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Growing from Seed

Poppies Direct Sown in Zone 5...when should I give up?

17 years ago

I know it's a little early yet, but I direct sowed a huge bed of (all kinds) poppies in early March. Simply broadcast them over the area- no tamping or anything. Snowed, sun, and a little hose-sprinkling the other day...

At any rate, I was wondering when I should either EXPECT to see sprouts, and/or at what point I should totally give up on them and plant out the bed with something else? (Knowing that a lot of folks have trouble getting poppies to grow for them)

Thanks.

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Comments (7)

littleonefb
17 years ago
I WS all my poppies and the earliest I've had any sprouts was April 6th last year. The angels choir germinated then all the others didn't start making an appearance until April 11th on. Both annual and perennial ones. They kept germinating through to May 5th. We did have a very cool and wet spring last year though.

I'm about 15 minutes from the NH border, Nashua in zone 5. don't give up yet. Too early and the weather has been really crazy too.

Fran
dahle101
17 years ago
I think poppies will come along, I planted some on a hill last spring and we had trouble getting our sprinkler system in and they came up late summer I have a freind who plants them in zone 3/4 and has no problems with late cold spells just keep them moist they'll grow.
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Carrie- does the packet happen to have the species name on it? It depends on which kind it is and where you are. Here in the raleigh area, poppies bloom starting in late april through late may. Unless we have exceptionally cool weather i don't think you're going to get reliable blooms for mid-june here. That said, if you're a good bit further toward the mountains (and 7A says it's colder than here which is 8a/7b), then you might just squeak some blooms out if they are shirlies- p. rhoes-, or p. somniferums, aka bread box or opium poppies. My guess is that 'giant peonies' are somniferums, but there are rhoes cultivars that are double and called peony, too. They aren't nearly as large as the somniferums when they bloom, but just as pretty. If it's either of them, i'd sow the rest of your packet in just a week or 2- don't wait any longer or they won't get big enough (like you've already observed in the past). They need light to germinate, so sow them directly on the surface and just tamp them down or walk on them. I wouldn't worry about hardiness- poppies like cold to germinate. Another flower that would be a more reliable bloomer for that time of year would be daylilies if you can find a friend who has some they'd let you use. Another nice plant for bridal bouquets (if a bit wild) is queen anne's lace. It does wilt fairly fast so you have to plan to pick and use it the same day. You can find it in fields or along the road. Not sure of your colors, but as you mentioned, larkspur are nice and easy, as are nigella and bachelor's buttons. They all bloom about the same time as the poppies but keep going a bit longer. also, poppies and nigella have nice seed pods you might consider using. Good luck!
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marie, what xiangirl said is true. Look around you: the planet is primarily green. Plants/seeds know what to do and when according to their genetic code. Did I have failures? Yup! I didn't lament them because I knew that it was ME who didn't provide them with what they needed to sprout and thrive. You asked for suggestions. Here's one - stand back and let them do what comes naturally. I'm in southern New England so I live on the opposite side of the continent from where you are. If I look at a map of the Pacific Northwest, it's warmer and wetter than where I live but it's still the continental U.S. Our climate and growing conditions may be different but we're still on the same planet and still in the same country. I suggest you open your mind to possibilities rather than accept what you've been previously told about growing from seed. I did and have been amazed at (and rewarded by) the results. Ex: two little old ladies walked down my driveway last year and stood gazing, apparently amazed by my garden beds. I walked out to see what they wanted and answered all their questions about my garden beds. They left--45 minutes later--still amazed.
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ninjabut
17 years ago
I'm pretty sure they (the seeds) need to be cold, so need to be planted either in the fall to chill over the winter, or chill the seeds for awhile before planting.
I've tried sprinkling seeds early spring and haven't had much luck! (and I'm in Ca., where it's the state flower!)
Nancy
kudzu9
17 years ago
I didn't have any luck last year with direct sowing of poppies, so this year I planted three types of poppy seeds in a large tray in my greenhouse 4 days ago. The tray is sitting on a thermostatically controlled heating mat set to about 80F. All three types started to germinate in a major way as of today.
limequilla
17 years ago
You're a little cooler (in spring) than we are here and mine just sprouted. They are teeny tiny and I couldn't see them without my glasses. LOL! To answer your question, if they aren't up by May 1, I think you can bag it. (I didn't tamp mine, either, and they were inundated with rain...didn't seem to bother them at all)

Lime
pitimpinai
17 years ago
I direct sowed mine about 4 weeks ago in an area where I had spread some top soil over an existing bed. The temp was unusually high for March. They germinated in two weeks. Please don't give up. I used to direct sow them and had no germination because the soil was not raked clean. Now I have no problem at all as long as the soil is freshly raked.

I don't want to WS them since I have a abundant collection of seeds and my garden is too stuffed to fit in small seedlings one spot at a time. I simply direct sow them so they'll grow at will. Good luck.
mmqchdygg
Original Author
17 years ago
Hmmm...I'm willing to bet after this week that the $50+ seed investment is a 'washout.' Sigh.

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