Poppies hold a special place in many people's hearts.
Image: Great Scarlet Poppy from Thompson & Morgan
Growing your own poppies from seed is an easy way to add striking swathes of colour to your garden, and a great filler for any unused space. Even better news? Once planted, they’ll come back year after year, forming graceful drifts over time.
Follow our simple guide on how to plant poppy seeds and you’ll soon have lots of these distinctive and delicate flowers to brighten up your beds and borders.
Which poppy variety should you plant?
There's more to poppies than the iconic red flowers, as illustrated with poppy 'Album'.
Image: Clive Nichols
You can choose from approximately 120 different varieties of poppy including annual, biennial and perennial flowers. They come in a wide choice of colours - sow a mixture of poppy seeds for a naturalised wildflower garden look, or make a dramatic statement by sowing a single colour en masse.
The Flanders or field poppy (papaver rhoeas) is the simplest to grow, and is best known as a symbol of remembrance for soldiers who gave their lives in the first World War. It’s an annual, bee-friendly variety that’s ideal in a wildflower garden.
If you want a longer-term plant, biennial and perennial poppies make a vivid addition to your garden or border. Oriental poppies have larger, blousy flowers, while Icelandic and Japanese poppies come in unique shades like mauve and gold.
If you’re growing poppies for culinary use, the opium poppy is a good choice. The seeds can be eaten and are used for adding extra flavour, crunch and bite to breads and cakes. Be careful, as the seeds of many other poppy species are not edible. Also, you must not consume any other part of a poppy plant –they’re poisonous.
When to plant poppies
Choose an autumn-sow variety for a great display the following summer.
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Sow poppy seeds directly into your garden in spring or autumn. If you’re planting early in the year, usually between March and May is best, but you’ll have to wait until the following summer for a healthy display. Sow between the end of August and October for more flowers in the first season.
Check the individual seed packet for when specific varieties should be sown.
How to sow poppy seeds
The elegant poppy 'Pink Fizz' has two-tone, pink bicolour blooms.
Image: Thompson & Morgan
- Choose a sunny spot with good drainage. Weed the area and rake to a fine tilth.
- Pour some poppy seeds into your hand and sprinkle them very thinly across the ground to create natural looking drifts.
- Allow 7-30 days to germinate, depending on the variety, soil condition and growing temperatures. Keep the soil moist during germination.
- Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to around 30cm (12in) apart.
- Water the area regularly, especially during dry spells. Be careful not to overdo it as this encourages quick growth and leggy plants, or even rot.
Left it too late to start from seed? You can buy oriental varieties like the satin poppy as mature plants. Harden off outside for 2-3 days when all risk of frost has passed before planting out in fertile, well drained soil.
Top tips for growing poppies
Poppies are a great way to fill unused space and are easy to care for.
Image: Shutterstock
- Water poppies during dry spells, but don’t oversaturate.
- Deadhead faded poppy flowers often to encourage more blooms.
- If left to seed poppies self-sow, so avoid unwanted spread by removing faded flowers in good time.
- To harvest seed pods, cut when the pods turn light brown and dry out for 1-2 weeks before breaking open and storing seeds in a jar for up to two years.
- Once annual poppies have gone to seed, pull up parent plants and compost.
- For biennials and perennials, cut back old foliage to ground level in autumn.
- Divide clumps of poppies in late summer when they’ve finished blooming. Take care, as early separation can damage sensitive taproots.
Poppies make up an important part of wildflower mixes, and are a particularly attractive pollinator plant to bring bees and butterflies to your garden - a great way to attract wildlife and get the kids interested in nature. Find lots of wildflower guides and articles for summer planting at our hub page, along with plenty of growing tips.
FAQs
Plant seeds directly in the garden when the soil has warmed to around 65℉ – 75℉. Start poppies from seed by firmly putting a few seeds on the soil; do not cover with additional soil. Poppy seeds need light to germinate.
