Poppy Time

I've had good luck with the gold california poppies over the years so this year I'm trying a few more. So far I've purchased "Jelly Beans" and received in trade"Lauren's Grape" and Black Peony type poppy. I'd like to try a few more such as "Buttermilk", "Watermelon Heaven" and some of the "Thai" Series.

What's your favorites?

Peggy

I dont have luck with poppies either annual or perennial.. but would love to try doing the big headed OP*'s again for floral drys! I have the seed.. just dont know what I am doing wrong or if it is just gonna be one of those here that is not ever gonna happen not even in a pot?

Last time I followed the OP instructors instructions they said direct sow in October.. so I did.. and ZERO ZILCH NADA! They also said a February sowing direct would work.. nope, same results.. nuthin, ZIP.

I have tried buying Bluestone whom I adore their stock plants for the orange what I call Memorial days.. same results... grew a little then poof!......dead, kilt,

I have tried Californis out in the prairie, sposed to do well.. , whom I kidding..

Just call me a poppy pooper!

Well pp,
I can do the californias well and the others will grow and bloom until the spidermites and heat get them.

PHHHHHT!

Hey!? Watch it there...ya got me in the eye~~~~~~~~$;>P

Wull I was aiming fer yer M! LOL! Dang, I gotta git down to target practice. Willard hand me my shotgun.

Thank goodness you don't chew tebaccy

Kent, Got no teeth!

baccy soft...ya can gum it you ole toofless hag....LOL

no gum-in
no smok-in
no-dope-in.

A-yend I aint goin ta no dang dentist!

Here are the Poppies I am growing in 2010:

(Eschscholzia) californica
Extra Golden
Misson Bells
Species from Californina! Watermelon Heaven

These are the Papavers:

paeoniflorum Peony Mix

orientale
Red
Mixed

sonniferum
Blue Breadseed
Lauren's Grape

rhoeas
Ladybird
Red (a.k.a, the species!)

I received Lauren's Grape and Black Poppy in a trade and just receieved a couple of the Thai series in another trade. They get sewn this week. I bought 3 lg bales of peat the other night and prepared my egg cartons so I can get to "Sew,sew,sewing!"....hopefully tomorrow.

I tried a sonniferum... no luck...

red, when will Black Peony be avail? I really want that one!

Do you have tips for sowing poppies successfully?

A lot of people seem to have good results direct sowing. But there's always the chance that the birds will eat them or the rain will wash them away.

I've had good results wintersowing them. Here are some spring sprouts

Karen

Here are a few in bloom

Karen

pretty!

DMg,as soon as they bloom and make seeds next year.


I'm turning into a control freak so I'm not direct sewing,I'm Ws them in egg cartons so I can plant them where I want them.

Thank you!!!!☺☺

Thank you, Karen! I think I will try winter sowing in bottles, also. It is one way to be certain that I "recognize" the seedlings, especially since they may not bloom the first year. Each spring, i play the "is it a weed or is it a plant' game. Do you remember when you sowed them? December? later?

Oo,DM,I just reread your post of var. your sewing....I've got Watermelon Heaven on my wishlist.

GQ,
I usually direct sew poppies but I'm running out of space in the flowerbeds and some of the seeds I got in trades and didn't get many so I'll be doing them in egg cartons. The paper mache egg cartons work just as well as peat pots for things that don't like root disturbance.

Now is the time to direct sew them in my zone. I don't know about Pa.

GardenQuilts, are you trying only perennial Poppies? I've attempted them from seed several times with no luck, but I do have good luck with the annual types. I've wintersown them and the last few years I've direct sown, now I get a lot of self set seedlings. I don't recall if you requested any, but I did send extra packs of Shirley Poppies to starlight for the seed swap, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind tossing a pack in your box if you'd like to try them. I have had best luck direct sowing in February or March.

I have tried a couple perennial poppies, but only with part of the seed pack, so I will retry by winter sowing. I also tried one California poppy, Burpee Watermelon something or other. I got one seed germinating, a tiny thread, It got big enough to put in the garden, but didn't get much bigger. Perhaps, I should have let it get a bit bigger before transplanting. I didn't request the shirley poppies, but I did request a purple annual poppy from someone else. I will have to add poppies to my top ten desired seed list. I didn't send my things out , yet. It snowed Tuesday and is snowing today, I am planning to mail early next week.

