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).
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