How to Grow Oriental Poppy
'Fruit Punch' from Seed
Crumpled tissue-paper blooms up to 15cm across in coral, salmon, cherry and rose, each petal marked with an inky blotch. The most extravagant flower you can grow from seed.
Oriental poppies are the most extravagant thing you can grow from seed. 'Fruit Punch' opens huge, crumpled tissue-paper blooms up to 15cm across, in a range of coral, salmon, cherry and rose, each with a dark, inky blotch at the base of every petal.
They are also one of the garden's shortest spectacles: two or three weeks of astonishing flowers in early summer, after which the plant dies back to nothing by midsummer before returning the following spring. Plan for the gap, leave them undisturbed, and they get better every year.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Hardy perennial
Sowing Time
Feb to Apr, under cover
Flowering
May to July, from the following year
Position
Full sun, deep well-drained soil
Flower Size
Up to 15cm
Difficulty
2 out of 5, easy
Understanding the Plant
'Fruit Punch' is a seed mix of Papaver orientale, the oriental poppy from the Caucasus and Turkey. It is a long-lived hardy perennial with a deep taproot, bristly leaves and dramatic papery flowers in late spring and early summer.
After flowering the foliage collapses and the plant goes dormant through midsummer, sometimes producing a small tuft of new leaves in autumn. This is normal and not a sign that anything is wrong.
Plan for the gap
Plant something that fills out later around your poppies, such as hardy geraniums, asters or an annual sown alongside. By the time the poppy foliage dies away, its neighbours will cover the space.
When & How to Sow
Sow under cover from February to April. Oriental poppies resent root disturbance, so sow in modules and plant out young.
Choose the spot carefully
Oriental poppies improve every year they stay in place and dislike being moved. Pick their permanent position before planting out.
Surface sow in modules. Sprinkle a few seeds onto each module of damp seed compost and barely cover. Keep at 15 to 20°C. Seedlings appear in two to three weeks.
Thin, don't prick out. Thin to the strongest seedling in each cell rather than pricking out, to protect the developing taproot.
Plant out young. Plant out in May or June, before roots circle the cell, 45 to 60cm apart in full sun and deep, well-drained soil.
Growing On Tips
Sun and depth
Full sun and deep, well-drained soil allow the taproot to establish.
Leave alone
Avoid moving or dividing. Undisturbed clumps flower more each year.
Support heavy flowers
In exposed gardens, put in low supports in spring before the flower stems rise.
Cut back after flowering
Once foliage looks tatty, cut it to the ground. New leaves may appear in autumn.
Cutting tip
Cut in bud as the petals show. Sear stem ends in boiling water for 20 seconds, or they will wilt within an hour.
Seed heads
Leave some pods to dry for arrangements if you don't need to cut back early.
Common Problems & How to Fix Them
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Plant collapses in midsummer | Normal summer dormancy | Cut back the old foliage. The plant returns next spring. |
| No flowers in first summer | Normal for seed-raised plants | Flowering starts from the following year. |
| Plants fail after moving | Damaged taproot | Plant out young from modules and avoid disturbing. |
| Flowers flop in rain | Heavy blooms, no support | Use low supports in spring. |
| Cut flowers wilt quickly | Sap seals the stem | Sear stem ends in boiling water before arranging. |
When to Expect Flowers
Plants raised this year flower from late May to early July the following year, and the display improves every year they are left in place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌱 Sow under cover | ||||||||||||
| 🪴 Plant out | ||||||||||||
| 🌸 Flowering |
Plant Specifications
Tissue-paper poppies in coral and cherry
Sow in modules, plant out young into deep soil in full sun, and leave them be. Every early summer you will have the most extravagant flowers in the garden.
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