Bring bold, dramatic colour to your garden with Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere', one of the most striking and reliable oriental poppy varieties available. Renowned for its large, bowl-shaped, deep crimson-red flowers marked with distinctive dark black blotches at the base of each petal, this award-winning perennial creates a truly eye-catching display in late spring and early summer.

An RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) holder, 'Beauty of Livermere' is a robust, clump-forming perennial that returns year after year with minimal maintenance. Once established, it thrives in sunny borders, cottage gardens, and mixed herbaceous plantings, pairing beautifully with other early summer perennials such as geraniums, lupins, and ornamental grasses.

What's Included:

• 3 or 6 x Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere' plants


• Supplied as garden-ready plants in 1 litre root-balls


• Ready to plant straight into borders or larger containers

Key Features:

• Large, vivid crimson-red flowers with dark basal blotches


• RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) recipient


• Fully hardy perennial – comes back reliably year after year


• Excellent for cut flowers when picked in bud


• Low maintenance once established


• Attractive to bees and other pollinators


• Decorative seed heads provide additional seasonal interest after flowering

Planting and Care:

Plant in a sunny, well-drained position. Oriental poppies prefer not to sit in waterlogged soil, particularly over winter. After flowering, the foliage naturally dies back during summer dormancy before fresh new growth appears in autumn. Avoid disturbing the deep taproot once established, as these plants do not transplant well once settled.

Cultural Information:

• Botanical Name: Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere'


• Common Names: Oriental Poppy, Beauty of Livermere Poppy


• Classification: Hardy Herbaceous Perennial


• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 90–120 cm × 60–90 cm


• Growth Habit: Clump-Forming, Upright


• Perfect For: Borders, Cottage Gardens, Cut Flower Gardens, Mixed Herbaceous Plantings


• Flowering Time: Late Spring to Early Summer (May–June)


• Flower Colour: Deep Crimson-Red with Dark Basal Blotches


• Planting Position: Full Sun


• Soil Requirements: Well-Drained, Moderately Fertile Soil


• Attracts: Bees and Other Pollinators


• Type: Hardy Herbaceous Perennial


• Foliage: Mid-Green, Deeply Divided, Bristly Leaves (Dies Back in Summer)


• Hardiness: Fully Hardy (RHS H7)

Notes: This listing is for the 'Beauty of Livermere' variety, prized for its rich crimson-red blooms. Please note that during summer dormancy the foliage will naturally die back – this is completely normal behaviour for oriental poppies, and fresh growth will reappear in autumn.