Meconopsis x sheldonii Lingholm - Blue Poppy

Meconopsis Lingholm is a hybrid of the legendary Himalayan blue poppy that is exceptional in more than one way. More vigorous, more long-lasting, and more prolific, it is easier to grow and offers particularly large flowers of a magnificent sky-blue colour. They are borne on tall, sturdy stems, high above velvety foliage of a light and fresh green. This variety is a gift from nature, a treasure that deserves to be cultivated. Grow it in humus-rich and moist soil, in partial shade.

Meconopsis 'Lingholm' belongs, like all poppies, to the Papaveraceae family. Its parentage is somewhat mysterious, and its origins have long been the subject of discussions among specialists. It now appears that this superb XXL variety, discovered in a garden in Cumbria, England, in the late 1970s, is a fertile tetraploid hybrid with a double set of chromosomes. Still quite rare in cultivation, it also spreads faithfully by sowing. It is a hardy perennial plant with rapid growth, with its above-ground vegetation developing in spring and disappearing in winter. The plant has a rosette habit from which emerge floral stems at least 1.25m (4ft) tall. The basal rosette, with a diameter of 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in), is composed of cordate and ovate, light green, velvety leaves with long petioles. The more or less branched floral stems present several flowers, each measuring 9 to 12cm (4 to 5in) in diameter, with a slightly translucent and silky texture. They are sky-blue in colour, sometimes tinged with mauve. Their white centre is composed of a plate-like ovary surrounded by a collar of yellow-orange stamens. The flowering is followed by the formation of brown capsules filled with small black spherical seeds.

Meconopsis 'Lingholm' provides an easier opportunity for gardeners to plant this legend in their gardens. This blue poppy is reliable and faithful if a few rules are respected for its cultivation. To give it the best chance, find the coldest spot in your garden, at the foot of an east or north-facing wall, in well-drained and loose, acidic to neutral soil, or at the edge of a woodland exposed to morning sun. Plant it in large masses, give it space, and let nature take its course. Meconopsis baileyi (betonicifolia) and its varieties, especially 'Lingholm', seem to be the easiest to grow in climates that are hotter and drier in summer than its country of origin, that is to say, under our average climates. Plant this blue poppy with Japanese ferns, Japanese grasses, Japanese anemones, hostas, or with small Saxifraga fortunei, for example. All these perennials appreciate the same environments.