Our own native field poppy, or Papaver rhoeas to give It's correct name, is a common plant. Occasionally one sees a cornfield adlaze with beilliant red poppies, although after roadworks the disturbed ground can present a lovely sight with poppies in all their glory.
The named varieties of this plant, Shirley Poppies are some of our most popular and colourful hardy annuals. The Rev W. Wilks made his first selections from Papaver rhoeas well over 100 years ago, after which this famous poppy strain was introduced.
Nowadays, we have many fine selections available. One of my favourites is the delightful Shirley Single Mixed, with a range of colours edged with vanilla. Look out also for Shirley Double Mixed with its fine colour selection.
The Shirley poppies grow to 24in. high, the flowers moving in the slightest breeze, appearing in early summer. Another variety of Papaver rhoeas, smaller in status, is Fairy Wings, often listed as Mother of Pearl. These grow to 10-14in.
One of the most eye catching of the annual poppies is P. commutatum Lady Bird, with single crimson blooms and a very pronounced black blotch. Even more distinctive is Danish Flag, producing large, blood-red flowers with a white cross in the centre, hence its name. The large blooms have a fringed edge.
Danish Flag poppies are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular annual poppies available, a group of these in full bloom really stands out in the front of a border. They withstand wind and rain well.
The huge fully double, deeply frilled blooms of Papaver laciniatum are available in five separate colours. My favourite is the crimson and the lovely Swansdown White are equally as attractive.
The larger peony-flowered poppies, seeds of which you'll find on the cover this week, have been grown for a great many years and are still as popular as ever. The large, double blooms have exceptionally bueatiful crumpled petals and are available in a rich mixture of colours, including pinks, reds, salmon and white. Much loved by flower arrangers for its large, bulbous flat-topped seed heads is P somniferum, commonly known as Hen and Chickens. It produces distinctive pale gray foliage, which is smooth and deeply lobed, and flowers of purple, red, pink and white.
The brilliantly coloured Iceland Poppies, P. nudicaule, are often treated as a half-hardy annual. There are several strains of this poppy available, among them Iceland Dwarf Mixed, a rich mixture of colours reaching 24in.
Some new varieties are available from seed merchants, the best that we can recommend is Red Sails, the individual rich-red blooms of this variety can reach 5in. across and it is generally regarded as the largest Iceland poppy yet.
They are also suitable for cutting, and should be gathered when just showing colour: immediately after cutting seal the ends of the stems by dipping them in boiling water.
These flamboyant poppies are easily grown from seed. The true annual varieties are sown in mid-spring where they are to flower, in shallow drills or by broadcasting seed as thinly as possible. Thin the seedlings when large enough to handle.
The Shirley Poppies do not usually require supporting, but regular dead heading will prevent unwanted self seeding. Iceland poppies should be sown under glass in early spring. When seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into boxes 1in. apart. They should then be treated as half hardy annuals growing them on and hardening them off before planting them out into their flowering positions.
The true annual poppies can also be sown outdoors in September to flower earlier in the following year. There are many splendid types, not to mention the hardy perennial types, the orientals and new pizzicato mixture with their kaleidoscope of colours.
The f1 hybrid Summer Breeze is a perennial, but can also be treated as an annual, producing its graceful blooms in shades of orange, yellow and white for several weeks. The lovely, clear eye-catching flowers are held over deep cut feathery foliage.
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