3 With gleditsia: Papaver o. ‘Patty’s Plum’ with gleditsia
Although mixed borders make it very easy to disguise their short season, poppies are vivacious enough to hold their own in very simple combinations where they are even more awe-inspiring due to the sheer bravery of excess. Here, the coppiced foliage of gleditsia injects vitality to the mass planting of Papaver ‘Patty’s Plum’. As opposites on the colour wheel, these plants create a tension that could be garish were it not tempered by the delicate textures and the foliage of the trees behind. Coppicing is a great way to take advantage of the alluring foliage of many of our larger shrubs and trees on a small scale. Cutting right back to the ground produces very fresh, oversized leaves. For an alternative foil, coppice Catalpa bignonioides or Cercis canadensis.
