Papaver rhoeas
Family - Papaveraceae - Poppy
This is the poppy made famous by the poem, "In Flanders Fields" by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD. It is a hardy annual availble in red, deep purple, scarlet, and white. It will grow to three feet tall with a two inch flower. It is also known as Corn Poppy.
The Flanders Poppy is native to Europe and Asia and has become naturalized in North America. It is known in Europe as the Field Poppy. The flower is used in folk medicine and pigment from the flower is used to color wine and medicines.
The Flanders Poppy needs full sun and average soil. It propagates freely from seed and may reseed itself in suitable locations. The bloom season is just a short two or three weeks, and then the plants die. Three sowings for a longer bloom season may be made. Sow one in early spring, another about a month later. Sow a third time in early fall. The plants will germinate and overwinter, blooming early in the season the following year.
Flanders Poppies do best when sown in place in the garden, as they usually don't transplant well owing to a long taproot which is usually disturbed during transplanting. Seed into the garden, and later thin them to about nine or ten inches apart. Seeding in a seed flat or pot can succeed if the tiny plants are transplanted into a bedding pack when fairly small. The plant can then be set out in the flower garden with mimimal root disturbance.
The Flanders Poppy is a colorful addition to the annual flower garden. Available in four colors, the cheery blossoms will brighten your home flower beds.
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