(Papaver rhoeas ‘Red’)
Red Poppy is a cool-weather annual flower native to Asia and Europe but can commonly be found growing in agricultural fields and along roadsides throughout the United States. When fully grown, this plant can reach a height of 9-24 inches. It is characterized by its hairy stems, 6-inch green feather-like leaves, and 2-inch aromatic 4-6 petaled cup-shaped scarlet red flowers. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees and butterflies, is resistant to deer, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!
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General Information
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Start Indoors
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Transplant Outdoors & Start Outdoors
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Harvesting & Storage
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Seed Saving
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Culinary
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Medicinal
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Companion Planting
Genus: Papaver
Species: rhoeas
Variety: Red
Other Common Names: Common poppy, Common Red poppy, Corn poppy, Flanders poppy, Shirley poppy
Native to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Central European Rus, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kriti, Krym, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Northwest European R, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, West Himalaya, Yugoslavia.
Introduced into: Alabama, Alaska, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Assam, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bolivia, California, Cape Provinces, Chile Central, Chile South, Colorado, Connecticut, Cuba, District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Idaho, Illinois, India, Iowa, Kentucky, Korea, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nepal, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, Norfolk Is., North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Australia, Taiwan, Tasmania, Texas, Uruguay, Utah, Vermont, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Western Australia.
Ease of Growing: Easy
Grown as: Annual
Bloom: June to August
Light: Full Sun
Water: Water seedlings occasionally, but decrease watering as the plants mature; poppies tolerate drought well and will only need watering in periods of extreme dryness.
Soil Moisture: This plant tolerates most soils that drain well.
Attracts Beneficial Insects: Yes. The flowers attract Bees and Butterflies and are resistant to Deer.
Containers?: Yes. Poppies grow well in containers, partly because they are drought tolerant. They add an airy aspect to pots, which gardeners usually pack with plants for eye-catching designs. Use them sparingly so they act as accents rather than focal points. Select large containers with drainage holes in the bottom or sides to prevent waterlogged soil. Fill the pot with a packaged potting mix, not garden soil. Garden soil, in addition to containing weed seeds, becomes very heavy when wet. You can sow seeds directly in the planter, but it is easier to arrange your design if you use transplants. Set the potted poppies and other plants on top of the soil before unpotting; rearrange them until the design suits you. Because many of the plants will not be mature or in flower when you do this, your imagination will need to fill in colors as well as the ultimate heights and spreads of your selections. Unpot the plants and set them in the container at the same level they were growing originally. Try to disturb the roots of the poppies as little as possible. Water the planting well. Water the containers as needed. In hot summer weather you may find yourself watering every day, depending on the plants you combine. Deadhead spent blooms on all plants to keep the plants producing new flowers and to keep the planting attractive.
Height: 9-24"
Spacing: 15-18”
Produces: hairy stems, 6” green feather-like lobed toothed leaves, and 2” aromatic 4-6 petal cup-shaped scarlet red flowers.
USDA Grow Zone: 3-9
Transplant Outdoors
Start Outdoors
For Cut Flowers:
Cut when flowers are in bud, hold the base of the stems for a few seconds in a flame or boiling water and the flowers will last several days in water.
Plant Uses:
Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower Borders and Beds, Wildflower meadows, Butterfly & Bee Gardens, Cut Flowers.
Leaves: Raw or cooked. Used like spinach or as a flavoring in soups and salads. The leaves should not be used after the flower buds have formed. Some caution is advised.
Oil: An edible oil is obtained from the seed. Said to be an excellent substitute for olive oil, it can be used in salad dressings or for cooking.
Syrup: A syrup can be prepared from the scarlet flower petals, it is used in soups, gruels etc.
Dye: A red dye from the petals is used as a food flavoring, especially in wine.
Suggested Varieties
(Centaurea cyanus ‘Dwarf Blue’)
Dwarf Blue Cornflower is an annual flower native to Europe that grows in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!
(Centaurea cyanus ‘Tall Blue’)
Tall Blue Cornflower is an annual flower that is native to Europe that can be found growing in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is great as a cut flower!
(Centaurea cyanus ‘Tall Pink’)
Tall Blue Cornflower is an annual flower native to Europe that grows in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!