Common poppy Seeds - Papaver rhoeas

Papaver rhoeas, better known as the common poppy ro red poppy, is an adorable annual weed that was once very widespread in our countryside. It blooms in summer, bearing scarlet, ruffled corolla, springing up from forgotten lands like a beautiful surprise. This very simple flower is ideal for effortlessly creating unforgettable scenes. Perfect in brand new gardens, indispensable in natural areas, this plant self-seeds readily. It thrives in full sun and makes do with any mediocre soil, even heavy, calcareous and degraded ones. Sowing them is a piece of cake.

 The field poppy, also known as the common poppy, or simply poppy, is an annual plant of the family Papaveraceae that is native to Asia Minor. Fast growing, in one season it reaches a height of 60 cm when in flower and a width of 30 cm. Fragile in appearance, just like their slender, rough and sparsely branched stems, these plants form clumps of alternate leaves that are divided into narrow, toothed lobes. Their true vigour is revealed when they inevitably emerge from freshly overturned soil, germinating from seeds that are sometimes very old. The broken stems exude a white, milky sap. They flower in summer, from June to August, depending on the climate and the time of sowing. The flowers are shaped into open cups made up of four, very noticeable, silky, slightly crumpled, scarlet or ponceau hued petals. The centre bears numerous stamens with bluish-black anthers. The flowers give way to fruits in the form of capsules containing numerous seeds that the wind will scatter.

At ease in wild gardens, in cloister gardens and gardens without gardeners, poppies make it possible to quickly and effortlessly create oceans of flowers of poignant simplicity, harmonizing perfectly with the harsh summer light. Although they are not very long-lasting in bouquets, poppy flowers are extremely charming in beds when combined with bearded irises, tall daisies, large peonies or the swaying leaves of grasses. This annual plant, like cosmos, has no equal when it comes to covering sunny embankments around new constructions and bright open spaces between annuals or big, late flowering perennials such as Helianthus whose blooms take over later in the season. If you still want to make bouquets with these flowers, the stems should be cauterized where they have been cut in order to prevent the flowers from fading the same day.

The poppy is the international symbol dedicated to the memory of Allied soldiers who died in combat during the First World War.