A Centennial Celebration Exhibition

Curated by Alexander Reford and Marjelaine Sylvester, June 15 to October 1, 2025, Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens, Quebec

A century ago the Himalayan blue poppy was close to extinction. This rare, stunningly beautiful flower was saved from extinction by the British perennial expert Frank Kingdon Ward—a man onan extraordinary mission to save the plant from medicinal hunters digging up its roots. Kingdon Ward took many Himalayan mountain expeditions to find blue poppy seeds, returning for more after he couldn’t get them to germinate. At last, he displayed blue poppy flowers at the 1926 Chelsea Flower Show, which caused a sensation. He distributed seeds to gardens around the world and now, 100 years later, efforts to save the blue poppy continue in Pennsylvania at Longwood Gardens, in Quebec at Reford Gardens and in Scotland at Royal Botanic Garden where the plants receive the special care, climate and soil they need to survive. What makes this centennial celebration important is that earthly concerns and distress over industrial environmental issues have sidelined concerns for declining treasures of the botanical world. This exhibition shines a light on how people in different parts of the world are working to save one tiny, endangered flower that is difficult to grow: the Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia).