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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Oriental Poppies, Allium and Nepeta in the Front Walk Garden

Blinding Papaver orientalis, round Allium 'Purple Sensation' and delicate Nepeta 'Walker's Low'. 
This week in the Front Walk, the electric orange Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientalis) are just starting to bloom.  My plants have really bulked up in the past few years and there promised to be a grand display in the next two weeks. Complementary colors are provided by Allium 'Purple Sensation' and the blue flowers of Nepeta 'Walker's Low'. 


To see the succession planting in this area so far this year, look for the Front Walk in May GBBD post, and then the Allium flowering with late Tulip 'Cum Laude'. Succession planting is the art of planning your beds so that as one plant diminishes, another begins.  Knowing the shape of your plants and their life cycle will help you to learn which ones can be supporting actors for each other. In this case, the tulips and anemones came first. Now, the poppies have center stage and are supported by the Allium and Nepeta. But soon, the poppies will be cut to the ground, leave and all, and the stage will be set for the summer dahlias and Cosmos. 

The evergreen Arborvitae (Thuja) and rounded Spirea 'Goldflame' lend structure to hold this border together throughout the growing season.
View from the Front Walk looking down to our planted curb strip.
More on the succession planting in the Front Walk from 2011.

10 comments:

  1. Scrumptious! I just love that popping red color. I'd love to add some oriental poppies to my garden. They overlap in bloom with peonies though (which I have everywhere), and the colors don't go well together. Maybe a white one would work - but the red is so awesome!

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  2. Stunning colors! Your front walk is incredible and I love this vibrant and vivid combination.

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  3. Wow, those poppies! I must have some! And the alliums and nepeta are perfect with them. I love orange and blue together.

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  4. these poppies are just flaming red, they look magnificent in combination with the Nepeta and Alliums.

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  5. I love the bright colors of the flowers blooming in your garden. The poppies are gorgeous! I have been able to grow the poppy 'Lauren's Grape' for two years now, and a few weeks ago I planted (perhaps too late in the season) Papaver commutatum 'Ladybird" poppy, also a red poppy, from a 4" pot, which I've tried to grow from seeds before, and they didn't make it. But I'm determined to keep trying! Thanks for posting the photos of your lovely garden!

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  6. Love seeing the changes in your garden through the seasons...such great planning!

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  7. SO SO beautiful!!! I LOVE seeing your photos Julie!!!:):):)

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  8. Very nice! I am so excited that I finally have an area of the garden that is perfect for lavender-mauve alliums. I'm going to pick up a bunch at Costco in the fall, since Van Engelen says they can't ship Alliums to Washington. Your color combos look wonderful.

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  9. Incredible color combinations, and they do indeed pop! You do a fantastic job of combining plants and planning for all the seasons ... and then sharing your beautiful garden with us!

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  10. What an eye popping combo. I have a bit of the same just starting in the back...love the purple with the orange

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