Poppy, Field - Papaver
1000 Seeds
Sow March - May
Hardy annual.
Height 20-60cm (8-24in), spread 45cm (18in).
Prefers a fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny position.
Can be sown outside in spring from March to May. Sow in a well prepared seed bed and cover lightly with soil.
Tall, slightly hairy, rigid stem, occasionally branching. Smooth, deeply lobed leaves, unsymmetrical and pale grey-green. Brilliant scarlet flowers with black centre appearing from summer to early autumn.
Poppy - Field
The poppy is widely spread across the temperate zones of the world. The Romans looked on poppies as sacred to their corn goddess, Ceres, who taught men to sow and reap. The ancient Egyptians used the seed in their baking for its aromatic flavour. The field poppy grew on Flanders fields after the battles of World War I and became the symbol of Remembrance Day. The laboratory analysis of the opium poppy is historically the transition from the magical and religious use of plants to scientific use. It gives us morphine and codeine, our most important painkillers and also heroin, which is addictive and results in much human misery. Many countries strictly control its growth.