With stunningly large blooms in vivid colors, unique foliage, and decorative seed pods, Oriental poppies are an easy choice when planning your garden. While there are many different species and cultivars of poppies, we are talking about the perennial, Papaver orientale.
Great for cold-climate gardeners, Oriental poppies are hardy down to USDA zone 3 and will tolerate as warm as zone 8/ 9 but grow best in zone 7 and cooler regions.
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Oriental Poppies in the Landscape
Oriental poppies make breathtaking large flowers and will definitely make a splash when they bloom. Frequently found in reds, oranges, pinks, and white, they bloom with a black center and thin tissue-paper petals.
The foliage will die back after blooming, so many gardeners like to interplant them with other flowers to cover the gap. Annuals, like cosmos, are an easy way to solve the problem.
New growth of leaves in a rosette around the plant will appear in early autumn and remain throughout the winter.
Simple Ways To Propagate Oriental Poppies
How To Propagate Oriental Poppies From Root Cuttings
Oriental poppies reproduced from root cuttings will be the same color and structure as the parent plant. Those grown from seed will likely be different.
Gardeners who have tried to move their Oriental poppy know that any remaining scrap of root left behind is likely to sprout a new plant. We can use that willingness to our advantage and propagate more poppies.
Follow these steps:
- Brush away the soil to begin exposing the roots. Alternatively, gently dig and lift the entire plant and root ball if you are dividing or moving your poppy. Be careful of the taproot.
- Look for the smaller roots, pencil diameter, or less. We will use these to propagate our poppy from root cuttings. Trim off several of these and remember or mark which end was toward the crown or ‘up.’ It matters later.
- Trim these small roots into 1-1.5 inch long pieces, again keeping them sorted, so you know which end is ‘up.’
- Stick these cuttings, with the right end up, vertically in your potting mix, planting the entire cutting beneath the soil so the top end is flush with the ground’s surface.
- Water and cover with a humidity dome or plastic. Place your root cuttings in a warm, bright location.
- Wait a couple of weeks after new foliage is present before transplanting your cuttings. Poppy root cuttings will frequently produce new leaves before rooting.
Tip: If you propagated your poppy root cuttings in a greenhouse or indoors, remember to harden them off before planting them directly outside.
How To Grow Oriental Poppies From Seeds
Because they dislike being transplanted, many gardeners prefer to direct sow poppies rather than starting them indoors. The process for sowing poppy seeds is the same for perennial or annual poppies.
Poppy seeds need a period of cold called stratification. The easiest way to do this is to prepare and plant your seedbed in early fall. Poppies can also be direct sown in spring as soon as the ground can be worked.
Planting later in spring once frosts have passed may result in poor germination. If you missed the window of cold weather, stratify your seeds in the refrigerator for several weeks prior to planting.
- Prepare your seed bed in a sunny, well-drained location. Work some compost into the soil, and rake smooth.
- Broadcast or sprinkle poppy seeds over the area. Poppy seeds are dark and extremely tiny. Some varieties will have as many as 200,000 seeds per ounce.
To make it easier to see where you have worked and to spread them evenly, try this trick.
- Mix your poppy seeds together with some clean, dry sand. Stir them up until the sand and seeds are evenly distributed.
- Broadcasting the mixed sand will let you see where you are thick or thin, seedwise.
- You can also take an old jar and lid, poke holes in the top, and use that to shake the sand-seed mix out into your garden bed.
- Lightly run your hands over the seeded area, pressing gently to help achieve seed-to-soil contact. Check this page from the University of Wisconsin Master Gardeners for more information on planting poppies.
- After germination, thin poppy seedlings to prevent too much competition.
How to Propagate Oriental Poppies by Division
Learning to divide your Oriental poppy can provide new plants and also allows you to revitalize an older poppy to make it thrive again.
- Begin by digging carefully with a garden fork several inches beyond the plant’s drip line. Take care and go slowly when lifting them.
Small, new poppies often will ’pop’ up around the edges. These young plants can be individually separated and lifted without digging up the parent plant.
- Work all the way around the poppy, taking care not to push the fork directly under the plant and damage the taproots.
- Once loose, gently lift the poppy root mass free.
- As with other perennials, use your hands to pry and separate some roots and soil into chunks. Follow natural breaks if you can. Keep some shoots, stems, taproots, and fibrous roots together as one unit.
- Divide into as many pieces as desired, keeping the above in mind. A good practice is to keep new clumps about the size of a large cereal bowl or soup bowl.
- Dig the new holes deeply. Don’t go too shallow and risk folding over the taproot.
- Plant the divisions in their new homes. Make sure to firm the soil and avoid air pockets deeper in the hole.
- Top dress with compost and mulch, and water in.
Tips For Growing Oriental Poppies
Drainage, Soil, and Sunlight Needs of Oriental Poppies
Drainage: Oriental poppies don’t like their feet to be wet. Their long taproot is susceptible to root rot if the soil stays constantly soggy. Choose a location with good drainage–not the low spot in your yard where water ponds.
Sunlight: while tolerant of partial sun, your poppies will bloom better and more if they receive full sun, about 6-8 hours per day. A bit of shelter from those blistering afternoon rays will be ideal if you are in a hot southern location.
Soil: neutral pH is fine for poppies, 6.5-7.0. If your soil is a little outside that range, don’t worry about it, but highly acidic or alkaline soil should be amended.
Before planting new poppy transplants, deeply loosen the soil and work in some compost. The crown will need to be planted about 3 inches below the soil level, so get down and deep when breaking up heavy soil. A garden fork with stout tines works well for this task.
Fertilizer: Oriental poppies are not heavy feeders but will enjoy a side-dressing of compost or well-rotted and aged manure every spring.
Watering: once established, Oriental poppies are somewhat drought tolerant; however, during the first growing season in a new location, or for new plants, water as you would annuals like tomatoes.
About an inch per week is usually sufficient, but provide more water during periods of high heat or dry weather. Don’t overwater during the dormant period when foliage is absent.
Divide the Entire Plant Now and Then
Oriental poppies have large tap roots, sort of like skinny carrots. They do not enjoy being transplanted or moved, but they should be divided every 4-5 years. Poppies not divided can start to die back in the center and look poorly. Follow the instructions above for dividing poppies in late summer when the plant is dormant.
Tip: Oriental poppy foliage can die back so thoroughly in summer that you have trouble finding the crowns of the plants. If you plan on dividing your poppies after they go dormant in late summer, mark their location immediately after blooming. A stick or garden stake can help you avoid digging up half the garden bed and looking for them later.
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