Papaver orientale
Oriental poppy Royal Wedding is an unmissable perennial that brings true elegance to the spring garden. It originally comes from the harsher conditions of the Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran, where it grows on sunny rocky slopes and dry meadows. Because of this, it is exceptionally resilient, easily handling frosts down to minus forty degrees, and can do without complex care. You will receive a grown seedling in a pot from us, which you just need to transplant to a sunny location with well-drained loamy soil. The cultivar Royal Wedding will reward you in May and June with huge bowl-shaped flowers with pure white petals, which hide a distinct dark burgundy spot in their center. Moreover, these enchanting flowers reliably attract pollinators from far and wide. It is typical for Oriental poppies that their strikingly fuzzy green leaves die back soon after flowering. The plant takes a break over the warmest summer to gather strength, and a smaller portion of the leaves often sprouts again only at the end of summer. Therefore, it is ideal to plant the poppy in the flower bed in close proximity to other perennials that sprout slightly later and naturally fill the empty space left by the resting poppy. It avoids diseases and needs no support, reaching a height of around sixty to eighty centimeters. Just watch out for field voles, which might develop a taste for its fleshy roots. Otherwise, it is a long-lived plant that even a complete beginner can handle without worries. Given that the plant is poisonous, it is naturally not intended for consumption. The giant white flowers are also a great attraction for lovers of cut flowers, although they require a little trick. Similar to other poppies, the stems need to be harvested exactly at the moment when the buds begin to color and slightly crack. Right after cutting, we sear the ends of the stems with a flame for about twenty seconds to prevent sap leakage, and then we put them into cold water. Thanks to this procedure, they will stay beautiful for about four days in a vase and add amazing lightness to bouquets. Although these delicate flowers are not suitable for drying, they simply have no competition in fresh spring bouquets.
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