Arum italicum will winter sow, fresh seed will usually germinate the first Spring and older dried/stored seed may germinate first Spring or take two seasons so don't toss the containers.

And that's twice already today - what's fogging my memory. My zone that I'm having to type in but can't at the preview stage - Z8 WA Coast, wet and rainy

The first to bloom this past year. There were actually lots of them this year. These plants are 4-5 years old and morz8 has been a big help in keeping them going since they were divided with his inspiration the year before.

They grow in a spot which gets am sunshine, noon shade and dappled shade the rest of the day. Behind this garden is where our sump pit water exits which keeps the area moist and cool even on hot summer days.

It sort of frosts my son who lives a bit south of me because he's definitely Z5. (;-p)

I just hope the deer around here don't eat the tops off the flower buds like they did my sunflowers, meh.

Your white Dicentra is very pretty and the other plants look happy in that spot too. Do you think the sump pit water acts like a liquid fertilizer?

M. cambrica is a totally different nature meconopsis, Self sows without hesitation, turns up in some very odd places - mine is the double orange Muriel Brown and the self sown seedlings still produce a lot of doubles.

Tiffy, I was hoping you'd show up and give a perspective from another doable climate. OT, and while it doesn't matter 2 cents worth in gardening, I must not mention DH as often as I thought :) Woman, 61, married 40 yrs in April.

A nice summer coastal day is in the upper 60's. A great day might pass 70F. Very occasionally, we will get 2 or three consecutive days (maybe once, twice a summer) that are downright hot. If we reach day three of a 'heat wave' it will always fall apart by that third night and we'll sock in with fog here and be as much as 20F cooler than just 15 or 20 miles inland.

I have (uncommon here) central air that is part of my heat pump system, I turned it on ONE day last summer, and that was only because DH had an early morning meeting and needed some sleep before the house could cool down.

On to other things... Gardenunusual, Nope the deers don't go for mine either. They walk right by them on a daily basis. I has also winter sown a more 'perennial' Meconopsis Lingholm last year which are not monocarpic - ie. you don't have to deadhead to keep them going year to year.

Terrene,
I would encourage you to try them. Your spot sounds like they would do well there. We don't get many days over 30C, but they do come in spells every now and then. There is also a huge garden of them in Quebec where they grow naturally and they do get some hot days in the summer. Their gardens are also in more sun than mine.

I think the sump water helps although in the deep of summer there's no more water coming out. This garden borders on a forest mixed with maples, white paper birches, and spruces and is northeast facing.

And I wasn't correcting you as much as making sure I was honestly represented here, I'm not sure where the misunderstanding occured. While not a girly girl ever, I did submit my photo to the members photos to Ronald a few years ago, one that was apparently only memorable to me. And I'm winking here, and teasing....

I'm wishing you only the best, I wouldn't have tossed out the marriage comment quite so casually in describing myself to you if I'd known - I just didn't know.

Great to know the deer avoid these. I would be devastated!

Isn't there a botanical garden in Canada somewhere that grow meconopsis?

Hopefully mine come up, right now I can think of three places to plant them.

Someone more in the know of Butcharts tells me they keep a back up supply growing all the time and replace them somewhat often, rather than divide, disbud, and try to keep the plants when not in flower looking good...slugs fav. We talked about deer, did not mention slugs/snails.

Hugs to you, Tiffy. I share your sadness of leaving your home and gardens as well as the breakup of your family.

Morz8, I remember seeing those photos somewhere. Wonder if they're still on GW?

Oh dear, Tiffy. Blindsided before Xmas...so sorry. Life is really tough sometimes.

I have had zero luck with the blue poppies. I nursed the 3 seedlings along that sprouted and they died on me. Ugh! Think they were my "leap of faith" last year and I failed.

Thanks for all of your lovely advice and passion on the meconopsis! ~ T

If you followed any of the above, I'd hope if you sow the blue meconopsis you will do it treating it as an experiment and understand growing these doesn't have as much to do with the gardener as it does the climate:) Don't see it as a failure or be frustrated if they don't thrive - Arkansas is going to be warm for them in summer.