Question about Self Sowing Poppies

Here are the poppies I added to my garden last year. Papaver rhoeas---Falling in Love mix. I loved that name, "Falling in Love" so I purchased these seeds from Territorial seeds last year. I actually started the seeds indoors before transplanting outside, and I had great success with it. My question is, re: annual poppies that will "self-sow". I deadheaded and cleaned up the bed last year.......are the seeds only present in the seedpods (which I deadheaded).....or were they dispersed onto the ground?. I let them go pretty long before I did anything with them. Will I have a repeat patch of poppies in this location this year? Or do you think I need to plant new ones there? How does the self sowing with poppies work?

Thanks!

There should be a support group for Poppy angst.
Its my guess that there might be some self sowed if you deadheaded when the seed pods were brown and dry.
I have issues with Poppies that germinated early.Sown late October and germinated Nov2.
All we can do is wait. We all seem to be waiting for a list of things that appear in spring.45 more days to go.

ge I don't think you have anything to worry about. They should go right on.

Thanks Tin aB I am a cronic worrier.
Its always something.

Thanks---so to self sow, do you have to let the poppies completely go brown, and then the seed pods fall on the ground, eventually decompose, releasing the seed? Just curious how they do it in nature I guess---the pods seem so firm. Unfortunately, I don't think I left any seed pods behind when I cleaned up the bed, unless a few accidentally fell off. I think I will avoid replanting the same poppies in that place, and see what happens, and learn from it.

Believe me the wait and see is how many gardeners learn.
My education has been trial and error because I am not an avid reader.
I have noticed the poppy seed pods have openings around the top where the medallion looking thing is. Wind and weather sprinkel the seeds from there.
OR
you may harvest seeds at this time or just before the plants are totally dead and brown.
I wait until seedballs are formed and leaves are drooping and beginning to brown. I pull up the plants ,or cut them off and invert them in a paper bag ( not plastic )
I keep the bags with names in the garage .The seeds continue to ripen and fall out of the seed pods.

If you want the same poppies in their oroginal location Just sprinkle or leave the plants where they are.

DO NOT rake them in or mulch them. If you need to clean the area, keep the seedpods until you are done then sprinkle so there is no earth or anything ontop of the seeds, they need light to germinate.They also need a period of cold.
I direct sow my seeds in November or December if it isnt too snowie.
I have also cast seeds on the snow but accuracy isnt guaranteed.

These are the annual poppies I am talking about, not Orientals .

These are some of mine.
Theser are Venus from One Stop Poppy Shoppe they self sow in this spot and I remove some of the plants so I can save seeds to sow elsewhere in the gardens.
This area is where I sowed on snow. I also added seeds from Black peonie type too. The lilies in there will be fun.

So pretty, ge!! LOVE the peony types of poppies. Mixed with lilies---fabulous idea. Any pink flower is my favorite.

Last year I started my poppies indoors. (I confess that I have a gardener who weeds all of my beds, raking, etc, so I tend to start everything indoors---it's easier than telling him and his crew where NOT to rake, step, etc. Horrible to plant something by seed and then have them all pulled up b/c they think they are sprouting weeds. Having "weeders/gardeners" does have it's drawbacks, seriously) Someday, I won't need or want a gardener/lawn service for weeding and mowing, but 3 boys ages 2,4,6 and husband who works long hours and 2 acres to maintain is my excuse......which leads me to my next question:

I "fell in love" with my "Falling in Love" poppies.....so now I have 7 additional poppy varieties to add to my garden. As per above, I need to start them indoors. Do I need to refrigerate the seeds do you think before starting them? I didn't do that last year, and didn't have a problem. And none of the seed packets say to do it (except himalayan blue poppy seed package).

Contemplating. Working out my thoughts as I type. I don't have any space on my heat mats right now (all filled already!).....so I think I'll put them in the fridge until I start them. It won't hurt them. Might help, so that's what I'll do I guess. Cold moist stratifying himalayan blue poppy right now.

Dave's Garden is the best! I'm a new member---so thrilled to actually share thoughts with other serious gardeners.

Also, I love your tip about storing the seedpods upside down in paper bags. Will def do that!!!!

I have never started seeds inside. If it has worked for you in the past. Go for it.
Your gardener situation IS a hazzard when driect sowing anything.

I dont start seeds inside or have a green house. I either direct sow the type of seeds that need that method, such as Larkspur, Zinnias,Marigolds the easy stuff. Or I buy plants. Someone elses business to pinch the seedlings at just the right time, keep botritus out of the green house and fertilize and move all the stuff. I dont mind paying for that service.


I buy brown lunch bags and use a sharpie to label the bags. If you have a lot of plants I start saving grocery paper bags for lots of plants.

This is Purple Prince lily with somnifariums I call "Nice red" Its seeds I sowed from a collection,I just picked the red ones and saved the seeds and named them that

Good luck with your Blue Poppies. I cant get them to grow here and from the posts of others on the subject ,yours is the only area that they do well.

