Queen Alexandra 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

There are some colors only nature can produce, and Queen Alexandra Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale) reigns above them all. Salmon-colored, papery petals reach out from a deep maroon, nearly black, center for a contrast like no other. Poppies are easy-care perennials that attract hummingbirds to their large blooms. Bloom stems rise to nearly 30 inches around fuzzy leaves before flowering in late spring or early summer. Cut blooms to enjoy indoors as fresh or dried flowers.

Queen Alexandra is hardy in zones 3 through 7 and loves sunshine. Plant a meadow of these beauties for a field of poppies or line them up to border a garden bed or patio edge. Feature one of the poppies in a sunny and well-seen spot in the garden as a focal plant or in the center or back of a container filled with low-growing contrasting deep blue flowers. The flowers are both deer and rabbit resistant.

Queen Alexandra Oriental Poppy Care

Oriental poppies love the cold temperatures while dormant in winter and the cooler days of their spring blooms. Plant them in full sun when possible. They thrive in nearly any type of soil, but avoid planting them in areas that tend to stay soggy or hold puddles after rain. Your poppies do best if the water drains away from them. Oriental poppies need no fertilizer, but adding a layer of organic compost around the plants each spring can help improve the soil and their flowering.

Despite their preference for dry, well-drained soil, poppies need average water. Cut back on watering while the plants are dormant, usually in summer heat after flowering is done. Deadheading faded flowers will not produce more blooms, but the remaining seed pods have an interest all their own. However, cutting back the leaves in summer might produce a second bloom as weather cools. Cut the plants low, just above the ground, after the plants die back in late fall. Add mulch around the plant to insulate it for winter if desired.

Queen Alexandra Oriental Poppy Spacing

Depending on the effect you want (colorful meadow or neat border), space the poppies from 18 to 24 inches apart. Measure from the center of each plant.