“And they call it Poppy Love…”

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL
LOVING (POPPY) RELATIONSHIP

First and FOREMOST, plant them as early as you can! For those in mild winter areas (i.e. the San Francisco Bay Area) that means NOW!! Poppies can tolerate a few degrees of frost, so do not be shy about getting out and planting even if it is a little chilly. As hardy annuals, most of the Papaver species we grow tend to faint in high heat, so it is very important to give them plenty of time to build up momentum in the ground BEFORE Spring hits in earnest.

For those in harsher climates, heavy frost, deep freezes and hard rain can definitely set you back which is why most folks prefer to plant in early Spring. If you plant your Poppies later, they will still bloom, but their performance will be shorter and smaller (read: dramatic, but not AS dramatic.). You’ll still find them available later in spring but this is largely because so many of our customers are in colder climates and we want to be able to share Poppy lovin with people from as many USDA zones as we can! Those of you in colder zones should plant after your last frost. If you get a late start, say after April it becomes more challenging to make your Poppies grow well. At this point, it is best to plant them somewhere in filtered or morning sun, and make sure that the plants stay well watered during heat spells. And plan to plant earlier next year.

As for soil, rich soil is best, so amend with good compost, and when you plant, make sure you give them a bit of breathing room! For larger varieties, leave about one foot between your plant and its closest neighbor – they get around 2-feet wide. Under-plant your Poppies with lower growing, spring flowering pretties like Omphalodes linifolia, Cerinthe major purpurascens and Anchusa capensis, as these will fill in around the base of the plants, where foliage becomes sparer as they come into bloom.

We are often asked if Papavers can grow in pots, and the answer is YES but only for certain varieties. Papaver rhoeas cultivars can take it, as can P. dubium, P. commutatum, Papaver atlanticum and the Greek species Poppy, but they do better in 5 gallon+ pots. If you want to try the Breadseed Poppies in pots, expect them to get super sulky if the pot is even remotely small. It is almost like the roots hits the wall of the pot and the whole plant throws a little tantrum. Try a BIG pot, like a half-barrel or expect yellow leaves and weaker performance. Some things just do not like to be containerized!