: I have tried them before from Arrowhead Alpines, Dancing Oaks in the PNW, and Annie's Annuals! None of them took. So I'm glad I tried one more time from seed - and even that I did twice. Rarepalmseed and Jelitto. I don't mean to slam Herr Spanner and what he's trying to do with RPS, but there were several items I ordered from both and the Jelitto seed always did much, much better. There is where I got the 2 species of Austroderia grass. The toetoe grass seed from RPS didn't germinate for me.

The background is a variegated Euphorbia, pretty sure it's 'Tasmanian Tiger'.

Dbarron - it's possible too that you were thinking of this monocot: https://www.plantdelights.com/products/notholirion-thomsonianum

Which has somewhat similar frilly and recurved flower petals.

I have tried it, and did not make it...and I'd be a bit surprised to learn that they persist in gardens in NC, catalog description notwithstanding.

Yeah, gardengal, I know that they grow them at the RSF garden, for example. FWIW, there's a way to see 'real, live' blue poppies on the east coast. Other conservatories may do this, but Longwood has a display of them every March. The plants are grown to flowering size by a contract grower in Alaska, and transferred to a production glasshouse the winter before, and tricked into early flowering with artificial lighting. I'm sure they are as breathtaking as they are anywhere else in the world...Longwood has ridiculously high standards for everything. But alas, yeah, they are supposedly often an expensive biennial in most places they are grown.

Being extremely short sighted has its advantages, as does using an ipad. By zooming and holding the screen 5 inches from my nose I can see quite a bit .... providing the picture is in focus. 🤓

David, that was indeed what I was thinking...though I don't know why (doesn't really look like Campanulacea to me). How'd you know? Are you reading my mind *lol*?

‘doesn't really look like Campanulacea to me’... the pleated buds with calyces are a clue, just like a Campanula. Also it doesn’t have the texture of Liliaceae.

Yes, floral, I know....I was talking about the notholirion.

Aha, I see.