Poppy, Turkish Red (Papaver somniferum), packet of 100 seeds, Organic
$4.95
Family: Poppy (Papaveraceae)
Generally fall-sown in Zones 7 to 10 and spring-sown in colder zones
(Turkish Red Poppy) Overwintering annual native to Turkey. Traditional usage (TWM): analgesic. The flower is bright red with a dark basal spot. The plants are multi-headed, more so than other somniferums I’ve tried. The flowers tend to last 3 days before giving way to the medium sized, perfectly round pods. This is a longer floral expression than is typical of other somniferums. The flowers are dark red, not pink. This is the poppy that gained fame from “The Wizard of Oz,” beautiful enough to charm a winged monkey, potent enough to put a lion to sleep. For the wicked witch in all of us, by all means, scatter some seeds. Spread seed on fast-draining soil in fall or very early spring. For best results, plan the planting of poppies so that they germinate and grow during cool, moist weather and flower and make seed during hot, dry weather. It takes some years of experimentation to figure out how to do this in the various temperate zones. Those in southern Oregon strew the seed with the first fall rains and finish seed harvest in June. Plant prefers full sun and highly nitrogenous, fast-draining soil of neutral pH.
100 seeds/pkt., Certified Organically Grown
In stock
Diana –
These flowers are truly remarkable. I planted seeds two years ago and they self seeded after that. One of my absolute favorites.
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Richo Cech –
nice photo!
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Question
Tristan –
Do you know which somniferum poppies are true, ancient varieties and which ones are hybrids? I cannot find this information. I always prefer to go with ancient varieties if possible just like I only buy einkorn berries, not modern wheat berries.
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Richo Cech –
in terms of recommending an ancient variety of poppy, i would go with the zahir
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Question
Jt –
Aren’t these illegal in the United States ? I’m still confused on this ?
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Richo Cech –
All kinds of old ladies grow poppies in their gardens all across the united states. they aren’t illegal! What’s illegal is to try to produce a controlled substance from them. hope that clears up your confusion.
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Lila McClellan –
Thanks for clearing that up. I am an ‘old lady’ herbalist that wants to grow poppies in the dry, alkaline soil in zone 5 of southern Colorado. Will this one work for me? Also can you recommend which other varieties would do well where I live?
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Richo Cech –
hi lila, yes, spread California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) seed in disturbed soil in full sun in the early spring and watch the magic happen. Another option would be our “clover and poppies mix.” The preferred soils and planting methods are given under the individual poppy types–click on the photo to get the monograph. richo
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Question
john –
can turkish poppies be pot grown
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Richo Cech –
yes
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Richo Cech –
Hello Prem,
Actually I never recommend freezing seeds. Poppy certainly doesn’t require it. You can sow the seeds in the garden and see what happens.
Richo
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Jacko –
Is it easy to get Turkish red poppy seeds in Australia,,,
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Richo Cech –
Hi there, I wish we could, but we don’t ship to Australia anymore–customs has stopped being accommodating.
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