In article fA%Ce.1981594$6l.1259516@pd7tw2no,
"carbuff" wrote:

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



Quit watering them. Let them dry out, then water them.

Poppies do fine in Zone 3. Quit worrying. They'll bloom, then reseed
themselves if you don't cut the seed-heads off. They like full sun, but
I've got a black poppy growing in morning sun, next to my door (next to
my pot of salad greens) and it's blooming it's little heart out.

If you like poppies, go buy some seeds. Later this summer (pretty soon)
scratch the soil with your leaf rake and scatter the seeds. They'll
sprout next spring and bloom next summer.

My first killing frost is normally on Sept. 17, so I'm starting to sow
perennial seeds for next year. (And I'm planting more broccoli, peas,
beans, kale, lettuce, and other quickie crops and stuff that likes
frost.)

Jan, in Alaska
USDA Zone 3

--
The way to a man's heart is between the fourth and the fifth rib.