red poppies

[cornsilksity]

I love poppies but find them hard to grow. Everybody else seems to be able to grow them though. Is anyone a poppy expert? I need some tips!

Me too.I have planted indoors a mixture of coloured poppies and only one seedling has come up.

The red poppies of which you speak are reputed to be hard to grow from seed, as most of us have too rich soil for them to thrive.

I've found oriental poppies (the lilac/pink ones with a maroon splodge in the middle) are quite easy from seed though, as are Welsh, Californian and Icelandic ones.

So they need soil that isn't too rich?

Yes, think of building sites with poppies all over them when the earth has just been disturbed a bit. Rich soil is definitely not to their taste.

I use this company for most of my seeds, they have a nice collection of poppies. Grow them in full sun if possible.

www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/index.html

great - I'll try the parts where the soil is poorer then - thanks

thanks for that link