How to Care for Poppy Flowers

Poppy flowers are famous for their bright red blooms, and poppy seeds commonly are used in cooking and baking. Poppies are easy to plant and care for, making them a popular choice for home gardens. There are several varieties of poppies available, each with a slightly varied appearance, but all types are fairly low-maintenance. Some poppy seeds can be used to make opium, which is illegal in the United States. For this reason, most states have outlawed growing the Papaver sonniferum specie. These seeds are not readily available, so you shouldn't need to worry about accidentally growing illegal poppy flowers.

Poppy seeds

Rake

Hand shovel

Decide which type of poppy flower you want to grow. Poppies can be either annual or perennial, but even annual flowers can return year after year as the seeds from the previous flowers self-sow in your garden. Each type prefers varying temperatures and sunlight; the Mexican poppy thrives in hot climates while the celadine poppy grows in milder climates and prefers partial shade. Visit your local garden store to see what seeds are available in your area, and read the seed packet to learn the shade preferences for each variety.

Plant your seeds in the late fall. Choose an area with good soil drainage, and scatter the seeds over the dirt. Poppy seeds do not need to be individually planted or even pushed into the soil. Rake the soil gently after you scatter the seeds, and keep the garden moist the week after planting. Seedlings will appear in about a week.

Separate your seedlings so each plant has at least four inches of garden space. To move a seedling, insert a hand shovel into the dirt a few inches away from the plant and pry the surrounding soil loose. Move the seedling and surrounding dirt to a new hole, cover with dirt and press lightly on the soil around your seedling's stem.

Lightly water your poppies every few days. Poppies like moist soil but do not need heavy watering. Instead, sprinkle your garden with water when the soil looks dry.

Deadhead your poppies after they bloom. Remove dead blooms by pinching the stem below the flower between your thumb and forefinger. If you do not deadhead, your poppies will spread rapidly and might overtake your garden. If you don't mind lots of poppy flowers, you can leave the dead blooms to self-sow.

Plant your poppies among other flowers rather than on their own. Poppy flowers only bloom for a few days. If you plant a large patch of poppies, it will be bare for most of the summer. However, if you plant poppies near other flowers, your garden will always be in bloom.