Papaver rhoeas. Common or corn poppy. Cailleach dhearg.

Description

Common name: Papaver rhoeas. Common or corn poppy. Cailleach dhearg.

General:
Annual. Crimson petals, height to 70cms, associated with corn fields. Clumps form from June to September producing flowers for several weeks. Hybrids between this and Papaver dubium tend to be sterile.

Benefits:
Great for bees of all kinds and beautiful in your garden.

Habitat:
Not as hardy as Papaver dubium it prefers a more Mediterranean type situation.

Sowing guidelines:
Sow from late autumn to early spring in trays or modules, prick out into modules, then plant out when large enough. Or sow in situ in gravel or similar rough ground in September or in February. This plant doesn’t like competition from other plants, especially grasses.

Cultural history:
The poppy of fallen soldiers, the blooms were attributed to representing fallen solidiers in French and Belgium fields in WW1.

Avg contents: 500 seeds.