I have tons of seeds. Tell me what you have in exchange The double poppies are pinkish and pink/red. Very pretty. Calif poppies are yellow and are very easy to grow. I've had problems with poppy seeds germinating in this past, but certainly not this year.

Hi Pomme8916, there are many types of wild poppy dependant on which part of the world you are thinking of. Here in the U.K. the common type is Papaver Rhoeas. These are normally an orange/red color, however these have been selected over a number of years and other colors have become available. Chiltern Seeds have a strain called 'Mother Of Pearl' that contains 'grey-blues and blue greys' amongst other colors. Contact details, email: info@chilternseeds.co.uk website: www.chilternseeds.co.uk Chilternseeds do despatch internationally.

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!

I think the behavior of some of these kinds of aggressively spreading plants is very situational :-) In 7 years my Matilja poppy never spread beyond a 3-4' clump. But then it was planted in pretty lean soil and received minimal watering. A more fertile and better irrigated location may produce different results. Same with gooseneck loosestrife, which many abhor due to its aggressive nature. My clump is well contained in dryish shade, which has tempered its spread significantly. It depends on the plant but sometimes I am willing to put up with an aggressive behavior if the plant makes up for it other ways!!