Poppy Flower
There was a time when the Poppy flower was considered a common weed. But years have passed and in the world of today, the Poppy is now one of the most popular flowers to grow in gardens.
The attractive flowers of poppies don’t leave gardeners feeling indifferent, so we often see ornamental patches of them in the flower beds.
There are lots of poppies’ varieties, originating from different parts of the world: some of them are native to southern and central regions of Europe, the others are from India or China. You can choose both annual and perennial varieties of Poppy for your garden, both of them are equally easy to grow.
The poppy flower comes in a wide range of colours. An avid gardener has the choice of poppies in any colour of the rainbow, not excluding even black. Another attraction to these plants is that their flowers usually last quite long.
The additional good news is that you can even use Poppy seeds for cooking: they will give a nice additional flavour in your baking.
Poppies are always used on Memorial Day; they symbolize victory and sorrow at the same time. The Memorial Day Poppy is often seen decorating the graves of soldiers.
Grow Poppies from Seed
Poppy flower are grown from seeds.
You have two options: it is possible to sow seeds directly into the soil in the chosen place in your garden, or you can start the planting process indoors and transplant the young plants outside later.
If you go for the second option, start sowing the seeds at least a month before the last frost in your region. A month and a half would be even better.
It is better to grow poppies in a few pots rather than in one container.
They will need enough space for the roots to grow and develop without competition from other seedlings. This will also simplify the transplanting at a later date.
Of course, if you want to achieve better results, you should transplant poppies when they are still small.
How to Grow Poppies
Poppy plants are exceedingly easy to grow and maintain. Typically they prefer open locations with full sun rather than places with partial shade.
This means you can choose any place in your garden which would not normally be tolerated by most other plants. Poppies are not capricious; they will grow reasonably well in different types of soil.
They are tolerant even of dry spells. These facts make Poppy a very convenient and valuable plant to grow: with minimal effort you will be able to enjoy the beauty of their colours and tender petals in your garden.
The plants will grow two to two and a half feet tall. The distance between the plants should be around eight to fifteen inches, depending upon the species.
Poppies grow quickly; their blooming season starts at the beginning of summer. If you want to ensure their steady growth, it is recommended to fertilize the soil once a month.
Add some mulch around the plants to suppress the growth of weeds, and to keep the flower bed looking even more attractive. The bigger your flower bed, the better Poppy plants look when planted together.
Poppy Flower, Insects and Disease
Being originally a common field weed, poppy flower is rather hardy and resistant to diseases and harmful insects. If you do happen to have any problem with insects, use some organic insecticide. In a case where there are many diseases, fungicide can often come in handy.
Poppy Flower for Sale
This is a list of poppy flowers for you to search for using the box provided below.
All of these poppies are suitable for zones 3 to 7 and prefer partial shade to full sun.
- Oriental Poppy – Brilliant
Papaver ‘Brilliant’ - Oriental Poppy – Prince of Orange
Papaver ‘Prince of Orange’ - Oriental Poppy – Raspberry Queen
Papaver ‘Raspberry Queen’ - Oriental Poppy – Royal Wedding
Papaver ‘Royal Wedding’ - Oriental Poppy – Turkenlouise
Papaver ‘Turkenlouise’
Poppy for Sale
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Summary
Poppy flower is easy to propagate from seed, both indoors and in the flower bed, after the last frost.
Plant them eight to twelve inches apart for best results.
You can plant poppies in your garden where they can get full sun.
Poppies come in many colours, including black, and there are many varieties.