Poppy Lilac PomPom (Papaver somniferum) – frilly lilac double flowers on tall stems in a field

Poppy Lilac PomPom

£2.70
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Poppy Lilac PomPom (Papaver somniferum) – frilly lilac double flowers on tall stems in a field
RHS Plants for PollinatorsBeginner friendly

Poppy Lilac PomPom

Papaver somniferum (Paeoniflorum group) 'Lilac Pompom'

1 reviews

Huge fully-double pom-pom blooms in soft lavender-pink — the most romantic Papaver somniferum, with magnificent architectural pepper-pot dried seed pods.

£2.70

Free UK delivery on seed orders over £40

Dispatched from our Norfolk farm by Royal Mail, usually within one working day.

Your growing year

Sow, plant out and flowering months for this variety

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sow
Plant out
In flower
SowPlant outIn flower

At a glance

Height
75-90cm
Spread
30cm
Spacing
25cm
Position
Full sun is essential, with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for the best flowering and strong, upright stem development.
Colour
Lilac
Seeds per packet
500
Soil
Well-drained soil is crucial; they prefer "lean" or poor soil rather than rich, recently manured soil.
Grow guide How to grow Poppy Lilac PomPom Read the full guide →

About this variety

Enormous fully double pom-poms in soft lavender-pink, packed with hundreds of finely ruffled petals into something between a powder puff and a small peony, above the usual silver-blue somniferum foliage at 75cm to a metre.

The colour is the useful thing about it. Clear lavender-pink, neither cold nor warm, which means it sits with almost any cottage palette rather than dictating one, and it is the soft counterpart to the moody 'Black Peony' and 'Lauren's Grape'. The pepper-pot seed heads that follow are among the most reliable architectural stems we cut here for the dried range.

Sow direct, because poppies do not transplant. Surface-sow uncovered, autumn for preference. The thinning matters more on a double than on a single: thin to 30cm when the seedlings are about 5cm tall, or you get spindly plants and half-size heads. To cut it, take the bud as it splits and sear the stem end immediately.

All parts are toxic except the fully dried seed. Keep it from children and pets.

RHS Plants for Pollinators

This plant has been assessed by the Royal Horticultural Society and recommended as especially beneficial to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Growing plants like this directly supports UK pollinator populations — something close to our hearts at Salle Moor Hall Farm, where we see the difference a cottage garden full of the right plants can make.

Learn more at RHS.org.uk →