Neck 3 Oriental poppies Victoria Louise, Perry's White, Patty's Plum

This collection of 3 Oriental poppies blooms from June to July in a range of white, pink, and mauve shades. The large flowers with crinkled silk petals and watercolour tones, highlighted by beautiful dark macules at the base, are perched on stems nearly a meter tall, dominating with their charm an opulent and somewhat disheveled foliage that stands out in flowerbeds. A regular feature in ornamental gardens, the Oriental poppy is a hardy perennial and very easy to grow in all good deep soils, in full sun.

The collection consists of:

- 1 'Princess Victoria Louise' poppy, among the most spectacular: its flowers borne on 90cm (35in) stems are very large, 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) in diameter, and infinitely bright, in a delightful salmon pink colour, accentuated by almost blue stamens and beautiful black-purple macules at the base of the petals

- 1 'Perry's White' poppy: a large and magnificent variety, 90cm (35in) tall when in bloom, with 10-15cm (4-6in) diameter white flowers shaded with pink, adorned with beautiful almost black central macules, with a heart tinged with pink and wine.

- 1 'Patty's Plum' poppy: 70cm (28in) tall when in bloom, with very beautiful 10cm (4in) diameter flowers in a soft violet rose colour tinged with pale plum and purple-brown macules.

Papaver orientale, also known as Tournefort's poppy, is a herbaceous perennial of the Papaveraceae family, native to Asia. This plant has robust and hairy stems ranging from 70 to 90cm (28 to 35in) in height depending on the varieties. It forms a bushy tuft that thickens over the years. Its large, rough, and hairy leaves have a decorative grey-blue or silvery reflection. The fleshy and deep roots of the Oriental poppy do not tolerate transplantation well, especially in adult plants.

Oriental poppies are very good perennial plants for flowerbeds. Behind their large crinkled petal flowers lies a very robust plant capable of living in poor, stony, and dry soils in summer. After abundant flowering in late spring, the poppy dries up, first the flower stalks, which can be used in dried bouquets, and then the leaves. It completely disappears and goes into dormancy in the heart of summer and re-emerges in autumn to bloom again as soon as the temperatures become milder. It only fears one thing, winter humidity; in heavy soils, the solution is to replace the clayey soil with pure sand in the planting hole.

Oriental poppies are equally at ease in sophisticated flowerbeds as in cottage gardens or countryside compositions. Their hairy and somewhat disheveled foliage forms an opulent and hairy clump that stands out in flowerbeds. Associate them with Artemisias, lavenders, asters, daisies, tall thistles, and light-flowering Nepetas. They also beautifully accompany autumn orpines, whose foliage develops during summer, Damask nigellas, and Cosmos for a summery ambiance in soft colours. In any case, accompany them with perennials as they will fill the space left empty after flowering.