How to Grow Poppies Successfully
- Jane Westoby
- Jan 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 22
Poppies are one of those flowers everyone loves — but not all poppies behave the same, grow the same, or belong in the cutting garden.
Some are fleeting wildflowers. Some produce enormous seed pods perfect for arrangements. Others sulk if you so much as look at their roots.
This guide walks you through the different types of poppies, how to sow them successfully, and which ones are worth growing for joy, wildlife, or the vase.
The Main Types of Poppies (and Why It Matters)
Annual poppies
These are grown from seed and complete their life cycle in one season.
Papaver somniferum Breadseed / giant poppies
Grown for dramatic flowers and large, sculptural seed pods. Excellent for arrangements. Plants are easy to grow, flower quickly and prefer to be direct sowed.
Papaver rhoeas Field / corn poppy
Beautiful, wildlife-friendly, but not suitable for cutting due to fragile stems and very short vase life.
Not good for cutting with fragile stems and very short vase life
Biennial or short-lived perennial poppies
These form a leafy rosette first, then flower the following season.
Papaver nudicaule (Icelandic poppies)
Usually sown late summer or early spring and benefit from cool conditions. Producing good usable stems for cutting but don’t love being disturbed
Best for: cutting gardens, spring flowers, softer colour palettes
True perennial poppies
These return year after year — but they behave very differently.
Papaver orientale (Oriental poppies)
These are deep-rooted and flower once per year, dying back completely after flowering. Seed-grown plants do not come true to type. To propagate named varieties and keep colours consistent, root cuttings are essential.
How to Sow and grow Poppies
Direct sowing (annual and breadseed poppies)
Seed can be broadcast thinly over prepared soil or sown in shallow drills to help with spacing.
Poppy seed needs light to germinate, so should not be covered with compost.
Poppies can be sown from autumn through winter and into spring and will remain dormant in colder conditions and germinate naturally once temperatures rise and conditions are right.
Sowing Icelandic poppies in modules
Icelandic poppies are best sown into cell trays or root trainers, which allow the roots to grow downwards without disturbance. Seeds can be placed individually using a cocktail stick, sowing one or two seeds per cell, or a very small pinch can be sown and later thinned by removing excess seedlings. Thinned seedlings should be discarded rather than transplanted, as poppies do not tolerate being moved.
Icelandic poppy seed also requires light to germinate and should not be covered, although a very light dusting of vermiculite can be used if needed to keep seed in place. Seeds should be bottom watered only to prevent them from being washed away. Read my full guide to growing icelandic poppies.
Germination conditions
All poppies prefer cool germination conditions, typically around 10–15°C. They will often struggle or fail in excessive warmth, making them well suited to autumn, winter, or early spring sowing rather than heated propagators.
How to Sow Poppies (Without Making Them Sulk)
Direct sowing (best option)
Poppies hate root disturbance. Their long tap roots do not appreciate being moved.
Direct sowing into prepared soil is:
The most reliable method
The least stressful for the plant
Ideal for annual and field-type poppies
Sow thinly, don’t bury the seed deeply, and thin early.
This method is best for Annual poppies
Sowing into modules (yes, it can work)
Despite what you’ll often hear, poppies can be sown into modules successfully — with care.
Key rules:
Use modules or root trainers
Transplant the whole cell - do not prick our or disturb the roots in any way
This method works particularly well for Icelandic poppies (Infact it's the best way for icelandic poppies as the seeds can be expensive and will easily be washed away) but can be used for annual poppies with care.
Propagating Perennial Poppies (The Only Way to Keep Them True)
Perennial poppies grown from open pollinated seed are genetically variable. That means:
Colour changes
Shape changes
No guarantee they’ll match the parent plant
To keep named varieties true:
Lift plants when dormant
Take root cuttings
Replant sections carefully
This is the best reliable way to replicate a specific perennial poppy. (Seeds can be bought which have been hand pollinated and protected from open pollination)
Poppies as Cut Flowers: The Honest Truth
Poppies are not long-lasting cut flowers — and pretending otherwise helps no one.
What you need to know:
Vase life is short (usually 2–4 days)
Stems contain a milky sap
Flowers must be picked at the cracking bud stage (just as colour shows) or just before.
Harvest too early and they won’t open. Harvest too late and they’ll drop petals almost immediately.
Conditioning Poppies
The traditional approach is searing. Briefly pass the cut end of the stem through a flame for around five to seven seconds, then place it immediately into clean, cool water. This method works particularly well for thicker-stemmed poppies such as Papaver somniferum and Papaver orientale.
A gentler alternative is the hot water treatment. Stand the cut ends of the stems in hot (but not boiling) water for around twenty to thirty seconds, then transfer them straight into cool water. This method is better suited to Icelandic poppies and other thinner-stemmed varieties.
Which poppies are worth cutting?
Giant breadseed poppies — incredible seed heads for arrangements
Icelandic poppies — light, airy, and usable when cut correctly
Which are better left in the garden?
Papaver rhoeas — beautiful, but impractical for the vase
Choosing the Right Poppy
Poppies aren’t difficult — but they are specific.
If you understand:
which type you’re growing
how much root disturbance they’ll tolerate
and what role they play (garden, wildlife, or cutting)
…they’re one of the most rewarding flowers you can grow.
And when you get it right? Those oversized seed pods and paper-thin petals are completely unmatched.
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