Gorgeous combo. I think that's my fave. color combo right now---red with purple/blue, mix in some white. Planning to try red snapdragons and red cardinal lobelia mixed with tall blue lobelias and delphiniums, maybe throw in some shasta daisies. Red poppies would look great mixed in there, too.

Poppies look good anywhare

kosk - Recently I read that just putting the seeds in the refrigerator does not accomplish the same thing as planting the seeds in a soil-less mix and then putting them in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or in a sealed plastic bag, does. If I find the article I'll post a link.

I followed ge's lead and sowed seed, which ge sent me, directly outside last year, in early March, and I'd call it a great success. Might have to be a bit earlier than March for you. Just put out those little warning flags, sold in HD and hardware stores, to alert the gardeners not to touch the soil there.

great idea as usual Pirl.

Thanks, Jo Ann. My pink flags in the garden, to tell me to get rid of those awful wild orange daylilies, are up to their necks in snow right now.

I think Jack paid $10.00 for 100 of them.

Prologue to my spoon plant placement.
I have stept on and nearly completely drivin many into the ground.
After 3 years I begin to collect the ones where plants are established.

Some archaeologist in the future will discover them and find some hidden meaning for them!

Thank Pirl, you have just joined the company of one other person who supports my theory about what we know and believe about the world.
Its all made up.
As humans we need to make sense of what we see around us.It becomes part of our belief system that makes us feel its OK to be here.

Good idea on the flags. Just need to get my act together and communicate with my people!

Waiting for a thaw to see how my early germinated poppies are doing.

Haven't spread my seeds yet. Maybe it's best since we're due for warm weather next week.

I am thinking if you get enough days in the 60's they might germinate.
Like 10 days.
I have been assured ,the early germinated one I sowed in early November will be fine. So who can tell.I sowed some in late Nov. that arent germinated. I also snow sowed some that I havnt seen since. Its a Krappshoot either way.

Guess I could spread some seed and shovel snow and pile it on top of them.

My seed melted into the bare ground before the last 2 blizzerds, there is snow ion top of them now.
I had to wait until the second week of Dec. because workmen were due to repair the window below where I wanted the lavish display of Peonie poppies Venus and Black something.
The poor workmen came in a blizzerd and shoveled their way to the window ,half way around the house.
The truck had just cleared the driveway on their way out when I took advantage of the shoveled path and sowed my seeds. It continued to snow another inch or so so I knew they had a nice sandwich.
Late Dec. snow melted. Jan. started snowing again as we all know too well. It hasnt melted yet,just keeps getting deeper and crustier.

What pink flags are you referring to? If I wanted my poppies to be planted in a certain spot, do I rake the mulch away in that spot and then plant the seeds that I have gathered by hand in that spot? Do I cover them with any type of light soil? My husband insisted on mulching in the Spring and Fall. I tell him he's spending money he doesn't have to spend, for the Fall mulching. What's your opinion on that?

Seeds wont germinate unless they are scattered in the fall or March( no later )
Rake away the mulch and scratch the bare ground. Scatter seeds press in and leave until Spring.
Too late for this season.
You are right. We mulch about every 2 years. If you mulch over poppy seeds they wont grow.

Pippi - yes, rake away mulch for the area where you want the poppies, sprinkle the seeds on a non-windy day in winter and do not cover with any kind of mulch - they need exposure to sun to grow.

The pink flags would serve as a warning to everyone (we hope) not to walk or work in that area - like Police tape cordons off a crime scene and you could use any kind of tape or any color flag. You just can't allow anyone to try and work in that area.

Do not mulch the area after you sprinkle the seeds.

Regardless of how careful we are we can't be sure we'll get every dried poppy head so some seeds are bound to fall and hopefully grow.

I have mulched this spring and will get more to add it as the year goes on to prevent weeds and I do not remove it for winter but just keep adding more. It also serves to make any wind blown weed seeds much easier to pull.

GE is 100% correct about planting seed before warm spring weather arrives. February works best in my garden.

Feb .sowing for me too.
I have not been known for patience so when it was cold last October I sowed. It was warm for a week in November and seeds germinated. The sprouts dont survive in winter here. I do have poppies growing where I saw sprouts last November but I believe those are ungerminated seeds from the October sow.
The seeds know when conditions are right for them.
I have heard of putting seeds in the freezer for a week and then sowing in April-May but never did that myself.
The OneStop Popppy Shopp has directions and information on their website.
Pretty much the seeds need a cold period of exposure and light or they wont grow.

Right!

Do you have a picture of the pink flags you're talking about?

The flags Pirl referrs to are markers/ Utility companies u8se them when identifying underground cable.
I have never used flags .I use white plastic picnic ware to identify plants and places in the garden.
I guess flags would be a warning. I dont know where you buy them.

My camera has been giving me grief but ge1836 is right about the flags and they come in packages of solid colors - pink, yellow, white or assorted colors in one package.

We got them at a local hardware store but HD and other big stores should carry them.

I am at the point of needing help in the garden.
This fall I will hire someone to spread compost.
There are spots in the garden where I have larkspurs and poppies. I will use the flags sround them so "self seeding" can go on.