1. Papaver seeds are easily purchased online, and there are many sources in the US.
Here are a few we like:
- Select Seeds, Union, CT: https://www.selectseeds.com/Search/poppy.aspx Probably the largest selection. Owner Marilyn Barlow has been featured by Margaret Roach several times.
- Floret Flower sells a beautiful mix of sherbet colored Papaver nudicaule seeds here: https://shop.floretflowers.com/products/iceland-poppies-sherbet-mix
- Hazzard’s Seeds in Deford, MI, has alpine poppies, which are smaller than the other poppies and fun to grow in small, contained gardens for a pop of color in June: https://www.hazzardsgreenhouse.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH
- UK-based Plant World Seeds will ship to the US and has a wide range of Papaver species, including many not discussed in this exhibit: https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/search_for_item?utf8=✓&query=papaver
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, Fruition Seeds, Renee’s Garden Seeds (the source for poppies grown on Appledore Island in Celia Thaxter’s recreated garden) as well as several of our local nurseries.
2. Another option is growing Papavers from plants. P. orientale, for example, is best started as a bare root plant in the fall, but is also sometimes available in the spring. If planted in the spring, don’t expect blooms the first year.
Papaver plants can be sourced locally or ordered from afar. A few we suggest are: White Flower Farm (CT) for Papaver somniferum and Papaver orientale, and Fowler’s Nursery in Southampton for Papaver nudicaule. Bluestone Perennials in Ohio also sells Papaver orientale plants, as do Brecks, Eden Brothers, High Country Gardens, and others.
3. Information about how to grow poppies abounds on the internet. Here are a few of the best articles and advice we found:
- “How to grow poppies: top tips on growing and caring for these stunning blooms,” by Sarah Wilson, Gardening Etc., March 23, 2021: https://www.gardeningetc.com/us/advice/how-to-grow-poppies (The photos alone will persuade you to grow poppies!)
- “Here’s a Garden Flower That Can Be Sown in the Snow,” Christine Marmo, The New York Times, January 26, 1986: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1986/01/26/644086.html?pageNumber=242
- “Growing Poppies for Seeds and Bees,” Barbara Pleasant, GrowVeg.com, December 24, 2015: https://www.growveg.com/guides/growing-poppies-for-seeds-and-bees/
- “As Ye Sow: Saving and Planting Poppy Seeds,” Mary Walton Upchurch, Flower magazine, 2020: https://flowermag.com/saving-and-growing-poppy-seeds/
- “Growing Poppies for Decorative Seed Pods, Spices, and Beauty,” Tasha Greer, Morning Chores blog: https://morningchores.com/growing-poppies/
- For those who want to take on the challenge of growing Iceland poppies from seed, read Kokoro Garden’s article, “How to Grow Icelandic Poppies – Stress Free!” https://thekokorogarden.com/blog/2019/3/7/how-to-grow-icelandic-poppies-stress-free You’ll need an unheated garage with grow lights and a cold frame or unheated hoophouse.