Poppies, Alliums and Daisies Oh My!

Good Morning!  I am often asked about Poppies.  Everyone loves them but here in the Midwest they can be difficult to get established.  Poppies need REALLY good drainage.  Our native soils are a heavy black dirt and if you live in a recent development, you have that lovey clay fill that the builders stick you with because it's free, after they've scraped your lot and sold the nice dirt.  Because they do that ya know.  So the best thing you can do to ensure success with your Poppies is to amend the soil.  When you plant your Poppies dig your hole a little larger and add some play sand to the mix.  This will help improve the drainage and make your Poppy flourish.  My favotitearestill the Orange cutivars like 'Prince of Orange' , 'Beauty of Livermore' or ' Allegro'.  There are other colors available as well including white, pink,red & purple for those of you with an aversion to orange.

I am often asked about the 'Purple Flowering Balls' at this time of year as well.  They are Alliums, essentially Ornamental Onions.   They are sold as bulbs in the Fall.  There are many different varieties with different sized flower heads and colors ranging from purple to violet to blue.   My favorite is 'Purple Sensation'.

Try pairing  a purple Alliumwith an orange Poppy for an extra Spring pop.  There is also an early Season daisy I like to add to the mix called 'May Queen'

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!!!