Papaver orientale Haremstraum - Oriental Poppy

Papaver orientale Haremstraum is a selection of hybrid Oriental Poppy with a mix of colours, usually sold as seeds. It is a tall variety that offers trendy colours including white, pink, salmon, orange, red, and purple. The large corollas often display beautiful violet to almost black macules in the throat. They bloom from late spring to early summer depending on the region, at the top of tall and sturdy stems. The slightly disordered cut foliage forms a lush clump that stands out in flower beds. The Oriental poppy is an easy-to-grow perennial in all good deep soils, in full sun.  

Papaver orientale Haremstraum is a herbaceous perennial plant from the Papaveraceae family, whose wild ancestor is native to Asia. This plant has robust floral stems that are approximately 80cm (32in) tall. It forms a bushy clump reaching 40cm (16in) in height (for the foliage) and 50cm (20in) in width. The flowering begins in early June, and continues into July, usually halted by heat and drought. Each floral stem bears a single pendant bud that turns towards the sky to give birth to a large flower, approximately 13cm (5in) in diameter, with crumpled petals of varying colours depending on the plants, sometimes maculated with very dark violet at the base of the corolla. The flower remains open for a few hours before dropping its petals. Well-established plants produce multiple floral stems, ensuring the renewal of flowers for about 3 weeks. After flowering, the foliage tends to disappear, making way, in autumn, for a small basal rosette, which is characteristic of adaptation to high temperatures and summer drought. This plant has large rough dark green leaves, divided and villous, giving them a slight silver reflection that is very decorative. The fleshy and deep roots of this Oriental poppy do not tolerate transplantation well, especially in adult plants.  

The Haremstraum Oriental poppies are just as comfortable in sophisticated flower beds as they are in cottage gardens or wildflower compositions. Pair them with Artemisias, lavenders, asters, and Nepetas with light blooms. They also go nicely with autumn stonecrops, whose foliage develops during summer, Damask daisies, and cosmos for a summery atmosphere with soft colours. In any case, accompany them with perennials, as they will fill the space left after flowering.