Flower of the Week: Poppy

Poppies bloom in sunny places, bringing a colorfully energetic boost in late spring and early summer. They do not require frequent maintenance thanks to their hardy vitality, making them ideal ornamental plants for decorating gardens, beautifying courtyards, serving as potted flower or cut flowers, etc.

Poppy is an annual herb native to Eurasia. It has strong fecundity and often grows on farms. European farmers once regarded it as a weed, but now it is considered an important ornamental flower.

There are many names for poppy, including “common poppy”, “red poppy”, “corn poppy”, “field poppy”, and more.

A black wheat field full of cornflower and poppy

The most common poppy color is a deep, gorgeous red. However, red is far from the only color. People have also cultivated white, purple, pink, and yellow flowers. Poppies can also take on patterns that include multiple colors, inner colors, spots, and so on.

A famously cultivated variety, the Shirley poppy, has many light colors, spots, or lace color patterns. These gorgeous flowers have 4 nearly-round petals, some double petals, and some semi-double petals which overlap each other to flaunt its beauty.

Place of Interest

If you wish to run in a field of poppies, you can visit the town of Bewdley Worcestershire, UK. The sea of poppy flowers here has been rated as one of the “ten most beautiful flower gardens in the world”. The Worcestershire Wildlife Foundation has set up a nature reserve here, planting a large field of poppies to signify a symbol of hope and encouragement for local plants and wildlife to return to the wild.

The best time to visit Bewdley Worcestershire is in late June every year. At that time, poppies will be in full bloom and you can enjoy the most beautiful red flower garden.

Symbolizing Hope and Death

Poppy is the national flower of Belgium. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, formally named and described the plant in his inaugural publication, “Species Plantarum“.

In 1873, Monet created a perspective oil painting called “Poppy Field”, which depicts a mother and her son both far away and close up on a hillside where poppies are blooming. The picture is both serene and lively. Poppy represents hope and is said to illustrate Monet’s happy moments after marriage.

Poppy Field by Claude Monet (1873)

In 1915, Canadian surgeon John Alexander McCrae wrote the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields”, to mourn the fallen soldiers in the first World War. Poppy appeared in the first chapter, implying death and mourning.

In Memory of Soldiers and Love

In 1921, a bright red poppy became the symbol of mourning war victims. Every year, November 11 is designated as a national memorial day in Britain and Canada. People wear a paper or plastic poppy chest-flower to commemorate the fallen soldiers in the first and second world wars.

In China, poppy was named after Yu Ji, the mistress of Xiang Yu, the overlord of ancient Western Chu. According to folklore, after Yu Ji committed suicide for Xiang Yu, there were red and bleeding flowers across the land. People called these flowers “poppy” to commemorate Yu Ji’s loyalty to love.

In Persian Literature, the red poppy is also closely related to love. They are often called “eternal lover flowers”, symbolizing people who die for love.

What Is an Opium Poppy?

The opium poppy is a somewhat dangerous plant from which drugs can be extracted. Both poppy and opium poppy belong to the Papaveraceae family, but they are actually two different plants.

To tell the two apart, it is helpful to know that the whole plant of the common poppy has fluffy hairs, and has a small flower diameter of about 2 inch (5-6cm). This poppy has tender, thin petals and small fruit. On the other hand, there is only sparse, hard hair on the stem of the opium poppy. The diameter of the flower is larger, ranging up to 4 inch (10 cm). Also, the petals of opium poppy are thick and glossy, and the fruit is larger.

Poppy flowers and fruits

Of the whole poppy genus, opium poppy is the only one that we can extract drugs from. Other than that, poppies are just typical, harmless, ornamental plants.

Can I Grow a Decent Poppy?

Poppy doesn’t require special care or maintenance to become a pleasant and eye-catching ornamental plant. It should be noted that there are only a few fibrous roots in poppy, so avoid transplanting as much as possible. It can thrive once it has suitable amounts of light, soil, watering, and pruning.

Poppy prefers a place with plenty of sunlight and good ventilation. The plant is hardy but struggles in the summer heat. Its soil requirements are not demanding; simply use sandy loam with good drainage and fertility. Ground-planted poppy does not need to be watered often. However, potted plants should be watered once every 3-5 days, more in spring and less in winter. Prune the branches of the flowers properly so that they can produce more and larger flowers.

Size: Up to 90 cm (35 inches)

Cold resistance: USDA cold resistance interval 3-9

Sunlight: Full sun

Soil: Well-drained and fertile sandy loam

Blooming time: Late spring to early summer