Late summer/early autumn is the perfect time to sow poppies, including these fancy hybrids, Papaver somniferum ‘Rose Feathers’ (top) and ‘Swansdown’. These posh poppies produce fluffy balls on stems up to 90cm high – great for mass planting and picking for indoors. They’re frost-hardy, so you can sow them directly where you want them to grow. Keep seed moist until germination, then water with a fine spray until established. Available from Egmont Seeds.
Plant now: Poppies
February 20, 2011 by 6 Comments
Hello Jane, Your name was familiar and you are indeed a busy person! I love your site. Twice now I have tried to order packets of these delicious frilly poppies, but the website seems unable to respond. I shall check out local seed shops.
At present I am painting the fragrances of spring, or at least the little bodies carrying them! Heady hyacinths, fragrant freesias, delicious daphne etc.and can hardly wait for my highly organised rose garden to present it’s offerings to my paintbrush!
Now I’ve found your site, I shall look forward to many more visits. Kind regards,
Jenny
And what beautiful paintings you do! You have the best of both worlds – smelling the beautiful fragrances and painting the beautiful flowers.
Hi Jane,
Is it possible to sow poppies in Spring as well as in Autumn? I have read that seed sown in Autumn results in a stronger plant but other than this, is there any reason I shouldn’t try sowing poppy seed in Spring?
Thank you for such a lovely site!
Taryn
Hi Taryn
You will definitely get a stronger and bigger plant if sown in autumn. In areas with warm winters, autumn is the better time to sow. That’s because poppies typically go dormant from around midsummer, or sooner if you live in a warm area. If sown in spring and you live in a warm area, your plants may not grow large enough to flower before the weather gets hot. Spring sowing is fine for areas that experience cold winters. If yours is in between, there’s no harm in trying sowing in spring.
Hope that helps.
Jane
Thank you Jane!
You’re welcome!