Beauty of Livermere Oriental Poppy

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

2.5 Feet

Mature Spread

1.5-2 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 7

An early spring to summer sizzler, Beauty of Livermere Oriental Poppy will win your heart with its bright red quintessential ‘poppy’ color and black centers. Large cupped petals open to reveal its black center, creating a wonderful contrast and bright blaze of color in spring gardens. Attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, poppies will provide visual interest and activity to your perennial garden earlier than most summer flowering perennials will.

Native to the Caucasus region of Northern Turkey and Iran, as well as parts of Asia, poppies have been a garden favorite for hundreds of years. As reseeding perennials, it is not unusual to see vast fields of poppies along roadsides and across meadows. You will never forget it once you do run across it, and it will create a need inside you to bring that beauty home to your garden bed or landscape.

Beauty of Livermere Oriental Poppy Care

Poppies are tolerant of a wide variation of soil types from chalky to clay. As long as the soil they are in drains well and they are planted in full sun, they are happy to perform for you until the heat causes them to go dormant for the summer. Don’t fret, though, because they will be back in the spring to give you a show once again. Thriving in a neutral soil pH range of 6.5 to 7.5, keep the soil moderately moist, mulching to help retain that moisture if needed. Water consistently, especially during extremely dry periods. Winter protection entails keeping a layer of mulch over the root zone as needed although these hardy perennials can take winter temperatures that dip below zero. Planting them in shade will result in fewer flowers.

Deadheading is generally not needed unless you feel the need to remove the seed pods that form once the flowers fade. Poppies will reseed freely and the seed pods make an attractive addition to dried flower arrangements for your home, or consider leaving them in the garden for an attractive fall element. Use summer blooming perennials like shasta daisies, russian sage or coreopsis to help fill in the space that the now dormant poppy has left behind.

Beauty of Livermere Oriental Poppy Spacing

Space your plants 18 to 24 inches apart to allow good air circulation. Growing to about 30 inches tall and spreading out 24 inches, you will find these bright perennials make a great midground interest in your informal cottage garden. Grow some artemisia or candytuft in the foreground for an interesting color variation, your imagination is your only limitation here. You will not regret using these spring to early summer perennials in your garden this spring. Plant in fall for best results.