I wintersowed some perennial ones, too, in 2006. I think they were Islandic poppies. I've never really liked them much, flimsy stems that always get knocked over by rain and wind then they fry in the summer heat. I shovel pruned the last one this fall.

Karen

Iceland Poppies behaved more like annuals or biennials for me. I don't think they like our hot summers.

red, It's been a while since I checked this thread(a whole day,lol). You got them!

Been trying to figure out that winter sowing stuff.. weird!

Ok DM,thanks.

Suppose to have heatwave today of 45 so I'm going to get started on my WS in egg cartons.

A friend grows a couple Atlantic poppies, Papaver atlanticum, originally bought as flat, but returning the next year. They seem to only be available in orange. They are cute little plants.

She is not a seed saver; she buys plants. She deadheads her plants before they go to seed.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/75955/

I just received a few seeds of Tangerine Gem in a trade that look just like those pictured. I thought they'd be a nice pop of color in the chocolate themed bed I want to do this year. There's canna Wyoming in the bed I'm plan on using, It has bronzey/chocolate foliage w/ orange blooms so rather than move it after it's only been planted out for a season,I'm just going to work oranges into the color scheme.

Oh, and I found another choc. plant! : http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78559/

Aquilega 'Roman Bronze' is what that link is. In the T&M catalog, it looks like high quality chocolate.

No offense bigred, but a word of caution to to new members.

I've been at this for a few years, and regularly follow this forum and the WSing forum at GW, have followed for 5 years. I don't know anyone other than red who has successfully used egg cartons. Each cell only holds a tablespoon or 2 of soil and has great potential for drying out fast. Ditto peat pots and paper pots. Most folks seem to prefer gallon or half gallon milk jugs or 2 liters, which hold enough volume of soil to hold moisture. If you use something as small as cell packs or egg crates you will have to watch them very, very carefully. If you're often away from home for a job, family responsibilities, or whatever, there is great potential for failure. If our spring is warm, I even have trouble with 8 oz. coffee cups within the hours I'm gone to work. I don't use the soil with moisture polymers because sometimes our springs are too wet with monsoon rains. Unlike growing seeds inside under lights, with WSing seeds and seedlings are at the mercy and whims of Mother Nature.

Red is either the most attentive gardener in the world or the luckiest, I'm not sure which!

Karen

I start 40% of my seeds in papar ( recycled) egg cartons and they always did just fine as long as I watered every day and kept all of them together. The rest of my seeds I start in newspaper pot(if the time till planting is long, like tomatoes) or styrefoam trays(if the time till planting is short, like hollyhocks).

I believe its using them for wintersowing that Karen is warning about. They do work nicely for starting indoors though.

I tried egg cartons inside in the spring and they molded and fell apart before my seeds were big enough to plant. I kept the whole mess on a tray and finally got them in the ground. They may be alright for sturdier seeds that will be transplanted into pots. I saved some for spring, but wouldn't use them for seeds that take long to germinate.

The trick is to use them only for seeds/plants that will be planted out before they're too big.I only did my poppies in the egg cartons as they can be ready to plant out at a small stage the first of March. Vegetables that only need a few days after germination such as squash,cukes and melons can be ready 7-14 days after sewing. Everything else goes into cell packs and 2-4 inch pots.

Since I grow to sell,I am always working the greenhouse almost 365 days a year if it's nothing else but watering. Watering is not such an issuse in the really cold months of the year as the soil/potting mix freezes and stays moist.

I winter sow my poppies. A few years ago I received annual giganteum poppy seeds in a seed exchange I was in. They have turned out to be my favorite. I have a purple and a lavender. Several reseed each year, but I collect most of the seeds. I do have several packs of seeds I could share if any body wants to try them.

Don

Well,I sewed my poppies yesterday but search as I might EVERYWHERE,my Tangerine Gem has gone MIA. Argh! I hate when I loose stuff.

Hey Red, you did not send it here!

Man thas a pretty purple poppy!

I have some seeds, dang to if I can remember where I put them.. would love to sow them, but ......