Oriental poppies are a beautiful perennial masstamilan that produces brightly colored flowers with petals reminiscent of crepe paper. These colorful blooms are easy to grow and care for in the garden. They can also be used in dried flower arrangements and crafts.
Plant in well-drained, medium-moisture soil enriched with compost. During the growing season, fertilize with a bloom-boosting type of fertilizer that contains more phosphorus than nitrogen.
Give Oriental poppies full sun to promote better flowering and avoid powdery mildew. Water deeply and regularly but never allow the top inch of the soil to dry out.
Protect the plant during winter if it is in a myvuhub container, and bury it in garden soil or crate it in an insulating silo for protection from freezing temperatures. If it is outdoors, move the pot indoors before the first frost, and cover it with burlap or bubble wrap to insulate the roots.
Divide a clump once or twice about every five years if it becomes root-bound. Cut vertically through the clump, leaving some taproot and stem behind. Then transplant each section to a larger container filled with potting mix.
Harvest seed pods when the flowers are finished to use in dried flower arrangements and crafts. They make a lovely addition to cut flower bouquets.
The larger-stemmed varieties of poppies, teachertn such as the California poppy, make a wonderful cut flower. They bloom for about 5 days, so you can enjoy them in a vase or in your favorite bouquet.
When poppy seeds start to pagalsongs form, collect them for drying, or you can save them to replant next year. The seed pods are also a great source of protein for birds and mammals.
Oriental poppies are native to elevated lands in western Asia and yareel naturalize in areas with cold winters. They are very hardy and tolerant of a wide range of climates, but they can be prone to root rot in hot, dry soil that does not drain well.