Poppy seeds
Poppies are synonymous with remembrance Sunday and the iconic red field poppies (papaver rhoeas) are delightful native annuals that self seed and naturalise in meadows and wheatfields. Eschscholzia seeds are native to the USA and India, but are very similar in appearance, although available in a rainbow of colours and double petals. Read our article on how to grow poppies for tips, and see our FAQs below.
Which poppy seeds are edible?
The seeds from papaver somniferum, also called the opium poppy, are edible. These tasty seeds are typically baked onto loaves of bread or added to lemon cake. Poppy ‘Rose Feathers’ is an excellent example of an opium poppy. The large ruffled blooms are born on 90cm stems and are followed by large ornamental seed heads.
Are poppies hardy?
Yes, red field poppies are hardy annuals. They start to germinate in spring as the weather warms up, and flower from June to September. After flowering, seed heads appear and scatter themselves around the garden where the seeds lie dormant until the next spring.
Eschscholzia and oriental poppies are both hardy too. The hardiest poppy to grow in cooler northern climes is 'Iceland Poppy'. These brightly coloured blooms are native to the polar regions so are well able to deal with a bit of frost! As a biennial, expect to see blooms the year after sowing. Fast track this by sowing your Icelandic poppies in autumn to overwinter and flower the following spring.
Do poppies have ornamental seed heads?
Sow oriental poppy seeds for the largest seed heads. Poppy seed heads are really attractive and well worth leaving intact to enjoy through the autumn months where they add structure and interest to garden beds. Field poppies and eschscholzia have small seed heads that retain their classic ‘poppy shape’.
