Poppy, Hungarian Blue
Big single purple flowers with a pale centre. This is the baking poppy, with large pods full of blue-grey seed.
Growing
- annual
- Full sun
- Fall, or early spring
- Not covered
- 14 to 21 days at 18°C (65°F)
- Sprinkle thinly
- 91 to 122 cm (36 to 48 in)
- 46 cm (18 in)
- Benefits from support
- 80 to 90 days
The one grown for its seed. Big single flowers in deep purple with a pale ring in the centre, then pods the size of a plum. One good plant gives you a couple of teaspoons of baking seed. All seven of my poppies grew in one bed, and poppies cross, so this seed came off a Hungarian Blue plant rather than an isolated patch. Most will look like the parent and a few will take after the others. The baking seed is the same either way. Poppy seed is tiny, so a packet is one level 1/16 teaspoon pinch spoon.
Sowing and starting
Sow where you want it to grow. Poppies don't like being moved, so skip the seed trays. Loosen the top of the soil, scatter the seed and don't cover it. I sprinkle mine on top and let the rain settle it in. Water gently if there's no rain. I sow in both fall and early spring, and both work. It comes up in 14 to 21 days at around 18°C (65°F). Some sources say it needs a cold spell first, but growers who have tested it say dry stored seed comes up fine without one.
The seed is almost dust. Mix a pinch with dry sand before you scatter it, so it spreads evenly and you can see where it lands. Keep the surface damp until the seedlings show, then thin to about 30 cm (12 in) apart. Thinned plants make the biggest pods.
Care
Full sun and ordinary soil. Don't overwater once it's growing. It grows 91 to 122 cm (36 to 48 in) tall and flowers 80 to 90 days from sowing. Rich soil and lots of water give you leaves instead of flowers. Watch the seedlings for slugs.
Saving the seed
Let the pods dry on the plant until they rattle and the little windows under the top open. Then tip the seed into a bowl. Store it somewhere cool and dark. Keep the best pods for sowing and bake with the rest.
Worth knowing
- It self sows freely. Leave a couple of pods to shatter and you will have poppies there for years.