It symbolizes spring, the countryside and renewal: get ready, the beautiful poppy is about to come back. Soon we will see that it gives color to our fields, our roadsides, our pastures and our pastures. And if you dream of admiring its beautiful red hue and the delicacy of its petals right in your garden, know that it is quite possible. Here’s everything you need to know to sow a field of poppies at home.
Originally from North Africa and Eurasia, the poppy (also called field poppy) gets its name from its resemblance to the cockscomb: if the heart is black, the petals are bright red.
Its peculiarity: it usually grows very spontaneously and regularly appears in fields of wheat, barley or rapeseed. It must be said that, as Florajet states on its site:
“The poppy is content with little to grow and spontaneously reseeds itself.”
To tell the truth, the poppy may be a wild plant, but it settles for so little that you can welcome it perfectly into your home. All you need to do is follow a few simple and accessible tips.
Sow poppies directly into the ground
Fragile and delicate, the poppy does not like transplanting. So, to keep the odds on your side, sow it directly where you want to see it grow.
When ?
You can sow your poppies as soon as the soil starts to warm up, i.e. from April.
Where ?
The poppy likes poor, dry, stony soil that is exposed to the sun. And rightly so: as Rustica states on its website:
“The poppy is not afraid of drought.”
How to plant poppies?
Clean the soil well, rake it level and moisten the soil. You can then sow your poppy seeds right away, rake again to lightly cover the seeds and then pack everything in with the back of the rake. All you need to do is moisten your planting.
Then ?
Be sure to moisten the soil lightly with a fine mist until it germinates. When the first leaves appear, thin out your plantings so that there is a distance of about six inches between two poppies. Then you have nothing to do, except wait for nature to do its work. The poppies will live on their own, do not need watering and will reseed themselves from year to year, without your help.
You see ? Planting a field of poppies is not very complicated. All you have to do is get a few seeds, get started… and send us the pictures of the result!