On 10 Jul, 16:42, Steve wrote:
This year I planted 2 Papaver Orientalis - Beauty of Livermere and
Checkers beneath a small tree, but in the sun.
I've had just one very short lived flower from the Beauty of Livermere.
The Checkers (should be large black and white flowers) developed 4
healthy looking flower heads, but before they opened they went black and
burnt looking and are clearly not now going to produce anything.
Could this be the plant just taking time to settle in, is it diseased,
or was there something I should have done to prevent this problem? I
have never deliberately grown poppies before, although "volunteers" seem
to thrive in my garden (on the east coast of Scotland.

Mine have flowered ages ago, well before the bout of constant rain
we've been having. I can only think that they're settling, because
they're pretty late flowering if they are flowering now but then again
you are in Scotland... Did you have much rain? Sounds like they
perhaps got too wet. They like very good drainage. Mine have settled
on a the hedge of a gravel path and are fiting for space with a ground
ivy. I can't think of a disease for them.