did you know?

The old Saxon word meaning sleep, was perhaps an allusion to the opium poppy. The Latin name, means food or milk, suggesting the milky fluid of the flower's pods. To make cut poppies last, burn the end of the stem with a match until it blackens, or dip it in boiling water for several minutes.

general maintenance:

When oriental poppies go dormant in the heat of the summer, remove yellow foliage to maintain a tidy appearance.

pests/diseases:

Powdery mildew, smut, gray mold root rot may occur.

controls:

To discourage powdery mildew, space plants for adequate air circulation and avoid watering leaves directly. Remove and destroy severely affected plants, and pick off diseased leaves where practical. To control gray mold, remove affected flowers and foliage. To control smut, remove infected plants.

how to sow/plant:

Plant in spring or fall. Start with new plants, root divisions or seed sown indoors, in pots, lightly pressed into soil (seeds need light to germinate). Transplant oudoors 16?25 days after sowing, before plants become root bound. Set plants at the same depth they were in pot, spacing at a distance equal to their mature spread. Water after planting, and mulch to conserve moisture.

water and fertilize:

Monitor soil moisture all season. Apply a balanced fertilizer in the spring and again after flowering, following label directions.

garden hint:

Plant summer-blooming perennials such as Russian sageor baby's breath next to poppies to fill in empty spaces created when oriental poppies go dormant in the summer.

features:

• Attractive Flowers
• Attractive Foliage
• Drought Tolerant

garden uses:

• Containers
• Flowerbed borders
• Rock Garden

other uses:

• Cut Flower
• Everlasting (>)

combine with:

foxglove cranesbill Siberian iris and peonies