Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Blue Himalayan Poppy

Meconopsis betonicifolia (meh-koh-NOP-sis bet-on-ih-see-FOH-lee-um)

Family: Papaveraceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Upon seeing advertisements, most gardeners would like to grow blue poppy, but their cultural requirements of cool temperatures, moist soils, and perfect drainage in summer and winter usually cannot be achieved. They are only recommended for mountain rock gardens and best in the pacific northwest. It propagates by reseeding itself in the garden.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 38 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Canna Clematis integrifolia Viola sororia

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate; Whorled
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Light green rosette of hairy leaves
Flower color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Pink; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower detail
Early to mid-summer intense, deep blue satiny flowers appear.
Bloom time
Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China
Distribution
Mountains- Pacific NW best
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Woodland
Landscape theme
Rock Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Mass Planting; Specimen
Garden tags
#showy flowers #blue flowers #mass planting #high maintenance #mountains #border planting #rock garden #difficult to grow #accent
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Rabbits
Propagation
Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.