![]() ![]() Poppies don't need to be watered too often, but when you do water, give the plants a deep soaking. By doing this, you'll get more flowers and pods per plant that are bigger and stronger. Be ruthless, just leave the biggest and most healthy looking. Thin the seedlings out so they are finally 30cm (12in) in apart by early summer. When sown in autumn the plants will form a tap root which is fairly hardly, so while the leaf above ground will be lost over the winter, the plant will shoot from this tap root again in the spring. If sowing early in spring remember that young seedlings are susceptible to frost so do protect them with some garden fleece if it is forecast. The seedlings will appear in rows 6 to 8 weeks after planting and can be told from nearby weed seedlings quite easily. If sowing more than one annual in the same bed, mark the sowing areas with a ring of light coloured sand and label. Sow extra rows at no less than 20cm (8in) apart. Cover with a maximum of 50mm (¼in) of soil, press carefully down with your hands and sprinkle finely with water. Mix the seed with fine sand and sow very, very thinly along the row between thumb and forefinger. They can be broadcast sown over a wide area, sown in groups or short drills for maximum effect in the border, or sown in straight rows for a cutting garden.ĭraw a furrow and label the row. ![]() Seed can be simply sown directly where the plants are to grow in the garden. Sow from the end of April through May, or sow in late August to September. Sowing Direct: Sow in spring or in autumn. ![]() They will begin to bloom 10 to 12 weeks from the time you plant them. If the plants get too big before the weather is suitable for planting out, stand the pots in a cooler spot this will hold them back a bit. Use care when planting out the seedlings from mid-May. The seeds germinate in the dark, so use newspaper or lightweight cardboard to cover the pots until the first green shoots appear, it can then be removed once they have germinated. Place in a propagator, on the window-sill, or in a cold-frame. Take a very small pinch of seeds and lightly sprinkle on the surface, press the seeds lightly down so that they make contact with the soil. Fill the pots with fine seeding compost, stand the pots in water and then drain. Seedlings have long taproots, so are best sown in deeper pots, rather than shallow trays. Sowing Indoors: Sow in spring March to May The seeds need darkness to germinate and at temperatures of around 20☌ (68☏) will germinate in less than two weeks. You can thin the seedlings out if they grow too close together, but it is not really possible to transplant them. Whichever method you choose, the seeds are best sown very, very thinly. The plants look best when sown, or planted in groups. With care, they can be sown indoors and transplanted while young, but often better results are gained when seeds are simply sprinkled outdoors where they are to grow. Poppies have very sensitive root systems and do not transplant well at all. ![]() If sown in autumn they will flower from May onwards. Sown in spring the plants will flower June to August. Sowing: Sow in pots in autumn or sow directly in spring Although these poppies gobble up the nutrients, their eventual show will be more than worth the proper environment. Enrich the soil with manure, compost or bone meal ahead of planting, or use any organic fertiliser rich in nitrogen. Give the plants sufficient water to increase both the number of flowers and their individual size. Grow them in a position with deep, well-drained, fertile soil in full sun, they can also be grown in large containers. This annual variety will readily self-seed and will make an excellent addition to any garden for years to come. The light green, almost round pods are well-suited for crafts and dried floral arrangements. They grow to about 60 to 90cm (24 to 36in) tall and have thick stalks and broad lettuce-like leaves. Sown in early spring, the plants grow quickly and the first flowers appear in early July. As if this weren't enough to tempt any gardener, once the petals drop, one is left with a spectacular, instantly recognisable seedpod. When the flowers do burst, overnight, from their casings, the gardener is treated to some of the most dramatic flowers in the plant kingdom. Peony poppies send up thick flower stems that rise as high as five feet and produce five to ten nodding flower heads. With their spectacular blooms and strange seed pods, Peony poppies are one of the easiest ways to add a bit of architecture and a lot of dazzle to your garden. These plants are perfect for gardeners in pursuit of an easy-to-grow flowering plant, they are showstoppers when they're in full bloom, the tallest are at eye level. paeoniflorum 'Lilac Pompom' is superb in the flower border, with lush frilled, dark pink-violet, often palm-sized blooms. Indescribably elegant, Papaver somniferum var. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |