Meconopsis betonicifolia var. alba - Blue Poppy

Meconopsis betonicifolia var. alba, also known as the Himalayan Blue Poppy with white flowers, is a rare form of this mythical plant that collectors are clamouring for. With great purity, the sublime flowers of this perennial have a pure white colour with silky reflections, warmed by a bouquet of golden stamens. They are borne on elegant and sturdy stems, well above a light green downy foliage. This Alba variety is a gift from nature, a treasure that deserves to be cultivated in humus-rich and moist soil, in the shelter of an understorey or a wall, in filtered light.

Originally from the Yarlung Zangbo Gorges in southeastern Tibet, the Blue Poppy grows at an altitude of 3000 to 4000 metres (9842 to 13123 feet); in nature, it is already a plant that must be earned! It grows in more or less shaded and humid places, in rather neutral, humus-rich, and deep soil. Capricious, it can wither overnight for no apparent reason.

The alba variant is a rare form that is faithfully propagated by sowing. It is a hardy perennial plant with rapid growth, whose above-ground vegetation develops in spring and disappears in winter. The plant shows a rosette habit from which flowering stems measuring 90cm (35in) to 1m (3ft) emerge. The basal rosette with a diameter of 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in) is composed of cordate and ovate leaves, fairly light green in colour, hairy, and long-petiolate. The more or less branched flowering stems bear several flowers measuring 8 to 10cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, with a slightly translucent and silky texture, white in colour. Their golden centre consists of an ovary with a short stem of bulb surrounded by a collar of yellow-orange stamens. The flowering is followed by the formation of brown capsules filled with small black spherical seeds.

Often difficult to maintain in our gardens, the 'alba' Blue Poppy is nevertheless perennial, hardy, and prolific. To increase your chances of success, look for and find the coldest spot in your garden, at the foot of an east or north-facing wall, in well-drained and loose soil, where it is at the edge of an understorey exposed to morning sun. Plant it in large masses, give it space, and let nature take its course. Meconopsis betonicifolia and its varieties seem to be the easiest to grow in climates that are hotter and drier in summer than its country of origin. It should be kept in mind that this plant experiences the summer monsoon in Tibet and is covered in snow in winter. For example, associate it with Japanese ferns, Japanese herbs, or small Fortune's saxifrages, which appreciate the same environments.