Meconopsis baileyi

‘Hensol Violet’

HENSOL VIOLET

HIMALAYAN POPPY

Meconopsis baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’
Hensol Violet Himalayan Poppy

Meconopsis baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’ is the rare violet form of the legendary Himalayan Blue Poppy.

‘Hensol Violet’ is the rare violet form of the legendary Himalayan Poppy

Rich violet-purple in colour, with exquisite silken petals that flutter fetchingly in the breeze.
Meconopsis baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’ is a breathtaking sight.

Lusted after

Once seen in bloom, never forgotten, and always lusted after.
Besotted gardeners will walk over cut glass to have Himalayan Poppies blooming in their garden.
And this unusual violet treasure was spotted by Lady Henderson in her garden at Hensol Castle, and has been treasured ever since.

Flocks of spectacular poppies in all shades of blue

Meconopsis baileyi bears flocks of large, spectacular poppies.
The silky petals are so fine they are almost translucent, and breathtakingly beautiful as they flutter in the breeze in spring & summer.
Blue-grey leaves perfectly complement the rich violet shades of the flowers.

Treasures for the shade

Meconopsis baileyi enjoys a sheltered, shaded, cool spot in the garden or in a pot.
And they love humus rich, damp, well drained neutral to acid soil.

The secret is a moist environment

The secret is to find a place where you can keep the humidity in the air up – so a shade house or fernery area is perfect.
The more acid your soil the more intensely violet the flowers will be. While in alkaline soil the flowers will tinge with purple (just like blue Hydrangeas).

Self seed once happily established

Once you have your treasures happily settled into the right spot, they will self seed for you to form colonies of breath-taking flowers on stately spires.
And then you take photographs from every angle, open a Facebook account, and brag unmercifully.

Happy bees & pollinators (& gardener)

Large blooms are adorned with a great, decorative boss of yellow stamens in the centre.
Which the native bees, honeybees, and other useful pollinators simply cannot resist.
Because they are laden with both pollen and nectar.
So our bees are about as delighted to see the Meconopsis flowers as I am (if such a thing is possible).

Rabbit & deer resistant

Just as well that rabbits and deer don’t like eating Meconopsis, or I may turn horribly murderous.
Fortunately they don’t like the bitter taste and they don’t like the hairy texture.

Even though they are only a short lived perennial it does not matter – they are worth everything just to see Himalayan Poppy flowers in the flesh.

75-90cm. High slender stems of flowers x 30cm. Wide flat rosette of furry blue-grey foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: Meconopsis baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’

Meconopsis seeds can be sown at any time in good quality seed raising mix, whenever suitable temperatures can be provided 12-15°C.

First sow the seeds in a punnet of good quality seed raising mix.

Then cover the seeds thinly with some finely sieved seed raising mix.
They do not need to be buried.

Now thoroughly moisten the sown punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath so the moisture percolates all the way through to the surface from the bottom.

Now place the sown, moist punnet in a cool, but well-lit spot (absolutely not in any direct sunlight).
No artificial heat is needed as this can cause rapid germination and fungal attack, or make the seeds go into a deeper dormancy.
Temperatures of around 12-15°C are ideal. They do not mind cold night temperatures, and they even help germination.

It is important to keep the surface of the mix and the seed consistently moist – so regularly mist the punnet with a spray water bottle as required.

Seedlings usually appear within 3 to 6 weeks but some can take much longer.
But this is a normal process in nature to stagger germination, to ensure some seeds will germinate into a variety of conditions. So do be patient and do not discard the punnet.

If the seeds are shy to germinate – then wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling-wrap, and place in the fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.
This mimics a nice cold winter, and promotes germination when they are brought out to the cool place again.

When the seedlings have a set of true leaves, pot on into small pots and protect from hot sun.

Then plant out in a shaded, moist humus rich slightly acid soil.
It is natural for some Meconopsis plants to be herbaceous and die down to a large resting bud.

Seed Count: 15 seeds per pack approx. (We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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