Himalayan poppies

[NewBootsAndRanty]

I've just got some Himalayan poppy plug plants and have some questions....
Can I grow them on in pots? If so, what size?
Alternatively if I just plant them straight into my borders, do I just chuck some ericaceous compost in a hole, keep well watered and hope for the best?
Thanks!

Watching with interest as I’ve also just bought some plugs and no idea what I’m doing with them!

<hopeful bump>
I received my original lost delivery today, so now have sixteen of these to sort out 😁

They like slightly acidic conditions.

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/meconopsis/growing-guide

Ooh, can I ask where you ordered these from?!

In my experience just chucking mecanopsis anywhere will lead to you not having mecanopsis. I'd look into how to grow them and the conditions they like as they are very fussy.

Just googled it and it seems they don't do nearly as well in pots. I'd plant them in the ground and mix in a bit of ericaceous compost. I don't know how fussy they are but I don't water my blueberries with tap water as the hard tap water round here is too alkaline for them. I use pond water and mulch. They need good drainage so if you have heavy clay like me then you probably might as well give up now unfortunately. Anyway lots of info here - audreydriscoll.com/tag/growing-poppies-in-pots/#:~:text=Not!,size%20and%20vigor%20are%20striking.

I have two in pots. One of them has produced an extra plant, the other...... well I'm not sure, it might have gone the way of the other three I had at one point! They did both flower prolifically last year and they are spectacular, but such hard work!

I saw a programme about them last year (a GW section maybe?) and the presenter talked about the conditions they grow in naturally- so- mountainous regions where they never dry out and the atmosphere is pretty wet.

I find snails think they are delicious, hence the pots. I have mine hidden amongst some other fairly feathery plants so they don't really get much direct sunlight at all, although it's a light area, iyswim.

I don't know if you are anywhere near North Yorkshire, but RHS Harlow Carr have the most incredible bank of hundreds of them, mixed in with candelabra primula. I actually gasped the first year I saw it. Well worth a visit, and you might get lucky and be able to ask a gardener there for their advice.

Good luck!

I found a picture for you- this was when we were there last June.

Sigh. Stupid new site won't let me post pictures.

Thank you all for all the advice!

I'm in a soft water area, so tapwater shouldn't be a problem, and our soil isn't claggy or anything.

Not quite at mountainous altitudes though, Google tells me I'm 70m above sea level...

I'm only half an hour away from Harlow Carr - thanks for the suggestion @NotMaryWhitehouse , it sounds amazing!

@Shinyandnew1 - mine came from Dobies.