Blue Tibetan Poppy

[Knight of Albion]

I've always had a great love and fascination for Tibet. Lhasa (esp. the Potala) is the place on earth I'd most like to visit. One day ...

Because of my interest in things Tibetan I was drawn to the beautiful and striking Blue Tibetan Poppy. I believe you can get them in plugs now, but I'd prefer to grow them myself from seed.
I tried a couple of years ago, even putting them in the fridge for a few days, but the seed just wouldn't germinate.

Anyone here tried it and succeeded? Any tips ...

[Bigmallly]

HOW TO GROW THE HIMALAYAN BLUE POPPY - Meconopsis betonicifolia - FROM SEED |The Garden of Eaden

[Knight of Albion]

Thanks for that, Bigmally. Lets see if I can crack it this time...

[Martin H]

I've had a couple of goes at this ... I've managed to get them going after stratification in the fridge but never got them to flowering size. The slugs smell them from 10 miles away and pounce as soon as you turn your back.

One day when I've got a decent bit of acidic soil I'll have another go.

Good luck and watch out for those pesky slugs!

[Alison]

I grew some a few eyes ago, didn't bother with fridging etc and they did fine, we're really lovely although the flowers don't last long. I germinated in a heated propagator and grew on under cover until May before planting out.


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[Travellers]

I managed to grow some from seed last year and planted out in the autumn, they have survived the winter and are making growth, so I hoping for some flowers later this spring. I joined the Meconopsis group, and obtained seeds from them. Have a look on their website for cultural instructions etc, I found it most helpful.

[WPG]

I sowed two packets of Mecanopsis about 6 weeks ago - Grandis and Alba. No joy from either variety yet - it's maybe not cold enough so I'll try putting them in the fridge for a while. The seeds weren't cheap (T&M) so I hope even a couple of them germinate.

[Knight of Albion]

I managed to grow some from seed last year and planted out in the autumn, they have survived the winter and are making growth, so I hoping for some flowers later this spring. I joined the Meconopsis group, and obtained seeds from them. Have a look on their website for cultural instructions etc, I found it most helpful.

Thank you for that. I'll have a look.

[Gertrude's Ghost]

Thanks for the fridge tip - I've got a packet's worth in the fridge now doing time.

[WPG]

I'm delighted that my mecanopsis seeds (Grandis and Alba) finally germinated. But the seedlings seemed to have stopped growing - they've been this size for the past four weeks. The first true leaves are just about starting to show on most of them, but they're just not growing at all.

I'm not sure if they're just naturally slow, or whether I should try potting them on, despite the small size - if anyone has any advice I'd be grateful (the white bits in the photo is perlite)

[WPG]

After a 2 year gap, I'm chuffed to report that two of my tiny seedlings (above) have finally flowered. Quite a wait, but well worth it.

[Thelma Sanders]

Beautiful - well done you!