Coral Reef Oriental Poppy Plants

Coral Reef Oriental Poppies

What a lovely sight, a sea of these sweet pink poppies in a cottage garden. Coral Reef is an absolute stunner of a poppy, with soft, romantic, pale coral papery blooms topping the strong, tall stems from late May to midsummer. 

Browse all of our perennial plants.

With Coral Reef, the centre of each flower is velvet black-maroon and luxuriously fringed, with a black splash on each petal: a very dramatic scene indeed. The sturdy stems and finely divided leaves are pale green and given a metallic fuzz by a generous covering of bristly, silver hairs.

In the garden

All Oriental poppies appreciate a sunny spot and decent drainage. So, grow in a south or west-facing border, and dig in some well-rotted garden compost when planting. Position these poppies towards the middle of the border, with something lower-growing in front, as the foliage can look a bit tatty once it goes over (although you can cut it back quite easily). Grasses such as Stipa tenuissima would do the trick nicely, as would Alchemilla mollis or a hardy geranium such as Wargrave Pink or Rozanne. Thread a river of rich purple late-spring alliums through a patch of Coral Reef and you're onto a winner.

If you cut it back after flowering, you might get a second flush of blooms in later summer. In autumn, lift and divide large clumps to create new plants for free.

Features

• Colour: pale coral pink
• Flowering: May-Jul
• Foliage: mid-green, downy
• Height: 90cm
• Spread: 90m
• Spacing: 80cm
• Position: full sun
• Soil: moist, well drained

Fun fact

Amos Perry bred the first oriental poppy that wasn’t bright orange at his nursery in Enfield in the early 20th century. He named the salmon-pink seedling 'Mrs Perry' after his first wife, Nancy. What Amos really wanted, however, was to breed a white poppy. When an unsatisfied customer complained to him that her 'Mrs Perry' was in fact 'ugly' and 'white', this was his cue to take her several more 'Mrs Perry' plants in exchange for what was to become 'Perry's White'.

Dig in well-rotted garden compost when planting, in full sun, in all but heavy clay. Space 50cm apart and water in well. Keep watered until established.

Cut back hard after flowering - in a sunny spot plants will flower again in late summer. Divide congested clumps in autumn or early spring