Papaver 'Royal Wedding'

Papaver 'Royal Wedding': White Crepe Petals With Bold Black Blotches

Huge, papery white blooms with black blotches at the base. 'Royal Wedding' showed up dressed for the ceremony AND the reception. EVERY OTHER WHITE FLOWER JUST GOT UPSTAGED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Papaver orientale 'Royal Wedding'
• Common Name: Oriental Poppy
• Height: 75–80 cm (30–31 in) in flower
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Large, papery, pure white blooms, up to about 15 cm (6 in) across, with black basal blotches
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Coarse, hairy green leaves that die back after flowering and return in fall
• Features: Long-lived

Where to Plant: Plant it in the middle of a sunny border where later perennials can fill the gap once it goes dormant in midsummer. It's a natural fit for a white garden, and the flowers can be cut.

Companion Plants: Armeria maritima forms low pink tufts at the poppy's feet, flowering with it in May and June. Nepeta 'Chartreuse on the Loose' carries on with blue flowers from June to September at 20 to 25 cm. Behind, Liatris pycnostachya sends up purple spikes from July to September once the poppy has gone quiet. This keeps a sunny bed in flower from late spring to early fall.

Plant Care: Give it full sun and deep, well-drained soil. Poppies hate wet feet, especially in winter, so avoid heavy clay that stays soggy. Water during the first season and while buds are forming. Once dormant in summer, it needs very little. The foliage yellows and disappears after bloom. That's normal, not a crisis. Cut the tired leaves back and mark the spot so nobody digs it up. New leaves appear in fall and stay over winter, so leave those alone. Oriental poppies have a long taproot and don't love being moved. If you must divide, do it in late summer while the plant is dormant, roughly every five years at most. Expect a light show the first spring and a better one after that.

History: 'Royal Wedding' was introduced by the German seed house Jelitto Perennial Seeds in 1996 and is sometimes sold as 'Choir Boy'. The oriental poppy species comes from southwest Asia, including the Caucasus, Turkey and northern Iran.

Final Thoughts: It vanishes after blooming, then returns in fall like it just got back from the honeymoon. Long-lived and low maintenance. THE LEAST DRAMATIC WEDDING YOU'LL EVER ATTEND.