Sandy, I am unfamiliar with somniferum but the color sounds lovely. I'd be happy to trade you some sweet william (tall) and/or annual candytuft - all pinks and white, both of which have grown very well in my garden if I scatter the seed in the fall. Please email me if this sounds good to you - or anyone else. I get TONS of seeds of these two. Last year I sowed them in separate areas, but next year I plan to mix the two as they bloom about the same time and the colors are harmonious. I'd love to trade for anything I can direct sow that comes in blue/purple/pink/white shades.

I love love love my Papaver somniferums too!! Mine are a really great bright pink with purple splotches at base of petals, (single blooms). They self sow like mad here, and force me to keep my garden soil fertile, which is how they seem to like it. They germinate all over the place and I allow patches of them to grow here and there, thinning them somewhat when small. Mine grow really tall if they have found a spot they like (at least 4 feet). I collect the seed for trading and for baking. Someone from the seed exchange sent me a recipe for a delicious and easy poppy seed cake. Email and we can trade!

Aren't these 'peony-poppies' just the lovliest things?!!
I've had the solidly packed doubles in a dark burgundy for three years and the soft pale pink for two. This year I tried the white with limited success but there will be more next year. I can't get along without them.

Another poppy, a bit less robust and a very full double, is a strong pink/rosy red. It resembles a carnation because the petals have dainty serrated edges. Name??? It too is lovely.

None of my seeds germinated. I think the sparrows got them all. Better luck next year I hope

I have heirloom strains of the bright red ones that have
blooms as large as teacups....most are fully double but some
are giant singles....all are the same great bright red color. They self-sow readily, but I always sow more in selected cleared spots at Thanksgiving and by April and May
they are in their glory...so beautiful with the dogwoods in
bloom here in central Mississippi.I'd be happy to trade/swap some of these for other colors, such as pink or white. E-mail me if interested. Thanks.

I had a few "Opium Poppies" this year in my herb garden and collected and stored the seed. I would love to have these pop up all over my herb garden next year, when do I scatter the seed for flowers next year? I had heard to scatter some in the late fall and to scatter in the very early spring? Is this correct?

Iv'e been trying to locate seeds for the pink double peony
types for years.Iv'e posted messages on other sites before
the only responses received were to tell how illegal it was
to grow opium poppies.I told them dammit!I'm a gardener not
a junkie.So I'm thrilled to find this discussion.I am
wiiling to trade anything in my garden for seeds.Lets talk!
What would you like?My firstborn son?Like I said lets talk
I really want some!

Does anyone have any PS pods that they want to get rid of?

How could one ever be without them!yeah the 'mounties'were going to 'raid' our gardens after a gardening magazine told how to process the seeds!!! Mine have gone from huge to minute,many wonderful soft colours.I still have a little seed left (give it to ever who wants it)and toss it every where in the gardens,I do some when harvesting,(but think the birds get it) then after a light snow fall,cover lightly with spruce boughs,(could use your Christmas tree)or keep seed in fridge and get it out early in spring,e-mail me if you have not found any seed. Carole NS.Canada.

I am wandering how one germinates these seeds initially. Can they grow in large pots? When is it best to plant them and how long do they take to come up? Do they germinate best in a controled environment to then be transplanted? Do you have to give them any plant food etc. etc..

I have grown Papaver Somniferum for the last 2 years. I bought my seed from Chiltern Seeds, they sell several varieties. Park Seed and also Thompson and Morgan sell Somniferum seeds.
I have had great success starting them inside with my other annuals about 8 weeks before last frost. They, like other poppies, do not like to be transplanted, so handle with care. Quite a few grew on their own in the garden last year. I do not know if they would grow in pots. Mine get about 3 feet tall. Some I had to stake, the heads get very heavy because of their large size which I would say is the size of a small grapefruit. The colors are beautiful reds, pink, white and purple.
I also grow laciniatum which are the feathered versions of the Paeony.
These poppies definitely put a smile on my face when I see them.

Ha ha, hee hee LOL! I can't believe this post has been here in the forum since summer of 1999! I have since learned to post pics and have grown many different types of somniferum since I posted this. Still trying to get that applegreen somniferum that's in the T&M catalog though! In my opinion, everyone should grow somniferums!

Sandy

I too just love these poppies. Six years ago I moved into a house and had one tiny little lavender poppy sprouting in a weed choked flowerbed. I saved it's seeds and the next year had a dozen poppies, much larger in their cleared and amended beds. The year after that I filled two jelly jars with seeds. I traded around town and on the seed exchange for other colors and this year hope to see blooms of five different colors (red, pale pink, hot pink, white, and lavender) and three styles (single, paeony, and laciniated). I was told they are only illegal if you know what can be done with them. I'll just claim ignorance if anyone ever says 'boo' to me about it. =)

Here is a link that might be useful: my poppy patch

Does anyone know where I can find pictures of the different varieties in bloom? or some way of identifing a variety such as v. nigrum, v. glabrum, etc? I've been combing the net for hours for pics with little success. It seems noone seems to label them.

