The Oriental poppy, perhaps the showiest of all perennials, is as easy to divide as it is beautiful.
Its hairy finger-like leaves, sometimes 18” inches long, remain a deep green from early spring until mid-summer. After that, they die to regrow again in early September, remaining green long after all other perennials have frozen and dried.
Some of the stronger varieties even insist on blooming a second time. There are 100 varieties of the Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale).
Contrary to the implication of its name, it was found originally growing in the eastern Mediterranean region. All of them can be easily divided.
Plan Carefully Before Dividing
If placed just right in your flower bed or border, poppies can produce striking effects long to be admired and remembered.
For instance, if you are dividing and replanting a bright red variety, try to place the new divisions against a deep green background, such as low-growing evergreens, and surround them with white iris and white peonies that bloom simultaneously.
Remember that most Oriental poppies are large plants with blooms that sometimes measure six to eight inches across. Give them plenty of room to avoid that crowded effect that so often ruins a garden.
Oriental poppies grow 1 ½’ to 4’ feet tall and produce five to 20 buds as large as English walnuts. By dividing it, anyone with a plant three or more years old that has bloomed well this year can have as many as 15 new plants.
Divide During The Dormant Period
The division is most successful during the dormant period between the last of July and the middle of August. At this time, the plants have died back and will suffer the least when uprooted.
Although dividing is easy, caution must be exercised when taking up the plant. The more roots you can bring up intact, the more new plants.
Before starting work, cut off the dried foliage with hedge shears about an inch above ground level. Then take a garden spade and dig a trench all around the clump 12” inches deep, keeping at least 8” inches away from it so none of the main roots, which reach out in all directions, are severed.
After the trench is dug, force a garden fork straight down into the trench as far as it will go. Poppy roots descend as far down as 18” to 20” inches. The more roots you get, the greater the number of new plants.
Work the fork handle gently back and forth on all sides until the clump gives and comes out intact.
Take it in your hands and shake it hard until all soil falls away from the roots. If the earth is wet and heavy, wash it off with the garden hose.
Allow the roots to dry in the sun for a short while, then check them over carefully for new plant possibilities.
Root System
You will find a plant with a monstrous root system and several crowns consisting of dried stumps and fresh green shoots. Don’t worry about injuring this new growth. The plant will not suffer.
Since the poppy root system is unlike the peony, which automatically divides itself, it must be separated into sections with a sharp knife.
Locate two large connected roots, then cut right down through the crown or between two crowns. You will then have a healthy division to produce two flowers next spring.
Every large root planted will have one bloom the following spring. A division of three roots will produce three buds, and so on.
If you want more blooms quickly, take larger divisions. If you are in no hurry, the divisions might consist of only one large root with a bit of crown attached.
When Divisions Have Been Made
Cut all of the large roots back to about 8” inches putting the discarded root tips in a wide-mouth container and laying them head up so they won’t bleed. Poppy roots contain a heavy fluid that seeps out when cut and laid flat.
After all, the roots have been shortened, go back and cut these tips into three to four-inch sections.
Each section must have a dormant bud near its top. New leaves sprout from this bud when growth begins. A root without a top bud will never produce a new plant.
Feel around in the hole with your fingers for extra cuttings, and pull up any roots you find. No matter how thin, these roots can also be cut into short lengths with top buds and placed upright in the container.
Transplanting To A New Location
Transplant the large divisions to a new location where Oriental poppies haven’t been grown before.
Use a new location because the old area will contain some roots that will produce plants that will undo your color combinations and crowd your new plants.
When transplanting, dig a hole several inches deeper than the length of the longest root. When the plant stands upright, the crown should be at least 2” inches below the surface.
Work the soil around the roots with your fingers, then firm it down with your fist.
When the hole is half-filled, pour in a quart of water. Let settle, then fill the remainder of the hole with soil. Water again lightly, then apply a 2-inch mulch.
Cover Crowns
Don’t worry about the crown being covered with soil. The plant demands it. Soon crisp, green leaves will push through the mulch, and the new plant will develop before winter sets in. In early spring, the foliage will reappear, and you will soon be rewarded with blooms.
If the soil is sandy or clayey, mix organic matter or fertilizer into an area 36” inches in diameter. The roots are strong and will go in search of food.
A top-dressing of fertilizer can be given in early spring on poor soils to increase bud size. Use a 6-6-6 formula.
After all large divisions have been planted, dig a shallow trench in some remote spot in the garden, then place the small four-inch root sections in it, and bud end up. Cover with 6” inches of earth, pack, water, and mulch with grass clippings.
No growth will appear until the following spring, but good-sized plants suitable for transplanting will result by fall.
If you can wait, however, don’t transplant for at least two years. This will give the plants a chance to become robust before being disturbed.
Image/s (Page 21)
Before beginning to divide a clump of Oriental poppies (photo left), cut off dried foliage with sharp shears
Dig a trench around the poppy plant with a spade. Allow plenty of room so the main root won’t be severed.
Loosen poppy roots (left) with a spading fork and lift them out carefully. Shake the roots free from all soil before dividing.
Five good divisions are made from the root system. All except one are divisions of two roots or more. All will bloom in spring.
Any side roots can be cut off flush with the main root and used as cuttings to form more plants. Note the small jar to the right is filled with short root cuttings obtained from the large root tips and other smaller roots found in a hole.
If the soil is poor, dig a shallow ring around the foliage in early spring and fill it with a small amount of 6-6-6 fertilizer. Cover with soil. Rains carry food to the plant root.
The three-year-old division that started in one large root division (left) sees the many buds and long leaves.
Make sure crowns are 3” inches below the soil surface. If stumps are long, they can reach ground level, as shown above.
44659 by Betty Brinhart