Gorgeous pics. I just luvs poppies! I brought lots of poppy seeds to the swap last fall and I think I labeled them breadseed poppies. If you got the seeds from me, they are papaver somniferum, a reseeding annual.

Ann

Hi Joe,
Wow---those are beautiful!!!! I love the fullness of them!
Thank you for posting pics---now to start saving some seeds for the fall swap,lol.
Marianne

Joe, here is a picture of a new one that I grew this year.

{{gwi:417826}}

Ann

Ann:Cool! Love that pale magenta color. Do bring more seeds to the Fall swap! How well will they reseed in a bed that has mulch? And should I sow the new seeds in late summer or in the spring? These were planted this spring and did very well.

Marianne: I started collecting seeds Monday afternoon. About a half dozen pods gave up probably 5,000 seeds. (Just guessing.) So I should have lots by the time they are all harvested.

But then too we have another couple hundred feet of road frontage to sow in something...

Joe, every year in November, I clear an area of its mulch, rough up the soil some, broadcast seeds LIGHTLY and then tamp the seeds down and leave uncovered. The poppies usually come up sometime in early winter, stay evergreen and bloom the following summer. I always have ones that reseed themselves and I have fairly thick mulch in my gardens and the ones that reseed themselves are usually the largest and showiest plants. Guess they know where to germinate.

I did save lots of poppy seeds, and saved the lavender peony ones separately, but my experience is that the bees do a really good job of cross-pollinating them and they are not always true from seed.

Glad you enjoyed your poppies. They are also the sshhh...(opium poppies) but don't tell the plant police. I planted 15 different kinds last year, but not all came up. I love the rich color in 'Lauren's Grape'.

Ann

Yeah. I knew that. But seeing as I grow daturas, brugs, the occasional nightshade and...gasp...tomatoes, I figure in for a penny, in for a pound. *grin*

And there's no telling what some of those mushrooms are....

OOOOOOoooooooooo! I want some of these!!!!!!!!