Poppies....

I love the look of poppies sporadically planted among a large bed of petunias or pansies.

Poppies (also known as a herb) are so bright and fun. They are such a surprise. They stand elegantly tall above our usual flower beds, drawing all eyes into their area.

Although you’ll find them to be listed as a summer flower, I find that to NOT be entirely true. They pair well with our winter flowers and can be planted in mid November and should last through mid March. They like wet sandy soil, which is why you’ll see them popping up after heavy summer rainstorms/monsoons.

It’s great to go hiking some of the mountain trails at the end of our rainy season to see the outpouring of wildflowers including poppies.

While delicate against our winter winds, they are resistant to possible burn from our long hours of extreme sun. Poppies actually love approximately 6 hours of sun daily.

Poppies do have to be covered when there is a threat of frost.

The awesome thing about poppies is that they produce non-edible fruit that makes a dry pod. The pod will split open and seeds will scatter producing new plants the following year.( bonus ). Also they are easy to maintain and hard not to love, as there is no-deadheading, no unusual nutrients or fertilizers needed and they have no threatening pests or diseases to worry about. Once they are planted in an area of your yard, you can usually count on having them return for years to come.

They get between 1 - 3 feet high and come in a variety of bright colors. They are known as a Grandiflora genus as they have large flowers. Their blooms are abundant yet short-lived. I use plants not seeds and we space 6” apart when planting, as they grow so tall and slim that they will bend and they can touch each other and our winter windy days would cause them to tangle and break.

** If you have allergies, take heed as these flowers are indeed known for their pollen production.** And due to the pollen, they do draw a lot of bees. Also another reason to plant within a lot of space is so it reduces a collection of powdery pollen.

They are awesome to place in fresh floral arrangements if you are not allergic and able to have them indoors.