A second question, when they are growing, do they cross pollinate? Might this be the reason for the lack of labels?

well, I answered my second question on my own...yes they do.

I just purchased a poppy called "paeony Scarlet", do these poppies contain opium?
thanx!

Midgetboy,
It is extremely likely that the 'paeony Scarlet' does contain opium.
jt

Where should I plant the poppy seeds in Florida? Direct sun? Are they a hardy plant? How should I start the seed? Just put it in good soil and water??

I bought red Papaver Somniferum, but they are coming up lavender. The seller claims to only raise red. Is it my soil? acid?

Does anyone have any red seed to trade?

My favorite is the type that sprouts from the poppyseeds from the spice section of the grocery store! They have single lavender flowers and the bought seeds don't sprout too well, probably because they were sitting on the shelves for who-knows-how-long, but they reseed, so now I have a growing patch of vigorous plants.

All varieties in this species contain opium (though all the mature seeds have extremely small amounts and are perfectly edible), but I've heard that the variety commercially grown for it's seed has low levels of opium throughout it's life, so that the growers can't have a side-trade of opium. I believe the high-opium poppy is a single red. Of course, there is a legal trade of natural opium as well, because several pain medicines (morphine et al.) are derived from the poppy.

Interesting that this discussion has been going on for about 6 years, lol. I've only seen poppies here in Mobile once, and you wouldn't believe what the lady growing them went through to get themt to grow, but they were gorgeous.

I'm soo confused. I just ordered P. Somnif poppie seeds from poppies internatinoal. They only offered two types. Red "oriental" single flowers, and "Paper Whites". I paid $55 each for a gram of seed. I have no idea how many that is. Now I see sites offering P. Somnif for $2.50. Also see everyone talking about colors. Lavender and salmon> Did I order the right seeds.? Did I pay too much. I was looking for the opium variety. Where can I order this somthing peony everyone is talking about and is it s true P. Somnif.? Also need planting, growing and fertilizing advice. I live in a cold climate Z5B and don't know when to plant. Direct sow? Start indoors?Any advice GREATLY appreciated.I LOVE poppies and would love to grow colors other than red and white. But red takes me back to my childhood and the VFW giving out those shiny red flowers.Any info on the colored variety or where to order from. I do want them to be the opium variety though. They are just soooo nice. Thanks!

arent Papaver Somniferum illeagal?? just wondering because opium poppies sound illegal.

You can own all the (opium/P. somniferum) seed you want. It's illegal to *culture* it, though. In practice, if you stick to the double-flowered varieties and the pretty pink-red-purple-lavender ones (avoid the white and very pale lavender ones) you probably won't have any trouble with law enforcement. Most police officers aren't botanists, and if they notice your poppies at all, it will be to comment on the "pretty flowers". That said, a few people have been hassled and/or prosecuted for growing them, even though it would take acres of poppies in order to produce enough for even a mild "high".

I will apologize for my ignorance in advance. I am a first year gardener and have just bought a house. I found the most beautiful poppies I've ever seen! Big as dinner plates with a nice coral/orange petal. Are the seeds inside the pod or are they the little things in the center of the flower that look like saffron?

in answer to isaumur: The seeds are in the pods that form after the flower drops its petals. Just let the pod grow and mature and it will split open and self-seed. If you want to gather the seeds wait until you can hear the seeds rattling around in it when you shake the pod. That will be just before the pod splits open and naturally disperses the seeds. I had the same huge poppies this year...I've never seen them that large before. My neighbor down the street had a stand of poppies over 5 feet tall!

Has anyone ever had any success growing Papaver Somniferum indoors and if so what type of lights did you use for the indoor lighting source and what type of soil .

I'm looking at my somniferum poppies I have growing in the window as I read all these posts.According to federal law,posession of all parts of the papaver somniferum plant and flower except the seeds is ILEGAL.But that will never stop me from growing them.They are just too beautiful.You guys and gals should check out www.exjordinary-seeds-and-herbs.com.They have every variety of somniferum imaginable with pics and growing instructions.You can order high potency varieties from him.Oh,also........with good seeds,you only need the latex from a couple pods to get good and high.I know alot of people who grow them and noone has had a problem with the dea or anything.But technically,they are ilegal and you can be arrested for growing/posessing them!!

WE live in Maine and Central FL , WE have several species Somniferium Poppy that grow like crazy in Maine and spread as they are annuals, how a hugh patch of pink peony type got inside the dry hot greenhouse is ? must of been blown there by winds but the ground id rocky and we never water them cause we no longer use the greenhouse as we are in FL , Maine winters get below zero for months. WE tried growing these in Central FL to no luck then I figured out they must be prechilled before thye will grow and spread in FL , IT is easy to prechill just put damp soil in trays sprinkle seeds add a liitle more damp soil or damp sand just to cover seeds lightly and cover with plastic wrap and you can refriderate for weeks but I would freeze them as they freeze in Maine for months below 20 degree and more . YO can but seeds from any botanical, herbal, medicinal and ethnobotanical seeds companies like Ricthers, JL Hudson and many other like seed companies . Just google what you are looking for helps to know Latin name of type of Papaver.