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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Temptress Poppies In The House!


The Temptress Poppies have finally made their official debut in the greenhouse.
Two words. HOLY COW!
All together in a vase, they remind me of a party. Perfect timing since Miss Elora Jane is having a birthday tomorrow :) They will be the perfect table decorations!




Poppies have a reputation for a very short vase life and being prone to wilting. It is true, those traditional gardens Poppies, the type that make the wonderful pods,they are not a worthy cut but these Temptress beauties are supposed to be wildly different.



Over the years I have read nothing but rave reviews about them from other growers around the country. Finally this spring I was able to get my hands on some plants.

So far, I’m totally impressed. Most are sporting a 20-24” stem, the flower heads are HUGE, the colors are amazing and if picked open are still persisting for at least 4-5 days. This week I’ll be doing some more vase life testing to see what can be expected if harvested in bud.

In order to prevent wilting, the stems ends must be seared, either by flame or a dip in boiling water.

One row over I am also growing the San Remo mix as a comparison. We’ll see if they can hold a candle to these whoppers.

Oh and no, I still haven’t cleaned up from Mother’s Day. Have you? Ha!
I think the piles of spent greens on the floor may be starting to compost out there. Oh well, today I get to stay inside and write an article on Narcissus for Growing For Market. A whole afternoon of SITTING, Wahoo!
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9 comments:

  1. a web across the wayMay 11, 2011 at 9:20 AM

    How lovely! I wish they would grow better for me. Their colors remind me of popsicles. Poppies are so summery.

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  2. UnknownMay 11, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    Whatwhatwhat, reeallly, poppies that last when cut? How exciting, I want some! They are exquisite. xx

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  3. Florist in the ForestMay 11, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    They are stunning and I think I will be adding them to next years shopping list!!!

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  4. Lotte and BloomMay 11, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    i am hyperventilating over here

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  5. webbMay 11, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    Wow! and it's not even a color group that I usually like. Those are just wonderful!

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  6. bowstreetflowersMay 11, 2011 at 5:07 PM

    Break my heart.

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  7. The Monkey Flower GroupMay 12, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    Party is right- I friggin' love these things. And such gorgeous photographs!

    May I ask how long you sear the stems? And will you process them thus before selling, or does the florist/customer?

    xxoo,

    J : )

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  8. ErinMay 12, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    If you do boiling water, 10 seconds is plenty. You need to resear every time you cut them.

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  9. sarah // SELVA floral designMay 14, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    i NEED some of those poppies!!!

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