Papaver rhoeas Angels Choir Mixed

This selection of Papaver rhoeas or field poppy 'Angels Choir Mixed' is a mix of poppies with great poetry. These annual poppies unfold their double corollas in an infinite range of delicate shades. From white to pink, orange, salmon, and mauve, the pastels come together and blend randomly on silky, single or two-tone, veined petals, composing a delightful watercolor. The result of ten years of research, this mix of poppies produces undemanding plants that grow and self-seed quietly in the sun. They tolerate poor soil, even heavy, chalky, and degraded soil. Their sowing is foolproof.

The field poppy, also known as corn poppy, is an annual plant from the Paveraceae family, native to Asia Minor. 'Angels Choir Mixed' is a mix of plants derived from this lovely weed. Growing rapidly, these plants reach a height of 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30in) in flower and have a width of 30 cm (12in) in one season. Fragile in appearance, like their thin, rough, and sparsely branched stems, these plants form clumps of alternate leaves, divided into narrow and toothed lobes, whose full power is revealed when they inevitably emerge from freshly disturbed soil, from seeds that can sometimes be very old. When the stem is broken, it releases a white, milky sap. The summer flowering extends from June to August, depending on the climate and sowing date. The open cup-shaped flowers have several rows of silky petals, slightly crumpled, solid or two-tone with lighter edges, sometimes fringed, in subtle colours, from white to pink, including all shades of orange, mauve, and pink. The centre is adorned with numerous stamens with blackish-blue anthers. The flowers give way to fruits that are capsules containing a large number of seeds that will be dispersed by the wind.

Perfect in wild gardens, herb gardens, and low maintenance gardens, poppies allow you to quickly and effortlessly create oceans of moving flowers, in perfect harmony with the summer light. While not very long-lasting in bouquets, poppy flowers have a charming appeal when they accompany garden irises, large daisies, big peonies, or the swaying foliage of grasses in flower beds. This annual plant, like cosmos, is unparalleled in occupying embankments around construction sites, open spaces between annuals, or large late-flowering perennials such as sunflowers that take over in full sun. If you still want to make bouquets with its flowers, you will need to cauterize the stems where they have been cut, which will prevent the flowers from wilting during the day.