7 Tips for Growing Perfect Poppies Every Year, According to Martha's Head Gardener

Every year, Martha and I grow dozens of poppy varieties. These must-have flowers are easy to grow and last for many years in the garden, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. We grow them for their beauty and reliability—I know they will reseed and show up all over the garden yearly. Poppies tend to bloom right after all of the spring bulbs have faded, filling in gaps in the landscape beautifully. They are also hands-off flowers, requiring much less work and maintenance than other blooms.

They come in various colors, styles, shapes, and textures, so there is a variety for any look you want to achieve. We primarily grow three to four species: Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale), breadseed poppy (Papaver somniferum), field poppy (Papaver rhoeas), and sometimes Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule). Amongst these species, we grow dozens of varieties and blends, trying new varieties every year and letting the ones we currently grow hybridize, resulting in many nice color and petal combinations the following year.

If you want to grow poppies in your garden, I'm sharing my best tips for planting and caring for these flowers. 

Choose the Right Planting Location

Plant poppies in a location that receives full sun and has loose, friable soil to ensure the strongest, healthiest plants. Annual varieties reseed heavily, so plant them where they have some room to spread and naturalize. Oriental poppies are perennials that form a large clump and should be planted in an area where they can stay permanently. 

When selecting a planting location for poppies, consider that they are somewhat ephemeral. Not long after they finish flowering, the whole plant will die and need to be cut down. So put them somewhere their absence won’t be noticed, like where summer-blooming flowers grow into the void that they leave. 

Plant at the Right Time

Poppies are generally planted from seed in late winter. Unlike other flowers that need to be started indoors in trays, poppy seeds can be scattered outside in late February or early March when there is still some snow on the ground. The seeds will settle into the ground as the last bit of snow melts.

One exception to this is oriental poppies, which are usually planted from containers in early spring and can take a few years to get established. 

Plant Multiple Varieties 

Planting multiple varieties of poppies is a must. Doing so allows you to extend the bloom season by a couple of weeks, as different varieties bloom at different times.

Most styles and colors blend seamlessly with one another, so it’s easy to mix them and create a beautiful display. Oriental poppies are great as a centerpiece with their thick, dark green foliage and tall, wiry stalks, while the other varieties are great as fillers between plants like lupines, roses, and daisies. 

Provide Adequate Water 

While some poppy varieties can withstand a bit of drought, most are thin, delicate plants that look their best when they are watered regularly. Generally, normal spring rains should suffice, but if it’s a dry season, supplemental irrigation is a good idea.

Regular watering is especially important for poppy seedlings, as they are tiny and delicate. That said, too much water can lead to fungal diseases so don’t overdo it. 

Check for Pests and Diseases 

Poppies have very few insect and disease issues. They can occasionally get aphids, but those can be handled with a sharp blast of water. Fungal diseases are the main concern with poppies, and they’re typically caused by too much moisture around the root crown. Pull out any diseased plants so the issue doesn’t spread, and cut back on water levels if necessary. 

Stake When Needed 

Poppies have thin, wiry stems, but their petals are not heavy, so they don’t usually need support. If you feel like you need to stake any stems, particularly when they are flowering, wrap the whole plant around a bamboo or branch stake with twine. 

One species that sometimes needs staking is oriental poppies. An easy trick is to place a peony cage (or other shorter perennial cage, like a small tomato cage) over the plant when it's still early in the season so the leaves can grow through it, hiding the cage and supporting the plant.

Wait to Deadhead

Deadheading is something you usually want to hold off on when growing poppies. After the petals fall off, poppies have very distinct and attractive seed pods. (Some types of poppies are grown specifically for these heads!) Leaving the spent stalks gives the garden a nice look. 

Even more important than aesthetics, poppies develop seeds in these pods, which they drop and spread for next year's flowers. I usually wait to deadhead until the pods have filled out, dried, and opened their dispersal windows. When deadheading, I cut out the pods and save the seeds for the next year. When pruning, I cut the plant down to the ground. I avoid pulling the plants out of the ground because sometimes the roots give me a second year.