Opium poppy
Common Name: Opium poppy
Genus: Papaver
Species: somniferum
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Full sun
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Dry
Height: 120cm
Spread: 30cm
Time to plant seeds: March to May
Flowering period:
July
to
August
The familiar flowers of this poppy make it a cottage garden favourite. It is an attractive plant with its hairy, blue-green foliage making neat clumps that suddenly erupt into bloom in mid-summer. The flowers are quite extravagant - enormous singles or huge ball-shaped doubles choked with petals, in a rich variety of colours purple, mauve, white and red. Individual flowers do not last long, but others follow, each producing a large seed-head, which is very attractive in its own right. Given the right conditions it will self-seed profusely. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Search by name of plant
Plant finder advanced search
Select from the dropdown menus below to narrow your search.
© MMIX