Ladybird poppy Seeds - Papaver commutatum Ladybird

Simple and cheerful, the Papaver commutatum Lady Bird, also called ladybird poppy, is closely related to the common poppy of our countrysides. It distinguishes itself from the latter with its large, silky, intense bright red corollas with large, black central blotches. By staggering sowing every fortnight from February to July, you can have blooms non-stop from June to September appearing above a hairy, divided foliage. Planted in drifts, this annual plant makes quite an impression in the garden and self-seeds faithfully. Easy to grow, just direct sow in their final positions, in well-prepared soil. 

Native to Asia Minor (Turkey, Iran, Caucasus), Papaver commutatum is an annual or biennial plant, and can even be an ephemeral perennial in very mild climates. The cultivar Lady Bird, still not very widespread, is a descendant of this species that belongs to the family Papaveraceae. It forms a clump of 45 cm in height and in width with a more well-branched habit than the common poppy. Its foliage is glaucous green, deeply cut and hairy. The flowers appear in summer, borne on hairy stems for a period of about three weeks. They are bowl-shaped, measuring up to 8 cm in diameter and are particularly shiny. Their intense red colouring is further accentuated by the texture of the petals, which reflects the light beautifully. The corolla is adorned with four black blotches, that are also shiny. The flowers give way to fruits which are capsules containing numerous seeds that the wind will scatter.

Plant the poppy Lady Bird in large groups in natural grasslands, or in the wilder areas of the garden. Planted in smaller numbers, it will bring out the blue flowers of perennial flax and tall white daisies. Its intense colour and the airiness of its foliage also goes very well with the more discreet plants of the vegetable garden. It is an annual that reseeds faithfully, springing up from the earth by surprise in the forgotten parts of the garden. Like cosmos, this plant 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 sunflowers 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, to prevent the flowers from fading during the day.