Question From: Crimora, Virginia, United States
Q: One of my oriental poppies has severe deformity to all of the new stems. They are curled in a U or gooseneck shape, turning back on themselves and twisting downwards. There are black marks on the infected stems right before the bend and some leaves are blackened also. The poppy next to the infected one has begun to do the same thing where they touch. HELP
A: Begin by removing the troubled plant ASAP and deposit it in the trash. My best guess is you have a disease, so I would remove it's neighbor as well. Clean your tools with alcohol when finished. Check out Jeff Ball's file on problems of Oriental Poppies. Also bag up sample of the infected plant and take it your independent garden center or nursery for another opinion. https://gardening.yardener.com/Problems-Of-Oriental-Poppy Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy
