Seed NeedsMixed Somniferum Poppy Seeds for Planting - Heirloom & Open Pollinated Annual Flowers - Colorful Masses of Wildflowers, Perfect for a Butterfly Garden (2 Packs)

I love poppies. They smell great attract bees and taste good. I save the seeds because birds eat them as well as the pods so I just plant them again every year. I always mix the seeds from previous years with new ones and I get purple pink red and white colored poppies some white with purple spots some red with black spots or white spots some pink with separated petals. The shape of the pods varies too. I’ve found the same batch of seeds can sprout poppies with morphological differences from year to year as atavistic or recessive qualities become apparent again. This seed stock will doubtless be derived from a variety of purple grape. Over the years and on the wind in gardens the colors will change. You can direct this. Many morphological differences can be evoked. Watch your poppies carefully. Take many pictures. They are simultaneously fragile and very hardy. They don’t appreciate disruption. DO NOT SCORE THEM or sever the heads. This makes them weaker. They will wither and die if manipulated heavily. Don’t even bother them. Some morphs grow easily and soporifically in tropical conditions in heavy semi-shade in well regulated rich and sandy soil. They can grow prolifically on sand banks and hillsides. They grow well with similar cover (single stalk flowers with close leaves) or in monoclonal or mixed stands. They grow well and better with the small and California poppy.These particular seeds reach a maximal pod size about the size of a squash ball some varieties will grow larger pods but occupy a larger volume of space. Some can reach heights of six feet or more.The cell wall of these varietals are more woody than white persian or afghan poppies, which are more spongy in composition. The disposition of the fruit of poppy as a pickled, pressed preserve (apple cider) dates to the era of the Dutch Indies Corporation and the attendant monarchy. It is described such in contemporary 14th to 18th collections of Dutch fairy tales assembled for the King to read to his children.THE EMPERORKENYON LUCIUS AURELIUS AUGUSTUS

Poppies are a little tricky, because they are so teeny tiny while also not being ideal for transplanting.I have read conflicting information regarding stratification in order for them to germinate. They do NOT require this, I did not do anything extra and they have germinated quite nicely .What I do is mix the tiny seeds with sand (the sand is simply to be serve as a ‘marker’) before direct sowing them outside. After I direct sow them - by basically pouring a line of the sand in the chosen location - I make sure not to cover the area and gently water. I say gently because too strong of a stream of water can cover or move them etc .What I also do is sow some of them in a pot like the picture I have included, mostly for germination verification purposes (because the seedlings are so little and there are many look-alike random seedlings naturally present most anyplace outside)I’m not an expert, I’m just sharing the information I’ve learned via experience and trial and error etc . The most important thing I am glad to share with whomever is reading this is that these are legitimate seeds that will germinate readily, given the proper growing conditions I mentioned earlier.

Not one poppy seed germinated! I've been doing this for years I know what I'm doing and not ONE germinated!

I was able to get a very high germination rate after reading instructions on a website. It said to mix seeds with moist soil and chill in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. I did this twice, adding it all to a sandwich sized ziplock bag. By the end of two weeks, the seeds were visibly sprouted, even though they were in the refrigerator. From there, I added them to my garden bed outside and put a thin layer of dirt over them. About 4-5 days later I could see the seedlings. They are about two weeks after planting in this photo. I am excited, hoping they will keep growing.Update: They did continue to grow and the first row is flowering now, the second row is budding. About half of them reached the advertised height of 24-36". Many of them are much smaller. I read that you need deep tilled soil for the taproot to develop properly, so I think that is the problem in my case. There was also a 100 degree heat wave in June where I live (Denver metro area), and I think that may have affected the growth. So far, most of the flowers are the red color, probably the Danish flag variety, and I think one of the packs contained only that. One other was a pretty pure white color. The pod size reminds me of marbles. Some are the big marbles, others the small marbles.