Peony Poppy Perfection: Tips for Growing Lush Flowers

Do you know what my most controversial photo has been so far?  Would you believe it was a photo of flowers?  Yes it truly was. It was a border of the most gorgeous pink pom pom like flowers that stood about 3 feet tall grown by my mom.  I stated that they were poppies and yikes did I get a lot of messages saying I was incorrect.  Everyone thought they were peonies.  Even when I told them they were breadseed poppies which are also referred to as peony poppies or even opium poppies, people still argued.  

You would think when I told them the photo was taken at my mom’s home and that my mom grew them, that they would believe me but alas they did not.  Here is the photo I am speaking of. If you look closely at the stems and leaves, you will know that they definitely are not peonies.

In this post, I will share with you everything I know about this type of poppy including the technical details, what they look like, when and how to grow them, how to deadhead for more blooms and how to save and dry the pods for later use.

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History of the Peony Poppy

The scientific name of peony poppies or breadseed poppies is Papaver Somniferum.  Their native region is the eastern Mediteranean but they are now grown across most of the world. They, however, do best in temperate areas.  

While I love them for gracing my garden with their beauty they are mostly grown for edible poppy seeds, to produce opium and to produce other pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone.  

They are annual flowers.  Some say they are perennial plants because they will self seed themselves.  I have not found great success with that and need to grow them from seed I have sown myself each year.  I do find them to be hardy annuals though as they can handle the colder temperatures.

The purpose of my post is only to do with growing them as a flower so let’s get on with learning why you should grow these beauties too.

What do Breadseed Poppies look like?

The specific ones that I grow are referred to as Breadseed Poppy Pink Peony by some seed sellers and Peony Poppies by other sellers.  Flowers of this variety of poppy also come in white, red, lilac and a dark purple/black.  

The variety I grow, reminds me of the pink plastic pom poms people used to put on their cars when they were getting married as they have full double blooms.  

When blooming they form almost a perfect circle of petal upon petal with a diameter of about 3 inches.  They stand approximately 3 feet tall but I have heard that they can grow to 4 feet tall. Their stems and leaves are a silvery green and the leaves have a frayed edge.  

Prior to blooming the flower bud hangs down and looks like it has pokey hair on it.  Then the bud opens up and straightens up to reveal the most beautiful full flowers.

When the petals fall off they reveal these large pods that have a scalloped edge around the top.  They are perfect for drying and using in arrangements.

Methods to grow the seeds

Poppy seeds are very, very small and they do not like to be transplanted.  It is best if you direct sow the seeds into your garden when the soil is workable.  My mom used to just throw the seeds down on the soil and leave them to do their thing.  She lived in an area where the springs were damp so perhaps that helped.

I tried doing that a few times and I had limited success.  This year, I followed a new process which is supposed to improve the germination rate so that hopefully I will get the best results.  The process described below creates the chill of winter which will break dormancy and increase germination.

Cold Stratification Method

For this method you will need seedling soil, poppy seeds, ice cube trays and water.

Thoroughly soak your soil with water.

Fill ice cube trays with this saturated soil.  Make sure the soil is pushed down so there are no air pockets.  Place up to 3 tiny seeds on the surface of the soil in each ice cube section and then press down with your thumb.  They should not be covered with soil but if you do, make sure it is very light.  Then pop them in your freezer for 2 weeks.  

When the 2 weeks is up, place them in your garden where you want to grow them and push them into the soil.  I do this in early spring.  Make sure that you continue to keep them moist and they should germinate in 21 to 28 days.  

Soil preference

Poppies like rich, moist soil.  Adding well rotted manure to your sowing area will make your poppies very happy.  My mother used to prep all her beds with mushroom manure and her plants grew like nothing I have ever seen before.  Mushroom manure is the by product of the mushroom farming industry and there are no mushrooms in it.  It is a combination of hay, straw and horse or poultry manure.  My mom swore by it and her garden loved it.  If you can’t find mushroom manure, good quality compost that you can find at your local garden center will do just fine.

Poppies love moisture so make sure to keep the soil moist – not drenched but definitely moist.

Where to plant peony poppies

Plant them in full sun and you may want to plant them in a sheltered area if you get a lot of high winds.  We get very high winds and the poppies can withstand them, but I find sometimes them blowing around causes the petals to fall off quicker. 

