Sunday October 29th

Posted by Alistair on Sunday, October 29th, 2006

One very special Perennial which I am surprised that I have not mentioned before, is Meconopsis (Blue Poppy). Quite a number of varieties, the one which I am particularly fond of is, Sheldonii Lingholm. Flowers May/June-Height 70/90cm nodding blooms of the purest blue. Described as a short lived Perennial, although I find in the cooler north east of the country it survives many years.

Divide plants every three years to encourage regeneration.
Talking of dividing Perennials, I have always been an advocate of carrying this out in the Autumn, this seems to be the time of year when I have the most success.

However there are some Perennials where it is safer to divide in Spring, plants that tend to start making growth in the Autumn. You know the ones where you cut back the dead foliage in Autumn and already find fresh shoots emerging, like some of the Asters for instance.

It is possible that if you were to split these at this time of year they may struggle to get through the Winter.

This morning I just divided the Cimicifuga beside the garden pondÂ which had grown enormous, just sliced it in half and planted a large part of the plant in the round garden where it can be enjoyed next year.

Meconopsis Sheldonii Lingholm