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
Direct seeding is the recommended method for planting poppies. Their roots dislike disturbance, and their seeds prefer a period of exposure to cold before germination. To start poppies from seed, simply sprinkle the seeds evenly over a smooth raked garden bed and water gently.
Do poppies come back every year? ›
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.
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.
Where should I plant poppies in my garden? ›
When it's time to plant your poppies, Rose says to choose a sunny spot in your garden with visible soil. "The seeds need to be in contact with sunlight to germinate, so if you have a lot of mulch, pull it back to plant," she says. Unlike some other types of plants, you won't be sowing poppy seeds one by one.
Can I just throw poppy seeds on the ground? ›
Prepare the area where you want your seeds to grow by raking the area smooth and removing any rocks. 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.
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.
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.
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.
What triggers poppies to bloom? ›
Poppies need 6-8 hours of direct sun for flower buds to develop. Shading for a couple hours early in the day or late in the day may be acceptable as long as full sun is achieved during the middle of the day. Poppies do not respond well to fertilizing, preferring to have a lean soil.
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.
What month do you plant poppies? ›
Plant poppies in the spring (March through May) or autumn (August through October) — although those sowed in the spring may not fully blossom until the next summer. One of the great things about poppies is they are a pollinator plant, which will bring bees and butterflies into your yard all summer long.
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.
Will grocery store poppy seeds grow? ›
But the fact of the matter is these seeds are seeds that can be planted. Most of the poppy seeds that you purchase for culinary use are from the Breadseed Poppy variety. You can plant these seeds, let the flowers grow, harvest the flower heads and let their seeds dry out for more culinary use.
Are poppies annuals or perennials? ›
Poppies can be annuals (dying after one growing season) or perennials (return each year). Many types readily reseed themselves in the garden, coming back on their own to delight you year after year!
Will poppies survive winter? ›
Taking care of Poppies throughout the winter is not difficult and does not require many tasks. In most of the growing zones, Poppies will have gone dormant and died back well before fall. The seeds spread in the fall will overwinter and germinate in early spring when the weather begins to warm.
Are poppies perennials or perennials? ›
California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are annual poppies native to western North America - from Mexico through California and into the Southwestern deserts that get winter and spring moisture.
Do all poppies reseed themselves? ›
Poppy flowers are an excellent plant for gardeners of all levels to grow. These wildflowers are incredibly hardy, super vibrant, and are great at attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. As a bonus, most poppies will self-seed, which means they'll naturally grow back in your garden year after year.
