I'm now going to think about star plants of the second magnitude. Silver stars instead of gold. Gorgeous plants, but perhaps they have a short flowering season, or they only last a few years before fading away for ever, or they need dividing every two years to perform well - that kind of thing - more work in fact. So the decisions are 'Are they worth it?' and 'Have I the time to do any work they require?' Decisions for later, after I've reviewed them here.
Oriental poppies require no extra work. They flower at a time when the top ten are still waiting in the wings. Stunning colours - this one is my favourite from a mixture called 'Pizzicato' which I grew from seed. I collected seed from this one and wait to see if the resulting plants are the same colour - it takes patience, but isn't difficult.
Other favourites are Coral Reef and Karine - gentle peachy colours, Brooklyn, a luscious raspberry shade and the delectable Patty's Plum, which I have not got (yet).
The silver star is for their sumptuous beauty is spite of their short season and the big gap they leave when they finish flowering.