Papaver orientale 'Place Pigalle'

The Papaver orientale 'Place Pigalle' is an original variety, easily recognizable by its short stems and bicoloured flowers. The single corollas are broad and carried by robust stems, resistant to bad weather. The white flowers are adorned with a contrasting red border in the upper part. The dark green, slightly bluish, cut foliage is also decorative and provides a dark vegetal background that enhances the flowers. Common in cottage gardens, the Oriental poppy is a hardy perennial and easy to grow in all good, deep soils in the sun.

The Pavot or Papaver is a member of the Papaveraceae family, which includes 42 genera and 775 species, including many flowering beauties such as Meconopsis with unreal blue flowers in certain species. The Oriental Poppy, or Tournefort's Poppy, is a perennial plant native to Asia Minor, introduced to France in the early 18th century. The botanical species grows from the Caucasus to Iran, passing through Turkey, where it forms perennial clumps, with the aboveground part dying in winter and reappearing in spring. Each wild plant develops a few villous stems from a compact tuft of cut leaves, each carrying a solitary flower. With a diameter of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in), the flower is formed by 4 to 6 petals, primarily red, sometimes white, orange, or lavender. Starting in late May, flowering is interrupted in July by the heat prevailing in these regions.
The Papaver orientale 'Place Pigalle' is a Dutch creation of a named range called "Parisienne". It is a compact variety, forming clumps that reach 45 cm (18in) in height (when flowering) and 35 cm (14in) in width. The leaves measure 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in length, are cut and villous, and have a very decorative green-blue colour. They form a dense rosette, from which short and sturdy stems emerge from June to July, each carrying a solitary flower. The single flower usually measures 12 cm (5in) in diameter and is easily visible in the border—the white petals at the base and middle turn red in the upper part. When the flower fully opens, it reveals a purple heart formed by female and male floral parts, contrasting beautifully with the corolla. With a short lifespan, the flowers regularly renew, as this variety is quite floriferous. In mid-summer, the leaves dry up later than in other varieties due to the intense heat.

This 'Place Pigalle' Oriental Poppy, with its semi-natural, semi-sophisticated appearance, will feel equally at home in a sophisticated border or a more minimalist cottage garden. Pair it with spring-flowering perennials or shrubs and those that bloom in summer, and it will ensure a smooth transition between the two. The Frosted Flame Almond Spurge, another compact perennial, can accompany it at the edge of the border. Its variegated evergreen foliage turns dark pink in winter, and its chartreuse green-toned flowering extends from March to May. With its delicate green foliage, the Sand Pink will take over from July to September with its magnificent fringed white flowers. And to accompany it, a Lavender 'Hidcote' will be perfect with its dense dome of aromatic and evergreen green foliage, topped with a dark purple flowering whose fragrance is appreciated by all.