How to Grow Poppies
Poppies hold a special place in Kiwis hearts and gardens. Not only are they a beautiful, proud standing flower, they are also a strong reminder of the fallen soldiers at Gallipoli and throughout WWI and WWII. Each April, we pin them to our shirts and spend time remembering.
Poppies are a lovely addition to your garden, whether you choose a traditional red and black Flanders poppy, or a frilly pink or blue peony poppy. They will happily grow in among vegetables or other flowers, and can bring a great pop of colour throughout winter and spring. If you’d like to give poppy growing a go, view our top tips below:
Our Top Poppy Planting Tips
- Poppies prefer a site with well-drained soil and full sun and look fantastic growing en masse.
- It’s so easy to sow poppy seeds, simply sprinkle and walk away! The sunlight germinates the seeds so they do not need to be raked into the soil.
- You could also sow them in pots, or start them in trays of seed-raising mix and plant them out as seedlings in spring.
- Feed your plants in early spring with a controlled-release fertiliser, such as Yates All Purpose Plant Food.
- Once they’re flowering, you can feed them with a liquid fertiliser, such as Yates Thirve Roses and Flowers Natural Fish and Seaweed.
- Poppies will self-seed easily so you should get another display each spring.
This ‘How To’ Guide has been produced to provide basic information and our experienced staff are available to answer any questions that you may have. Because this guide is of a general nature, neither Palmers nor its staff are responsible for the application of the information, as the contents may need to be modified for individual projects and site applications.
