Meconopsis 'Slieve Donard'
(Himalayan Blue Poppy 'Slieve Donard')
Family - Papaveraceae
Category - Perennial
Hybrid Parents - Meconopsis grandis x Meconopsis baileyi
Origin - Raised in Edinburgh, Scotland
Discovered By - Raised by Dr Curle then given to Slieve Donard Nursery in Northern Ireland
Year of Introduction - 1935
Season of Interest - Spring, Summer
Hardiness - H5
Height - 1m
Width - 45cm
Location - The Stream Area
Description: Infertile Blue Meconopsis Group
A herbaceous Perennial with a clump-forming habit. Pale to mid-green leaves are oblong to lanceolate (sometimes Elliptic) in shape. The foliage and flower buds are covered in fine copper-coloured bristles. Large, nodding to outward-facing, bowl-shaped flowers are a bright shade of azure blue, and often flushed with violet towards the base of each Bloom. Each flower can reach 15cm or more across and has a prominent central cluster of stamens with golden Anthers and a proud white stigma. The Blooms are held in small clusters atop upright stems and are produced in early summer. The flowers are followed by bristly seed Capsules that bear no viable seed.
Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Synonyms - Meconopsis 'Dawyck', M. x sheldonii 'Slieve Donard'
Flower:
Large, nodding to outward-facing, bowl-shaped flowers are a bright shade of azure blue. The blooms have broad, rounded petals that are flushed with violet towards the bases. Each flower has a prominent central cluster of white stamens with golden anthers and a proud white stimga. Each flower can reach 15cm or more across. The blooms are held in small clusters atop upright stems and are produced in June. The flowers are followed by bristly seed capsules that contain no viable seed.
Flower colour: Blue
Flower shape: Bowl-shaped flowers in clusters
Flowering time: June
Foliage:
Pale to mid-green leaves are oblong to lanceolate (sometimes Elliptic) in shape with pointed tips. The foliage is densely covered in copper-coloured bristles. The leaves are held in rosettes at the base of the plant and in opposite pairs on the flowering stems.
Foliage Senescence: Deciduous
Foliage Shape: Oblong, lanceolate
Propagation:
Cultivation:
Best in partial shade in moist, acidic soil with good drainage. This Meconopsis prefers a position that stays relatively cool during the summer months.
