Papaver orientale Prinzessin Victoria Louise - Oriental Poppy

Papaver Orientale 'Prinzessin Victoria Louise' is one of the most spectacular Oriental poppies. Its flowers are very large and infinitely bright, they seem to be made of lovely salmon pink silk crepe, highlighted by an almost blue stamen heart and beautiful dark macules at the base of the petals. These corollas open in June-July, carried on tall stems, dominating with all their charm a lush and somewhat disordered foliage that stands out in flower beds. A regular in curious gardens, the Oriental poppy is a hardy perennial and very easy to grow in all good deep soils, in the sun. Its disappears completely to enter dormancy in the middle of summer and re-emerges in autumn to flower again as soon as the temperatures become milder.

The Oriental poppy is a herbaceous perennial of the Papaveraceae family, native to Asia. The 'Prinzessin Victoria Louise' cultivar is a superb cultivar derived from this species. The plant has robust floral stems of about 80cm (32in) in height. It forms a bushy clump reaching 40-50cm (16-20in) in height (for the foliage) and 60cm (24in) in width. Flowering begins in June and continues in July, generally stopped by heat and drought. Each floral stem carries at its tip a single pendant bud turning towards the sky. The petals, crumpled in the bud, unfold at anthesis like butterfly wings, giving rise to a very large flower, about 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) in diameter, with 4 thick and crumpled petals arranged in two rows forming a more or less hollow cup. Their colour is a soft and bright salmon pink, mottled with black-violet at the base. The flower's centre is occupied by numerous stamens of a very dark violet with bluish reflections. The flower remains open for a few hours before dropping its petals. Well-established plants produce several floral stems, ensuring the renewal of flowers for about 3 weeks. After flowering, the foliage tends to disappear, leaving room in autumn for a small basal rosette, which is indicative of an adaptation to high temperatures and summer drought. The wind disperses the seeds by shaking the fruit. This plant has large rough, deeply cut and hairy leaves, dark green in colour. The fleshy and deep roots of this Oriental poppy do not tolerate transplantation well, especially in adult plants. In dry climates, the plant completely disappears from the surface of the ground in summer.

Oriental poppies, with their giant poppy-like flowers, are equally at home in sophisticated flower beds as they are in curious gardens or country compositions. Associate them with wormwoods, daisies, tall thistles, chamomiles, lavenders, asters, and naive-flowering Nepetas. They also beautifully accompany pastel roses and autumn stonecrops whose foliage develops during summer, Damascus nigellas and Cosmos for a summer atmosphere with soft colours. In any case, accompany them with perennials as they will fill the space left empty after flowering. The fruits of poppies, often decorative, sometimes enter the composition of dried bouquets. Bouquets can also be made with flowers picked in bud.

It disappears completely to enter dormancy in the middle of summer and re-emerges in autumn to flower again as soon as the temperatures become milder.