Himalayan Blue Poppy

After posting quite a few cold, wintry images recently, I thought I'd post a photo of a different subject this morning.

It is always a joy to see these Himalayan Blue Poppies growing at Reader Rock Garden, and I was happy to find them in bloom on 24 June 2015.

"Blue Himalayan Poppies are one of the most impressive plants for the shade garden. Plants form a rosette of hairy leaves, bearing large satiny flowers in an amazing shade of true blue. These are not always easy to please, demanding an evenly moist, rich soil and cool woodland conditions. Plants are not long lived, typically flowering in the second or third year, setting seed, then dying out. Gardeners in hot summer climates seldom succeed with these plants, yet they are surprisingly tolerant of cold winter conditions."

www.perennials.com/plants/meconopsis-betonicifolia.html