What is the secret to growing poppies? ›
Poppies are not picky and do not need extra amendments to do well. The seed is very tiny, so some people combine it with sand to make dispersion more even, but you can also carefully sprinkle the seeds–taking care not to overcrowd them in one spot. Do not mulch, since light is essential for germination.
Do poppies come back every year? ›
Most commonly, gardeners can choose from the annual poppies grown each year from seed (Papaver, Eschscholtzia), or perennial poppies that come back from underground roots each year (Papaver, Stylophorum). Either way, poppies are pure joy to have in the garden or scattered across the landscape.
Where should I plant poppies in my garden? ›
Since poppies need sunlight to germinate and because they can't withstand constantly moist conditions, Funk says the plant should be kept in an area that gets full sun. Make sure your poppies are positioned somewhere the sun is hitting them for about six hours a day.
Can I just throw poppy seeds on the ground? ›
Sprinkle the seeds directly on the ground. This can even be done with snow on the ground, just sprinkle seeds on top of the snow, and as the snow melts down, the seeds will reach the soil. Because poppy seeds are so small, you can mix the seeds with some sand to help you distribute the seeds evenly.
Why are poppies so hard to grow? ›
They prefer cool weather (days below 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and can be difficult to grow in climates with big temperature swings. They stop blooming in hot summers. They can be tricky to start from seed (I'm looking at you, Iceland Poppies!). They are not long lasting.
What not to plant with poppies? ›
Poppies do a great job of attracting beneficial pollinators to both ornamental and edible gardens. Just avoid planting Poppies of any kind near Brassica plants in the kitchen garden, including broccoli, cauliflower, leafy mustards, kale, brussels sprouts, collards, and cabbages.
Do poppy plants spread? ›
Because of the relatively short bloom-span, different varieties and annuals are often planted in the flower beds with poppies to keep the garden full of color year-round. [Optional] Dead-head to prevent seeding and spreading, but if you let them seed, your poppies will spread and naturalize nicely.
Do poppies continue to bloom all summer? ›
With suitable species available to hardiness zones 2-10, gardeners across the map have the opportunity to enjoy poppies. They thrive in the cooler conditions of late winter to early summer, blooming mainly between April and June, depending on the species and hardiness zone.
Are poppies toxic to dogs? ›
The poppy plant has a distinct red flower and is possibly one of the best known wildflowers. While the poppy may be aesthetically pleasing, it is toxic if ingested. If your dog eats this plant, you need to contact your veterinarian immediately for an evaluation of your pet's health.
In areas with cold winters, sow poppy seeds in the spring. In warmer areas (like Arizona), sow seeds beginning in late fall (October – December). Seedlings will emerge in the spring. Learn to identify what young seedlings look like and remove weeds.
Do deer eat poppies? ›
Deer do not eat poppies. The strong scent of poppies keeps them away. They are also toxic to deer. They are unlikely to eat any part of the plant.
Should I soak poppy seeds before planting? ›
Poppy seeds do not require any treatment (eg soaking, stratification) before sowing. Poppy seeds grow best when they are sown directly into the garden.
Can you grow poppies in pots? ›
Poppies can be planted in containers and successfully grown on a deck, patio or in a small garden. The annual varieties make good filler plants with their silver-green foliage and low-growing flowers. The perennial Oriental Poppies work perfectly as a thriller plant to anchor a mixed planting of early summer annuals.
What triggers poppies to bloom? ›
🌞 The Sweet Spot of Sun Exposure. Full sun is the mantra for poppy perfection. Aim for a golden 6 hours of direct sunlight to get those blooms popping. But don't stop there; if you can nudge that number up, your poppies will thank you with even more vigorous growth.
What is the best fertilizer for poppies? ›
As previously stated, poppies like all plants have a requirement for the macro nutrients being nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. They also have a requirement for micro nutrients with boron being the most important one for poppies.
Can I just scatter poppy seeds in the fall? ›
Sprinkling & Seed Balls!
In both fall and spring, we sprinkle poppies when the soil overnight freezes and thaws in the day, gently working those seeds into the ground. In fall here in Zone 5, this is generally late September through early November; in spring this may be mid-March to mid-April.
