POPPY - FRUIT PUNCH

The strong, upright 24" plants produce dramatic 5" blooms in shades of red, bright pink, pink, orange, and even an unusual plum. Blooms are ruffled and centers are dark. Perennial Zones 4-8.

50 seeds

PLANTING

Papaver orientale

Perennial, Zones 4-8

Germination: 10-30 days

Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures 60-65ºF

Seed Planting Depth: Sow on surface, light aids germination

Starting Indoors: Difficult to transplant. Roots and stems are fragile. Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost.  Sowing into individual biodegradable peat/cow pots reduces root damage when transplanting. Sow 2-3 seeds per cell/pot. Transplant a few weeks before last frost. 

Sowing Outdoors: Early spring as soon as ground can be worked or in the fall. Sow a few seeds every 6-9" or prepare a weed free seed bed and sprinkle down seeds. Thin the seedlings 6-9" apart. Do not start poppies in hot weather. Germination and growth will be poor sow them in late fall and early spring.

Growth Habit: Upright

Height and Width: 24-30” x 18-24"”  

Spacing: 16-20” apart

Light Needs: Full sun 

Soil Needs: Average to fertile, well-drained 

Approximate days to flower from seed: Blooms the second year, but often blooms the first season when started early indoors. May-June 

Uses: Flower beds, cottage and wildflower gardens, attracts pollinators