The Poppies in My Garden
My perennial flower garden continues to produce so many colorful and beautiful blooms.
This cutting garden has developed so well over the last few seasons. I really enjoy comparing its progress from year to year, and seeing where I need to add more plants to improve the display. Right now, there are gorgeous poppies blooming everywhere - those papery, tissue-like blossoms that look stunning both in the garden and in the vase.
Enjoy these photos.
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- It’s always so exciting to step into the flower garden and see all the blooms that open each day. My flower garden is brimming with pink, white, red, and lavender poppies in a variety of forms.
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- The name “poppy” refers to a large number of species in at least 12 different genera in the subfamily Papaveroideae, which is within the plant family Papaveraceae. They produce open single flowers gracefully located on long thin stems, sometimes fluffy with many petals and sometimes smooth.
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- Papaver grows mainly in the northern hemisphere, including within the Arctic Circle, with one species found in southern Africa.
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- Poppies are attractive, easy-to-grow herbaceous annual, biennial or short-lived perennial plants.
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- The plants typically grow to about two feet in height forming colorful flowers during spring and into summer.
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- Flowers have four to six petals, many stamens forming a conspicuous whorl in the center of the flower and an ovary of two to many fused carpels.
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- The leaves almost look like weeds when first emerging from the soil. They are lobed or dissected, appearing lacy, frilly or fern-like.
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- Poppies can be found in areas throughout Western Europe. The destruction brought by the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th Century transformed bare land into fields of red poppies, growing around the bodies of the fallen soldiers. In 1914, the fields of Northern France and Flanders were hit again as World War I raged through Europe. Once over, the poppy was one of the only plants to grow on the otherwise barren battlefields. Today, it remains a popular bloom and an enduring symbol of remembrance.
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- This poppy has delicate dark pink petals that get lighter in the center.
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- Poppies come in a variety colors including white, lilac, pink, yellow, orange, red, blue, purple, and gray.
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- Poppies require very little care, whether they are sown from seed or planted when young – they just need full sun and well-drained soil. Though it varies from one type to the next, most poppies fare best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9.
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- Poppies can be planted as soon the ground becomes warm and soft in spring. If there’s a frost, poppies will survive and are also able to germinate in chilly weather. Poppies should receive at least six hours of sunshine a day, but in very warm locales, a little shade in the middle of the afternoon, when the sun is most intense, is ideal.
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- This poppy is very light pink and white with a yellow center.
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- One tip – only water once per week during weeks that receive less than two inches of natural rainfall. And don’t splash any water on the foliage; moist leaves are more susceptible to pests and diseases.
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- This lavender bloom has both frilly and shaggy petals adding lots of texture to the garden.
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- In contrast, this poppy is very dark in color – more plum.
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- One of the more unique poppies is this pompom variety with amazing double and semi-double flowers in a delicate lilac color. The large, frilly blooms are truly eye-catching.
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- Here’s another in a more pink color. Though flowers are packed full of petals, their stems are strong enough to support the weight. Many of these poppy photos were taken with our Google Pixel 6 – a great phone with a terrific camera.
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- This poppy is smaller, more dainty, and more tissue paper-like in appearance. The gray tones are a favorite.
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- Poppy flowers are attractive to pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
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- Never eat poppies. Most poppies are toxic to varying degrees. Virtually all species contain alkaloid compounds that are poisonous and can cause terrible side effects in both humans and pets.
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- Here are the poppy seed pods, which is what’s left on the stem once the flowers bloom.
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- Here’s a closer look – when the seed heads turn brown and a band of holes appear at the top, they are cut and the seeds inside are harvested and saved until they can be planted in the garden the following year. I hope you are able to enjoy the beauty of poppies wherever you live.
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