Macleaya cordata
Right by the trail going through bed 74 is plume poppy (Macleaya cordata). If you walk there in winter, you see no sign of this plant - only its very tall stakes. It is hard to imagine a poppy so tall that it would need these stakes. But this perennial poppy, native to China, Japan and Tawain, grows up to 4 m/12 ft. In its native habitat, plume poppy is found at woodland margins, within scrub, and beside lakes and rivers.
Plume poppy has large grey-green leaves with silver backs that resemble poppy leaves. These handsome leaves are heart-shaped (cordata) and deeply lobed. The florescence is a surprise. It is a grass-like plume. Tall summer stems are topped by clouds of coral/bronze plumes that wave in the breeze. If you are feeling musical, these hollow stems can be blown like a horn but they must be dried first. The fresh stems have very poisonous sap in them.
Plume poppy is easy to grow. It likes either full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. It spreads by rhizomes (underground stems) and can quickly jump into the invasive mode. Some garden sites call plume poppy a thug. However, if you don’t mind keeping your eye on its spread and cutting off any wandering rhizomes, it is a striking and dramatic plant to have in a garden.
Vandusen got our plume poppies from Valleybrook Gardens in Abbotsford. The pictures were taken in bed 74 in summer.
Text and photos by Hughie Jones.