Is there such a thing as Poppyholics Anonymous? Apparently I can't get enough of them and here's another that I grew this year. 'Hearbeat' is bred from Oriental poppies and therefore comes back each spring. Touted a 'Super Poppy' due to its weather-resistant characteristics (they hold up well during inclement weather), I started it from bare root stock 3 springs ago. The first year nothing came up and I thought it was just bad stock. But then the year after it sprouted leaves and grew into a good-sized plant and put out a couple of flowers. This year it definitely found its groove, producing a half dozen gorgeous blooms.
The orange-red color in the photo is not true to Heartbeat's real hue. It's more like a red, brownish-orange and they really stand out in the flower garden. The flower stems are incredibly sturdy, as so are the petals when compared to other poppies with delicate, whisper-thin petals.
Above: before an impending rainstorm. Below: after the storm. I figured there had to be some truth to the claim of being weather-resistant but I wasn't expecting this. The salmon-colored Icelandic poppies received a beating but Heartbeat stands tall and strong. As a cut flower the blooms keep longer too, so this is another plus. Anticipating the garden catalogs in fall for next year's papaver fix!
