Mecanopsis, like all poppies form a long tap root and do not take kindly to being moved. Do you happen to know which one you have as many are monocarpic and produce small plantlets around the original plant, these could be moved but I'd wait until early autumn to do so. If you could put a photo up I might, with the help of the Mec. bible, be able to give you an i.d.

I dont remember the variety and am sure that the plant label has gone from the garden now. However, I will try to get a photo tomorrow and post it here. It is a bit wet here now and pretty dull. So, best to do it tomorrow.

In fact, not time like the present. Rain is off.

Sorry about the quality. But I knocked a petal off when trying to lift its head after the rain. Hopefully you can make it out. If not, I can try for another image tomorrow.

And please ignore the weeds. They are on my to-do list!

Sorry but it is impossible to tell from the photo whether this is one of the monocarpic Mecs. or not... There aren't any baby plants around it but that could just mean it was sold to you without. Personally I'd be very cautious about shifting but, it is your plant! Are you a member of the SRGC? If so get in touch with Ian Christie for more advice.

Thanks, Moon Grower. No, I am not a member of the SRGC. What is that? Scottish Rock Garden Club?

I dont remember any baby plants around this mecanopsis. But then it has not done well in the 3 years it has been planted in this location. It was larger last year and I thought this year I had lost it altogether as it was so slow to come into growth. That is why I want to move it.

I have successfully moved poppies in the past. And I have also failed when moving them! So, I may wait to see how this goes now. I fully expect that after this bloom it will start now to die back a bit before going into winter dormancy. Maybe if that does start to happen, I will have a go at moving it. As it is, it is not thriving. So it may be a risk worth taking.

Okay, the fact you have had the Mec. for three years means it is not monocarpic, which as to be good news for you!
Yes SRGC is the Scottish Rock Garden Club.

So Mecs. need an, at least semi shady position and a lot of moisture. If you think about where they grown in the forests of the Himalayas you'll get the idea. If this is a 3 year old plant it looks a lot less than happy - what ar its growing conditions?

It is planted in front of a mature Leylandii hedge. It is shady and is at the back of the border. During summer it can get quite dry because of the hedge. But during winter it is moist enough. The border has lillies to one side, allium to the other and other perennials around it.

Would it be best to kmove it in autumn or now?

Wait until autumn you certainly don't want to move whilst in flower. Snag, s I've already said, is that like all poppies Mecs. have a long tap root and if you break this the plant is unlikely to survive. So take a much larger root ball than you think you will need and have the planting hole ready to receive before you do so. Keep well watered and cross your fingers. BTW nothing is going to do well in front of a Leylandii hedge as it will take all the nutriment from the soil and all the moisture too.

Many thanks. I will give it a try in the autumn. It has done so poorly this year, I am not sure that it would survive next in its current position.

I know what you mean about the hedge. But it is my neighbours and I inherited it when I bought this house. I have done a load of work replacing large shrubs beside it and replacing these with plants that will gve a little display. It has been a long slog - about 10 years now, I think. But it is starting to fill out and loads of compost helps!

Compost will certainly help and selecting plants/shrubs that don't mind the soil being dry