Growing peony-flowered poppies
Please give me information on peony-flowered poppies.
**FULL QUESTION**
Dear Gardening Life,
I am looking for information on peony-flowered poppies, i.e., where available, how they grow (soil type, zone, etc.).
*—Jill Schwab*
**ANSWER**
Hi Jill,
The fluffy, frilly peony-flowered poppies (*Papaver paeoniflorum*) are a subgroup of the opium poppy (*P. somniferum*). They come in lovely reds, pinks, white and even almost black, and grow about three feet tall. They are annual in most of Canada but seed themselves around so you’ll have them returning year after year (unless you remove the seed heads). Like most poppies, they like a hot, sunny site with well-drained soil. They don’t transplant easily so you’re best to sow the seeds outdoors in early spring (in Toronto, I sowed them in March/April) or even in fall (they will overwinter and sprout when they are ready in spring). Sources include Florabunda Seeds (www.florabundaseeds.com) and Thompson & Morgan (seeds.thompson-morgan.com).
Happy poppy-growing,
*Karen York, GL Botanical Editor*
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