Plant ID please!

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

Any ideas?

Think that might be an oriental poppy

Not an oriental poppy, but can you post another photo when it’s flowered, please.

I don't think it's a poppy. I took the pics a couple of days ago and now there are new flower buds forming in the axis (?) between the stem and the leaves. The buds themselves look like the buds of my perennial cornflowers but the leaves and general growth habit are totally different.

I will post pics when it flowers. It has self seeded - never been there before. I've had a few totally new volunteers this year which is odd.

It does look like a Centaurea, in particular C. dealbata.

axis axil. Hence axillary. You've spotted the black bits on the buds - they're called phyllaries, and are an important feature in distinguishing between for example knapweed and greater knapweed (which are also species of Centaurea, as are both the annual and perennial cornflowers). I'm not familiar with Centaurea dealbata, but NantheWiser will be right.

Interesting thanks! I do hope it's a pretty one

It seems to be a scabious. Only half out - possibly being bothered by the started ants farming flies on its stem, but here's the flower which has eventually emerged. It's now over a metre tall!

*blasted ants

To me, that looks like cephalaria gigantea - a tall and wafty scabious