I don't think you need to be concerned, or to water them either. They will
likely come back next year bigger than this year.

It is almost time for them to die down for the summer. Don't panic when
this happens. New leaves will form late autumn, and more will grow under
the snow and be revealed when it melts.

Andrew (in Winnipeg, also Zone 3)

"carbuff" wrote in message
news:fA%Ce.1981594$6l.1259516@pd7tw2no...
Please bear with me folks, this is my 1st year in a new(er) house with a
1/2
acre lot. There are a lot of perennials already established, but much
room
for more. So, I bought two oriental poppies, planted them 6 feet apart
in
a south-facing well-drained bed. They were in 6-inch pots, and were about
6
inches in height when bought. They've now doubled in size, but only one
has
developed a flower bud, which unfortunately drooped & rotted before
blooming. It was the size of a large red grape. I should mention that
we've had an extraodinary amount of rain lately. However, on dry days,
the
leaves looked wilted, so I was watering on a daily basis.
So, is it too much water? Do they need to establish for a year or so
before blooming?
Any suggestions? TIA