Tantalising, with their tissue-paper-like skirts dancing in the breeze, poppies shine briefly in the garden but with such joyous charm that they are well worth adding to the floral palette. ‘It’s the brilliance of poppy petals contrasting with the delicacy of each flower that I adore; whether the cornfield scarlet poppies, the yellow or orange Icelands or the super-classy smoky, ‘Amazing Grey’ forms,’ says plantswoman Sarah Raven.
The papaveraceae family includes several genera and dozens of species of poppies, with the most common garden poppies in the papaver genus. The group includes annuals, perennials, and biennials, and has more than 70 species and 120 varieties of different shapes and colours – some fragile, others flamboyant. Their easy access centres and bountiful pollen make them a favourite of bees, butterflies and other pollinators, too.
Although each bloom is fleeting,(field), (Welsh), (Iceland) and (Himalayan poppies). As they originate from a wide geographical area, if the poppies you choose are happy in your garden, they will self-seed and pop up year after year. ‘Ephemeral and freespirited, poppies add splashes of colour and fill in gaps around the garden,’ says Paul Cook, curator at RHS Harlow Carr.
