Wow! Poppy heaven. Very nice.

Thanks! It took me awhile to figure out how best to sow poppies. It's so simple with winter sowing and they come up all the time.

I like the matching nail varnish in no. 3!

Papaver somniferum like these self sow on my allotment. Have you tried letting them do that? Less faff than WS.

You're right about the matching nail polish!

I do let them self sow.. I don't chop their heads off! lol

Poppies self sowing for me here was often not reliable, kinda spotty. Some years I direct sowed in March and other years I wintersowed to be sure to get the results I wanted and to keep the poppies from cross pollinated booms.

Nice variety of blooms, bella rosa.

These are gorgeous!! I am in zone 5 as well and I’m really hoping for better luck with poppies this year. Can you offer any more details on your sowing process?

as claireburdick said..more details?

Hi, sorry it's taken me awhile to respond. I don't do anything special when it comes to winter sowing poppies. I sow them in milk jugs and trust me, that was the key to my success! I tried direct sowing them in the Fall and never had any luck.

All I do is: prepare the milk jugs by pocking holes in the bottom of the jug - I usually do 4 holes, one in each quadrant. Cut the jug almost half way making sure to keep the handle.

I add Miracle Grow potting soil, spray it down with a water bottle, sow the seeds heavily on top of the soil, spray it down again with water, lightly this time. Remember DO NOT COVER the seeds! They are tiny and need the light (sun) to germinate. Then I tape the container and place it on our deck, which gets the morning sun. That's it. I let mother nature do the rest as far as watering with snow and rain. If we haven't had any snow in awhile, I take a few crushed iced cubes and throw it down the milk jug.

This method of winter sowing with milk jugs is great because the condensation from the containers keeps the little seedlings moist but never soggy. Once the weather begins to warm up, the seedlings emerge in April and by the first week of May or so (depends on the weather), I cut open the containers all the way across

and plant the entire plant into the ground. Don't wait too long to plant them. You want to do this before the weather gets hot. I make sure that they are watered in and that's it.

By the way, I usually winter sow the majority of my poppies in February. Usually on President's Day - we get the day off from work. You can also try this method with other seeds too: larkspur, cleome, snapdragons, foxgloves, rudbeckia, and so. It's worked wonders for me.

Give it a try and let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

Thanks..it's certainly worked for you!

It will work for you too! The great thing about this method is that once they bloom in your yard which is usually that first season, then they drop their seeds and come back next year. You can't miss their foliage - it's light green and frilly. Have fun with it!

Where did you get the seeds?..did a quick look online..Eden Brothers?..WalMart?..I'm new to seeds..

I'm pretty sure I purchased the poppy seeds from: onestoppoppyshop. I have also purchased seeds from: Select Seeds and Eden Brothers.

You have quite a few varieties..any recommendations for a beginner?..all of them are beautiful..what a fun name onestoppoppyshop!..took a quick look..so many..going back to read FAQ..

I love all poppies but my favorites would to be the Papaver paeoniflorum (peony poppies). I really like the huge fluffy blooms. They are amazing. These are annuals, but allow them to reseed - don't cut the blooms - and you'll be rewarding with flowers next year. I also like the "feather" types - Papaver laciniatum. That's the one featured in my first pic.

Thanks for the advice..I have plants in the shed, garage, entryway and kitchen for the winter..my husband would complain if I start seeds inside..but if they're out I might get away with it..

I sow the seeds inside the house, but of course, the milk jugs get placed outside once I'm done.

Thank you so much for the explanation!! I’ve always heard that poppies don’t do well with transplanting so I’ve never tried WS them for fear that they wouldn’t survive the transplant. I’m going to try your method this year ❤️

Good luck!

i've never had bad luck in transplanting, even though I've heard that they don't do well with that.

That's beautiful!