To Tibet via Quebec
As a lifelong gardener, there are few things as thrilling as discovering a new horticultural challenge. In this case it is the Himalayan Blue Poppy – also known as the Tibetan poppy – Meconopsis. While not a true poppy, it’s close enough to have earned its common name – most notably for its rare pure-blue hue (try saying that quickly). This is the plant that actually inspired me to look into trips to Tibet, as well as sparking a growing interest and exploration of Buddhism. Strange, and fitting, that a simple, albeit magnificent, plant should start a spiritual journey or open the mind so, but I’ve always believed in the power of flowers.
Being that a trip to Tibet is out of the question (and I’m nowhere near ready to give up the creature comforts and clothing to which I have grown blindly accustomed – at least not yet), I’ve been seeking out realms closer to us, where the blue poppy might reside, as well as looking into ordering some plants online. One of the greatest resources yet for information on this plant is Blue Heaven: Encounters with the Blue Poppy by Bill Terry. This book is a blue poppy bible, filled with rich and glorious photos of the titular attraction, and useful information on its cultivation and numerous relatives.
Notoriously difficult to grow, prone to quick and easy fatality, and yielding up the most gloriously blue blossoms of any plant, the Himalayan blue poppy is my kind of prickly plant: a tricky, infuriating, but ultimately exponentially-rewarding bit of azure beauty that challenges and often defeats its owner. I can relate, and I can respect that. Unfortunately, for those of us hell-bent on growing these beauties, much of the success is simply dependent upon location, location, location – and since we don’t live in Tibet, it will be difficult to mimic such conditions in the extremes of upstate New York.
There is a place far, far North of us in Canada – Les Jardins de Metis – that is said to have a lovely woodland glade of Meconopsis – and it is this destination to which I hope to make pilgrimage this coming summer, when the blue poppies are in bloom. It is a ten hour drive from where we are, but there are a couple of good stops to make in Canada along the way, so perhaps Andy and I can make a long summer vacation of the journey. At the very least, it’s a lot closer than Tibet…
