Opium or breadseed poppy
Papaver somniferum
The flowers of these poppies are as beautiful as they are delicate. An easy to grow annual that attracts hordes of hoverflies. The seedheads work well in homegrown flower bouquets and the seeds are easy to collect to use in baking (or save to sow for more poppies next year).
Sow Direct into the ground in spring where they are to flower. Poppies grow well in recently disturbed soil. The seeds are very small, but sow as thinly as possible. A later sowing in late summer/early autumn will give you flowers slightly earlier the following year.
Uses The flowers can be filled with hoverflies on a sunny warm day and make a good addition to a pollinator border. Use the seedheads fresh in flower arrangements or cut them and hang them somewhere warm to dry and use in everlasting displays or as Christmas decorations. Poppy seeds can be incorporated into bread doughs and used in cakes – lemon and poppyseed is a classic combination.
Grow Poppies like full sun and good soil. They’re very easy to grow and require little attention. Keep the ground free of weeds and water young plants if the weather is especially dry. Cut the seedheads off as they form to prolong the flowering season. But leave some seeds to form to collect and save for baking with.