The loveliest flower...

...I never grew. Oh, but I would love to be able to grow it. The first time I ever saw Meconopsis betonicifolia, Blue Himalayan Poppy was at Lynnwood Gardens near Philadelphia Pennsylvania, on the way to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The color is an amazing blue, so blue it almost took my breathe away, and the stamen are a wonderful contrasting orange. The next time I saw it growing was in Ogdensburg, New York, in a bog, along the St Lawrence River. The gardens belong to a friend, a Botanist, who spent many years trying and finally succeeding, in growing this magnificent Blossom. She told me that the seeds must be put in the freezer and removed and replaced, several times before attempting germination. The seeds, once they have germinated must be kept moist, never too damp and never too dry. When they are hardy enough to plant, the plant is the most important feature the first year. Which means, after the plant is strong and begins to form a bud, the bud most be removed. Removed so the plant can become heathly and strong. The following year, if the plant survives the winter, then you can let the bud form and become a bloom. Like I said, the prettiest flower I never grew.