When to sow Oriental Poppy Seeds - Zone 6

[GardenGeisha]

I'm in Salt Lake City, Zone 5/6ish. This past summer someone gave me some Oriental poppy seeds harvested from their plants. I would say this was in June. I planted some at the time but saved some back. Do you think it would be better to plant them now or wait until the spring? Do you think they'd tend to rot over the winter in the ground? When would you plant them in the spring? Don't they need some cold-stratification?

Thanks in advance,

Clare

 

[Kassaundra]

I do not know the answer. I planted some poppy seeds this spring, we had a very wet and cool spring, I had a descentish germination rate, poor growth and no flowers. Could have been poor location, I had never planted them before. I was in zone 7 but think I got rezoned to 6 (which I laugh at b/c of our evil hot summers) anyway eastern Oklahoma.

 

[Smart Red]

I do not know the answer. I planted some poppy seeds this spring, we had a very wet and cool spring, I had a descentish germination rate, poor growth and no flowers. Could have been poor location, I had never planted them before. I was in zone 7 but think I got rezoned to 6 (which I laugh at b/c of our evil hot summers) anyway eastern Oklahoma.

Someone who grows them should know, but I don't think poppies flower the first year of growth.

 

[GardenGeisha]

I have read that fall sowing is good in some zones, but we could have miserable, wet winter with LOTS of snow and rot. I know they often do well when sowed atop the late snows, but I'm afraid I may lose them before then. I already lost them once and they spilled down the side of the bed. All I have left are unopened pods full of seeds. It's impossible to pick poppy seeds out of the bed covers and carpets. LOL.

I have sowed Oriental poppies in mid-May after the last frost, and they have germinated, but I never have very good germination with poppies. I think the best I ever had was with spring-sowed poppies (February), so maybe I should stick with that. They were annual poppies, though, not the perennial Orientals.

 

[catjac1975]

If you can sow them and keep them indoors for the winter you can sow them now. Other wise wait until spring. They do best sown indoors rather than straight into the garden. If you want to sow them outdoors do it in very early spring when it is still cold. That would be March for me, as the seed need sot be cold first. I have thrown millions of seed pods in an undisturbed spot and found a half dozen volunteers from all of that seed. They were not planted just tossed in a heap. They do not like to be transplanted once established. They will not bloom for several years. After that they will last forever.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks, Catjac. Would I have to keep them in a very cool place indoors if I sow them now? How much sun would they need indoor? When would I transplant them outside in the spring? I bought some in pots at a nursery a few years ago and planted them outside. They were beautiful the first year and came back the second and then promptly died.

I had one volunteer in a place I did not plant any seeds. I guess a bird dropped the seed there? So far it seems to be happy, although it is not sending up new plants near it. I think this was its 3d year.