General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 2 -45.6 °C (-50 °F) to -42.8 °C (-45°F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 2-3 feet
Plant Spread: 1-2 feet
Leaves: Spring ephemeral
Fruit: Showy
Fruiting Time: Summer
Late summer or early fall
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Orange
Pink
Red
White
Other: With black to purplish-black center
Bloom Size: 4"-5"
5"-6"
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Underground structures: Taproot
Uses: Cut Flower
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Provide light
Self fertile
Needs specific temperature: 65ºF
Days to germinate: 14-21 days
Depth to plant seed: Surface sow, gently pressing into soil
Suitable for wintersowing
Sow in situ
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Root
Division
Other: very long tap root
Pollinators: Self
Bees
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Oriental Poppy
  • Poppy

Photo Gallery
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: 2011-05-18
Location: Leverett, Massachusetts 
Date: July
Short lived flower. Blooms so quickly, it’s hard to catch this
Location: In my garden
Date: 2020-06-02

Date: 2021-06-11
Location: Leverett, Massachusetts 
Date: July
I let the pods dry on the stalk. When they rattle, I harvest the
Location: Leverett, Massachusetts 
Date: July 
We mow around this field of Poppies, as they were in our yard lon

Date: June
Image by Spencer C. H. Barrett, University of Toronto
Location: My Gardens
Date: May 17, 2016
An Opening Bud
Location: Leverett, Massachusetts 
Date: July
Location: IL
Date: 2012-05-18
Location: Russia, Krasnodarskij Kraj
Date: 2020-05-30
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2017-05-15

Date: 2016-05-04
Location: Twisp
Date: 4000-05-09
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date: 2009-06-01
showing how large the flowers are!
Location: South Jordan, Utah, United States
Date: 2020-06-03

Date: 2016-03-13
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2010-05-24
Location: RavenCroft Cottage
Date: 2013-05-31
Location: Cedarhome, Washington
Location: my garden
Date: 2014 May
This double orange oriental poppy was passed along to me from the
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - near Lake Ontario, zone 6a
Date: 2013-06-04

Date: 2015-06-11
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: 2010-03-17
first leaves of spring
Location: my garden zone 7b NC
Date: 2012-06-04
Photo by PAgirl63
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: 2008-05-05
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: 2008-05-09
fuzzy unopened flowers
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: 2007-05-10

Date: 2016-03-23
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date: 2011-05-31
Photo by Bunilla
Photo by Angelbee
Location: Home
Location: Mississauga
Date: 2012-05-28
Location: Sun Zone 6a
Date: 2012-06-06
This oriental variety Orange Brilliant, blooms later than the oth
Photo by PAgirl63
Photo by Bunilla

Date: 2016-05-11
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 4000-05-09

Date: 2016-02-01

Date: 2015-06-01
Location: Mackinaw, Illinois
Date: 2012-07-05
Leaves die back and look very unattractive once blooming is over.
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 2015-06-02
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 4000-05-09

Date: 2009-02-27
USDA
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by Bonehead (Planet Earth - Zone 8b) on Jun 18, 2014 9:44 AM concerning plant:
    Can become floppy, but regular deadheading will normally keep them upright. After bloom, the foliage turns yellow/brown and dies back. At this point, I cut the entire plant back hard. I will often then get a second low flush of foliage only. Does not self-seed aggressively in my PNW garden, just some extra seedlings at the foot of the mature plants, easy enough to control (or allow your clump to expand depending on your needs).
  • Posted by gardengus (Indiana Zone 5b) on Oct 27, 2011 5:37 PM concerning plant:
    These flowers disappear after blooming, leaving a bare place in the garden; I plant annuals in the same space.
    The last few years it has been balsam (impatiens balsamin); they self sow and grow and flower after the poppies are gone.

    Transplanting:
    I have found early spring transplanting to be the best, however they ''appear'' to die; mark the spot, they almost always return the next year.
  • Posted by threegardeners (Brockville, Ontario, Canada - Zone 5a) on Oct 27, 2011 6:22 PM concerning plant:
    Zone 5a, Ontario, Canada

    These can be slightly invasive...they do not stay where you put them and will self seed like crazy. Hard to eradicate if you decide you don't want them. My Mom has been trying to get rid of mine for years with no success :))

    They are beautiful though.
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Apr 16, 2012 12:40 PM concerning plant:
    Valuable source of pollen for honey bees.
Plant Events from our members
dragonfetti On January 14, 2015 Seeds sown
Bicycle and Poppy's garden.
dragonfetti On January 12, 2015 Obtained plant
From WM; .20 per pack; "Mixed Colors". Four packs.
MrsBinWY On July 15, 2018 Seeds sown
25 groups of seeds from the red poppies from the seeds Margaret Shaw collected in Sun Valley and gave to me in 2015. Milk jug @ room temp. 2018 garden
MrsBinWY On February 4, 2017 Seeds sown
milk jug, cool spot in sun room, 12 groups of seeds from Aunt Margrett's fringed orange poppies (stem collected May 2016). No germination.
susanandrews On May 14, 2019 Bloomed
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