Poppies

bouicca21

I used to have poppies - big with gorgeous bright red flowers - that have moved with me several times.  This year they are a sort of faded red with even paler, not quite white, margins to the petals.  What has happened?  If I plant seeds that I saved from last year are they likely to come up true?

twopenny

What sort of poppies are they?
Native, Californian, Oriental?

Any chance of a photo to see the variation?

Here's one idea.
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1030336/oriental-poppies-change-in-colour

ArbitraryRandom

I know poppies can fade in heat/strong sunlight; I wonder if something has changed this year in terms of shade or exposure.

Is the fading universal or are some plants/flowers more strongly coloured than others?

bouicca21

Thanks.  I’ve always assumed they were oriental poppies, they originally came from my mother in law’s garden.  The colour was just like the red in that link.  Now … see the photo!  And so far all the flowers are the same.

twopenny

I would hazard a guess that something has affected the bud so the whitened edge which would be firt exposed.
Cold nights? Rain? Hail? Or even hit by very strong sunlight.
Or something in the soil or not in.

Trouble with poppies is the one flowering so no chance to see what comes next.
Could be worth a fortune if it's unique 

RAS

My guess is, wet, frozen, then affected by high temperatures or lack of moisture.

Been looking at rose suffering the same.

bouicca21

Damage may be a possibility - the weather has certainly been odd.  It has been unseasonably cold at night, though as a late riser I’m not sure if it’s been cold enough for frost.  The poppies face east so catch the sun first thing and would get damaged if they had been frosted.  Also the soil has been much wetter than usual at this time of year. 

I suppose it’s wait and see what happens next year!  

Murphybear

Here’s our tiny communal garden with the poppies

bouicca21

Murphybear said:

Here’s our tiny communal garden with the poppies

That’s rubbing it in …

Murphybear

bouicca21 said:

Murphybear said:

Here’s our tiny communal garden with the poppies

That’s rubbing it in …

Sorry  .  There used to be a warden and her husband was a professional gardener so he did all the work.  We have a gardener twice a month to tidy and titivate