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More than 70 poppy species

“In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row.” — John McCrae John McCrae’s classic First World War poem, In Flander’s Fields, tells of the field poppy. There are more than 70 poppy species, mostly native to Europe and Asia.

“In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow


Between the crosses, row on row.”   — John McCrae

John McCrae’s classic First World War poem, In Flander’s Fields, tells of the field poppy. There are more than 70 poppy species, mostly native to Europe and Asia. Among these species are annuals, biennials and perennials. Both the common name (poppy) and the botanical name (Papaver) originate from an Anglo-Saxon word that meant sleep, a reference to the opium poppy’s ancient use as a sleep-inducing drug.

Among annual poppies are the lady bird poppy, the field poppy and the opium poppy. The Iceland poppy is biennial while the Oriental poppy is perennial. Except for the Oriental poppy, all of these perpetuate themselves by reseeding – generously! Thin the seedlings to six to eight inches apart and dead head to ensure a longer bloom period.

All poppies do well in full sun in well-drained soil and are drought-tolerant once established. The annual and biennial types transplant poorly and are best propagated by seed sown directly where they are to be planted. The Oriental poppy can be propagated by division or root cuttings.

The ladybird poppy (Papaver commutatum) is native to Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus, where it grows on gravelly hills. Only 18 inches high, it has bright red flowers with a black spot at the base of each petal. While ‘Ladybird’ is a variety name, it is also used as the common name for this species.

The field poppy (P. rhoeas), with red petals with a black blotch, also called the corn poppy and Flander’s poppy, is native to Europe and Asia. Its common names arise from the fact it was once a weed in wheat fields (called “corn” in England) and disturbed ground, whether by cultivation or war. The Shirley poppy is a variant that originated in the village of Shirley in Kent in 1880 when the Rev. William Wilks spotted a field poppy with petals edged in white. By careful selection over many years he developed pastel poppies in white, rose pink and salmon without the characteristic black spot of their parent. Try Angel’s Choir and Pandora.

The seeds of the opium poppy (P. somniferum) are widely used in breads, cakes and bagels. Native to Greece and western Asia, the plants grow up five feet in height, with single to double flowers, four to five inches across, with black blotches at their base. Colours include red, purple, pink, lavender and white.

The Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule) is native to the arctic and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America, but not to Iceland. It’s a dainty plant, 12 to 15 inches in height, with tissue paper-like flowers in shades of orange, yellow, white, cream and salmon-pink and some bi-colours. Although a biennial, it flowers its first season from seed. Champagne Bubbles is a popular variety.

Last but not least is the perennial Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale.) About two feet in height with coarse, hairy, divided foliage, the flowers are six to eight inches in diameter and bloom in June. Single to double, the colours include white, pink, salmon, orange and red, many with a contrasting central eye. Once about five years old, they can be divided and transplanted in August after the foliage has died down but before the new rosette has formed. They can also be propagated at this time by taking two-inch root cuttings of pencil thickness, setting them horizontally about three inches deep. By the following spring, they will have sent up shoots.

To hide their yellowed foliage, Oriental poppies are best planted in “diagonal drifts” surrounded by later flowering perennials. Among the many varieties are Turkenlouise (deeply fringed petals), Beauty of Livermore and Perry’s White.

Sara Williams has authored and coauthored many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives gardening workshops throughout the prairies.

— This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events: July 7, 9 a.m. and July 10, 6:30 p.m. - Labour and Learn at the Mediation and Rose gardens at the Forestry Farm; July 8 – Self-guided SPS garden tour, start 2 p.m. at 509 - 11th St. East.