I too would like some of the poppies I think I may have a few echinecea seeds from some previous trades on different places I could spare? Please get back to me and I can send a full copy of my master list as it's digitised (many things are from trades)

oh too pretty I love it I can hardly wait for my poppies to put out some flowers I just noticed tonight that one of my Shirley poppies that hasn't been planted out yet has a bud It is raining so much I don't know when I will be able to get it in the ground ;~( Bonny

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!

Hi Charlene, I think you'll find that you'd get an interesting variety the next season, some will look like the originals some would be intermediate and there will be perhaps be some that don't look much like any of the possible parents. I assume that you're growing varieties of one species of poppy. This year I'm growing P. rhoeas, somniferum and nudicale all mixed together in the same area with some P. orientale in a nearby garden bed, really looking forward to seeing how any inter-species crosses from this will turn out. Daniel