Beautiful Poppies and how to sow them!

Let's face it, poppies are really pretty! Many gardeners would consider poppies to be among the most beloved plants in their gardens - the poppy is certainly one of the prettiest and most popular wildflowers. The flowers can be bold and striking and yet at the same time supremely delicate, with their satiny, paper-thin petals. Poppies come in colours that range from deepest crimson and brightest orange through to pretty, soft peach, pink, rose and cream. Flowers may be single, double or semi-double.

Poppies are stunning sown in drifts and are deservedly popular in wildflower meadows. They also combine beautifully with other flowers in a border garden.

The poppy family (Papaveraceae) includes many plants in a number of genera, but most poppy species are in the genus Papaver.

Possibly the most well-known poppy is Papaver rhoeas, also known as the Corn Poppy, Field Poppy or Flanders poppy. This is the single red poppy that carpeted fields in Flanders during World War I. It became famous when John McCrae, a Canadian soldier, wrote a poem in 1915 commemorating the soldiers who had died:

"In Flanders Fields, the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row...."

Since then the Flanders poppy has been used as a symbol commemorating the fallen of many wars.


Papaver rhoeas is also the botanical name for the Shirley poppy. In the late 1800s, the Reverend W. Wilkes (vicar of Shirley, England), discovered a new form of the annual poppy growing in his garden. The flower had a narrow edge of white around each petal. He sowed the seeds from that plant and selected from subsequent generations until he had a group of poppies with single, tissue-paper-like petals and colours ranging from pale pink to lilac and mauve as well as red. These became known as Shirley poppies.


The Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule), likes cooler temperatures and makes a pretty cut flower. Poppies can be short-lived in a vase. If you would like them to last longer, plunge the cut ends of the stalks into hot water, or sear with a flame to stop the sap flowing out.


The botanical name for the California poppy is Eschscholzia californica. Not easy to say but very easy on the eye! These pretty wild flowers from North America can be seen in their natural environment in Antelope Valley California. A visit to see these wild flower fields is definitely on my bucket list - it looks like an amazing place to visit! The California poppy is just as pretty in the garden - Barb and Gerard had a wonderful display of Poppy California Jelly Beans last year - it was so pretty that most of the staff followed suit and grew them too!

Another favourite flower is the peony poppy. These poppies are known as Papaver paeoniflorum. The frilly flowers display hundreds of papery petals - paeoniflorum means "many-petalled". They make a wonderful display in the garden - we grew some of these at home last year and they were just gorgeous.

Sowing & Growing

Poppies grow easily from seed, and you may find that last year's poppies have self-sown and that you have poppies "popping up" again in following years. They are not invasive and the seedlings are easy to pull up if they are in unwanted places, or you can move them if you do it when the seedlings are still very small. Larger plants dislike having their root system disturbed. Poppies grow in almost any kind of soil providing it has good drainage. Digging some compost into the soil will help with drainage.

Poppies are frost tolerant and germinate best in cool weather and soil. Poppy seeds are tiny - the main difficulty is making sure you are not sowing your seeds too thickly. Mixing the seed with sand may help with spacing the seed out. Sow your poppy seed directly early in Spring. In warm areas, you can sow poppies in Autumn - seedlings will begin to grow early the following spring. Poppies bloom profusely under cool growing conditions. Select a site in full sun, but if you are growing poppies in a warm climate, you might find that your plants do best with some protective shade at midday.

Do not bury the seeds - most poppies germinate best with light - cover the seeds with just a very thin layer of fine soil. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy, until seeds germinate. Thin your seedlings to about 15cm apart when they are about 3cm tall. Progressive sowings will allow you to enjoy having poppies flowering in your garden for an extended season and dead heading spent flowers will keep your poppies in bloom for longer. Taller varieties may need support against wind - use a stake or twig supports, or support them by growing sturdier border plants around them to keep them upright.

Poppy Black Swan

This year we are introducing a new Peony Poppy into our range. It is called Black Swan, and it is a striking dark burgundy/near-black peony frilled with numerous finely cut petals. This is definitely a poppy that we're looking forward to growing.

Poppy Bridal Silk

This gorgeous corn poppy is just stunning, with delicate white/cream flowers....this poppy is something special and definitely suits its name. Imagine a drift of white poppies in your garden, or mix them with other coloured poppies for a lovely display!

Corn Poppy Flanders Red

Flanders Poppy / Soldiers Poppy. Brilliant Scarlet Red 7.5cm wide single flowers, usually with a Black blotch at the base of the petals, appears growing wild in fields and alongside railway tracks all over England and much of Europe.

Poppy Fruit Cocktail

Unique and colourful Oriental Poppies with large ruffled blooms in vibrant shades of red, hot pink, orange and the occasional darker one. Flowering over a long period in summer and tolerating most well drained soils, the added bonus is the mature seed heads which are perfect in dried floral arrangements.

Poppy Iceland Windsong F2

Extra large flowers in a full range of colours from pastels through to the darker hues. An excellent cut flower, pick when the pod starts to split but don t forget to sear the ends to stop sap flow. Best sown late summer/autumn for spring flowering.

Poppy Ladybird

Poppy Pandora

Unique and truly impressive Shirley Poppy in an amazing combination of shades from the deepest Burgundy Red to Pinkish Red, all with silver grey stripes on the lower petal. During the flowering season, as with all poppies, the colour gradually softens.

Poppy Shirley Summer Mix

Gorgeous softly nodding double, semi-double and single blooms. The glowing 7cm flowers with the texture of crushed silk come in bright Red, Salmon, Pure White, Light Pink with occasional beautiful bicolours.

Poppy Tangerine Parfait

Moroccan or Spanish Poppy. A prolific Mediterranean Poppy producing soft tangerine flowers throughout the summer. Brilliant for scattering through a summer border, it also works well in pots and tubs.

Poppy California Jelly Beans

The brightest of mixes of large double California Poppies in shades of Orange, Rose, Salmon and Gold to highlight the summer garden. Perfect for direct sowing in a sunny part of a fertile garden border or wildflower drift.

Poppy California Rose Bush

Award-winning California Poppy with delicately frilled petals in shades of Rose Pink over lacy bluish foliage. Prolific number of flowers but compact in habit.

Poppy California Thai Silk Mixed

Award-winning California Poppy with delicately frilled petals in shades of Rose Pink over lacy bluish foliage. Prolific number of flowers but compact in habit.

Poppy Peony Scarlet

Vibrant Scarlet Red peony poppy. Eye catching when direct sown en masse at the back of the border garden. The seed is quite small and prefers to be directly sown. Blend it with a much larger quantity of sand or seed mix to make it easier to disperse.

Poppy Peony White