Including Poppies Brings a Number of Advantages

There are number of ways to transform any garden without having to spend vast amounts of money on landscaping, and one such way to do so is to invest in some plants and/or buy poppy seeds. A wonderful family of species, offering a wide variety of sizes, colors and characteristics, poppies can provide a fantastic accompaniment to every garden. And whether gardeners opt for annual varieties, or perennial species that will return year after year, once you've bought poppy seeds a great love affair is likely to start.

With brilliant blooms, some varieties of poppy produce abundant flowers of whites, creams and pastel blues and pinks. Meanwhile, for gardeners who want to explore deep, vibrant colors, explosive Iceland or California poppies are the perfect plants. And with a great range of planting options depending on the species, the poppy family provides a plant for every environment, shady and moist, or sunny and dry.

Annual varieties, including Peony poppies and the popular California poppies, are ideal for containers and tubs. Brightening any patio or decked area, they are easy to care for and will provide a welcome spark of interest. Meanwhile window baskets and even hanging baskets, providing they are kept moist, can offer something a little different to catch people's eyes. And with plants easy to germinate and grow, vast quantities of small plants can be produced, packing every space with color and creating a stunning spectacle for all to see.

Elsewhere, with Mother Nature on their side, annual varieties of poppy also seed freely, allowing for gardeners to ensure a plentiful supply of plants the next year. Seed pods can either be collected and stored in paper bags or envelopes ready for sowing, or allowed to burst naturally, scattering seeds across the garden for a natural look.

While many may be fond of the annual poppies, there is no better way to showcase this wonderful family than with perennial varieties such as the Oriental poppy and dwarf or alpine specimens. These return every year, becoming stronger and healthier plants as they mature, and therefore producing more flowers of better quality. Oriental types are ideal for the herbaceous border, dying back in the winter before producing stunning displays of color the following spring. With large flowers rising into the air, any poppy lover will never tire of Orientals, and with blooms of blue, white, pink, orange and more, perfecting the ideal collection can be an ongoing challenge. Meanwhile, ideal for rock gardening or placing in gravely areas for an innovative planting scheme, little alpine plants of only a few inches will hug the ground while producing a radiant array of flowers.

Whether wanting an explosion of color for one season, or wanting ongoing and yearly blooms, poppies are ideal. While many plants take time to mature, a collection of both annual and perennial plants will allow for vibrant flowers the first year, with perennial plants blooming later. And with poppies being notoriously self seeding, gardeners will always have a constant supply of plants. So, for transforming gardens, whether it is pots, rock gardens or borders that need a lift, buy poppy seeds and develop a passion that will only grow.