From seedlings to blooming beauties

If you are direct sowing, simply sprinkle them on top of the bare ground or cover with a very thin layer of soil.  Watch for slugs, because they will eat the seeds.

When the plants start to come up, thin seedlings to 6 inches apart.  When you thin them out, make sure to be very careful as they do not like their roots being disturbed.

To full maturity will take 80 to 90 days.  

They will bloom when peonies have finished blooming so late spring or early summer.  In my area they bloom in June (Zone 6a). Other varieties of poppies such as Shirley Poppies and California Poppies bloom through July.

Harvesting

Sadly, poppy flowers will only last 2 to 3 days.  If you wish to bring them inside, harvest them when they are half open, place the fresh cut stems in boiling water for 7 to 10 seconds to sear the ends and then place in fresh water.

Want more blooms?  Simply deadhead

You can keep more blooms coming by deadheading which entails following the stem of the flower down to the first set of leaves that you come across and trim just above.  There is likely a bud right where those leaves meet the stem. Soon you will be enjoying more flowers.  

Keep in mind they like cool temperatures and do not like the heat of summer so they will stop blooming by the time you are deep into summer heat.

What plants looks great with poppies?

Some of my favorite flowers to grow with poppies are:

• bearded irises
• yarrow
• allium
• delphiniums (mine seem to bloom for a very long time and have a second flush of flowers)
• asters
• hollyhocks
• ​snapdragons
• clematis
• roses.

How to harvest and store your seeds

Even when the petals fall off, the seed pods will continue to grow. By late summer, the seed pods and stems will have turned a greyish tan color and will be dry.  Harvest the stem length that you wish to work with.  I like to keep my options open, so I leave the stems as long as possible.  

I live in a dry climate so the pods are hard and brittle and ready for harvesting in August.  If yours are not quite brittle, first check the tops of the pod heads.  If they are sealed you can hang them to dry in a dark, cool, dry space.  

If the membranes on the top of the pod have opened, then carefully lay them on their side or place in a large vase, pot to dry upright so that the seeds do not fall out.

When they are fully dry, simply tip the pod upside down and let the seeds fall into a large bowl.  If the top is not open, then snap off the top collar of the pod (the little frilly part at the very top of the pod) and pour the seeds out.  

Place the seeds on a piece of parchment paper and allow to dry for 2 to 3 days.  Then pour the seeds into a glass mason jar and store in a cool, dry place for the fall and winter.  

The following season you will be so happy you did this and so will your pocketbook!

What to do with the dried poppy heads

There are so many things you can do with the dried pods such as:

• place in a vase for decoration;
• use in a dried floral arrangement;
• place them in a wreath or garland;
• use as “natural decorations” in a Christmas tree;
• cut the pod heads off and decorate with gold sparkles, paint or gold foil, attach as small loop of string and hang on a tree;
• paint the pods with cute bunny faces and place in an Easter arrangement.

Other notable poppies

Looking for more poppy varieties?  Here are a few of my favorite poppies:

Iceland poppies

California Thai Silk Champagne Pink Poppy

Shirley (Supreme) Poppy

Where to buy poppy seeds

If you are looking to buy flower seeds here are few companies that have a nice selection of  poppy seeds. If you are interested in seeing the seeds just click on the name as it is a link to their website.

In the United States:

• Eden Brothers
• Rare Seeds
• Select Seeds
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds

In Canada, these companies have a good selection:

• Vesey’s seeds
• West Coast Seeds

In summary…

Peony poppies which are also referred to as breadseed poppies are an excellent addition to your garden if you are looking for annual flowering plants.  They are somewhat easy to grow and definitely are a statement flower.  They should be planted in an area of full sunlight with rich garden soil and watered often.  

These double flowers are quite tall plants and are well suited to cottage gardens, English gardens, country gardens and even formal gardens.  

Not only do they provide beautiful blooms, they also will provide you with a large sum of seeds for the following year and their dried seed pods can be used in a variety of decorative ways.

Thank you!

As always thank you so very much for being here and staying to the end. I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment below.

Looking for more inspiration?

How about learning about my other favorite flowers to grow? Just click here.

Or how to press flowers? Just click here.

Or how about a whole post on the benefits of raised garden beds? Just click here.