Of all the old-fashioned flowers that welcome the summer season, poppies are the most brilliant—they glow like stained glass when the sun shines behind them in early morning or late afternoon. Although their silky petals look delicate nodding on their wispy stems, poppies are both easy to grow and surprisingly hardy.
Cultivated since ancient times for their beautiful blossoms, edible seeds or as medicine, poppies appear in mythology, poetry, and paintings, symbolizing everything from fertility and decadence to blood and memory. Recent breeding developments have further enlarged the range of their form and fantastic diversity of colors.
Sow seeds directly in the ground rather than in pots, since they form taproots and don’t react well to being moved. Scatter them thinly and press them lightly into the soil with the back of a rake but do not cover them, since they need some light to germinate well. Water with a gentle mist spray so that the tiny seeds don’t wash away.
Since slugs and snails can consume your entire stand of seedlings in a maddeningly short time, apply snail bait around the poppy patch after sowing. It's very important to thin seedlings to a final spacing of 8-10” for tall poppies, 6-10”for CA poppies. Properly thinned seedlings will have room to form beautiful big plants with many more flowers, while crowded plants will stay spindly and not produce as many blooms.
To enjoy poppies as cut flowers, snip the stems just when the buds are about to burst open. For longer vase life, seal the stems by burning the cut stem ends with a lighter before immersing them in water. California poppies and are particularly well suited to cutting since they last longer in the vase than other annual poppies.
Terms and conditions, READ THIS PLEASE: Orders over $14 from this ad will be shipped with tracking, Otherwise: Seeds will be shipped economy/standard or first class 2-10 day shipping (NO TRACKING and no planting instructions to keep seed costs to the buyer low), in a ziplock baggie. Our goal is to save you money on quality seeds. We are responsible sellers, and we make sure our buyers are well taken care of. Shipped within 2 business days after payment. We are a seller that caters to experienced gardeners. (germination and plant care information is readily available online, but if you can’t find germinating and care instructions, please feel free to message us). Most of our listings include germination instructions, so we do not ship growing instructions. Multiple orders of a single item will be combined into 1 ziplock. We are not responsible for buyer germination success, seeds have been tested. Seed count is approximate, and packaged by weight. Seeds vary in size, weight is exact, and based upon empirical count, quantity is estimated. Liability of seller is limited to the cost of the item(s).
Zellajake Farm and Garden: "Seeds for all your planting needs" since 2013
