Bright red flowers in a summer grain field - this is how the poppy presents itself to the eye of the beholder. But the wild poppy is more than a decorative "weed", it is also often used as a garden plant.
The poppy needs one thing above all: sun
The Wild Poppy
The classic poppy has bright red flowers and usually grows in groups of several plants. It is one to two years old and usually velvets itself. For a few years, corn poppies were rarely seen at the edges of fields because the grain fields were often and plentifully treated with herbicides. It's now widespread again.
Unfortunately, the individual flowers only appear for a few days, but there are new ones almost every day. The red shines everywhere during the flowering period from May to around July. If you want to cut the poppies for the vase, use plants whose buds are just beginning to open. If you hold the stems under hot water for a short time, the flowers will last a little longer.
Cultivated forms of the poppy
In addition to many different types of poppy, such as the Turkish poppy, peony poppy or Icelandic poppy, there are also some cultivated forms of corn poppy. You can get plants and seed mixtures in delicate pink tones and even white poppies in the shops.
Requirements for the ideal location
Corn poppies like to grow on fallow land, on the edges of unsprayed grain fields and on railway embankments. What all pitches have in common is that they often get a lot of sun. This shows the most important requirement for the ideal location for corn poppies: sun.
Sow or plant your corn poppies in a place that is as sunny and dry as possible, because it only needs a little water. It also survives a longer drying period without really being damaged. That's why you should only water it very sparingly. It is better to do without fertilizer altogether, because poppies do not need very many nutrients.
The essentials in brief:
- sunny and dry location
- permeable soil
- little to no watering
- do not fertilize
- Flowering time from May
tips and tricks
In addition to the corn poppy, there are many other types of poppy in interesting flower and color variants for garden cultivation. Plant Iceland or peony poppies as an alternative to the better-known Turkish poppy.