Papaver orientale Beauty of Livermere - Oriental Poppy

The Oriental poppy 'Beauty of Livermere' bears enormous dark red flowers with silky reflections whose heart is adorned with beautiful black macules. Its growth, far from being left behind, is exceptionally vigorous, just like its ample hairy foliage of a dark green with a touch of grey is an adornment for the plant even outside of flowering. Oriental poppies, in Latin Papaver orientale, are excellent perennial plants, happily combining the delicacy of their flowers that seem to be woven from silk, with the robustness of their stumps, which scoff at summer drought and only fear excessive winter humidity. It completely disappears to enter dormancy in the heart of summer and re-emerges in autumn to bloom again as soon as temperatures become milder.

Papaver orientale, sometimes called Tournefort's poppy, is an herbaceous perennial of the Papaveraceae family, native to southwest Asia. The ‘Beauty of Livermere' cultivar, particularly vigorous, develops stems 90cm (35in) to 1m (3ft) tall. It forms a bushy clump reaching 50cm (20in) in height (for the foliage) and 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) wide. Flowering begins in early June and continues in July, usually stopped by heat and drought. Each floral stem bears at its tip a single pendulous bud turning towards the sky, giving rise to a large single flower, approximately 13cm (5in) in diameter, with slightly crumpled petals, deep red, maculated with large black spots at the base of the corolla. 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. When flowering is finished, the foliage tends to disappear, to make way, in autumn, for a small basal rosette, which is characteristic of an adaptation to high temperatures and summer drought. This plant has large rough, dissected leaves, covered with hairs that give them a very decorative grey-blue reflection. The fleshy and deep roots of this Oriental poppy do not tolerate transplantation well, especially in mature plants.

Oriental poppies are equally at ease in sophisticated flowerbeds as in cottage gardens or countryside compositions. Associate them with wormwoods, lavenders, Baptisia, asters, Kniphofia, clary sages, Thermopsis and Nepetas with light flowering. They also beautifully accompany autumn stonecrops whose foliage develops during the summer, Damascus nigellas and Cosmos for a summer ambiance with soft colours. In any case, accompany them with perennials or shrubs as they will fill the space left empty after flowering.

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