Papaver paeoniflorum

‘White Cloud’

WHITE PEONY POPPY

Papaver paeoniflorum ‘White Cloud’
WHITE PEONY POPPY

Fluffy full double pom-poms of snowy white, all ruffled and frilled, make Papaver paeoniflorum ‘White Cloud’ a spectacular summer snowball.

Very reliable each year

Papaver paeoniflorum are very reliable self-seeding annuals.
So once you have some starter plants in the garden – you can look forward to more of the blowsy beauties as a treat each spring and early summer, with no further help from you.

Wonderfully rewarding for no work

They are wonderfully glamorous and rewarding, but with no work at all.
So the only thing left to do is to pull out the spent flower stalks after the blooming season.

If you would like more gorgeous White Cloud Peony Poppies for next year, just leave a few fat seed pods to dry on the stalks, and they will split and happily scatter their progeny for next season.
Or you can cut some seed pods as they split open, pop them into a brown paper bag to drop their seeds, and then scatter the seed in new places. Or share with friends.
Some low tech gardeners even just pull out the spent stalks with pods, and lay the dried stalks on the ground as a mulch, and to drop seed wherever they want Peony Poppies for next year.

Super cut flowers

And both the fresh flowers and the dried seed pods make super cut flowers for a florist’s vase.

Water-wise

So plant Papaver paeoniflorum White Cloud in Full Sun.
Where you will find it to be both water-wise and very low maintenance.
Papaver paeoniflorum, in it’s many variations, is native to areas around Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean, so they are all well adapted to places with hot and dry summers, and happy to return each year.

Plus they are not fussy about soil types, favouring anything from sandy, gravel, rocky to good garden loam and enriched clay based soils.
So Peony Poppies are very easily pleased.

Obligingly Quick & Easy from seed

Papaver paeoniflorum give instant gratification, because they are so quick & easy to grow from seed.
So they are perfect candidates for simply scattering seeds in the garden where you want them to grow.
But if you are starting the seeds indoors, for early flowers and highest potential rate of germination – then make sure you sow the seed in deeper pots, rather than shallow punnets.
Because Papaver tend to grow long roots quickly and resent being disturbed. So sow your seeds as a scatter into deep pots, and then plant the seedlings out in the garden by the pot full (don’t worry they germinate in lush abundance).

80cm High in spectacular summer flower x 20cm Wide.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Suitable for beginners & gardening with kids

Sow seeds at any time in pots indoors / or sow in the garden in autumn or spring-early summer.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants: First sow the fine seed thinly onto the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Press the seeds gently into surface to ensure good contact, but do not cover with mix.
As these seeds germinate better with light.

Sowing Tip for Poppies: Because the seedlings resent being transplanted, it is best to use deeper tube pots, and sow a tiny pinch of scattered seed into each.
Then you can plant each pot with its little flock of Poppies straight into the garden by the pot full, without disturbing them by pricking them out and separating.

Then place your sown pots in a well-lit, warm position to germinate (not in direct sun).
You can use a temperature controlled heat mat if you have one, but it is not essential.
Because these seeds are easy to germinate, so a warm, well lit corner or window sill is fine.

Keep the pots moist but not wet in a well-lit position.

Temperatures of 18-22°C are optimum for rapid germination.

Then seed germinates in 5-20 days approx.

Seed Count: 250 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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