The Perfect Poppy for Thriving Gardens

Poppies remain a popular garden plant around the world, especially California poppy seeds, which produce some of the most beautiful blooms of the entire family. Easy and simple to grow, and producing a constant source of flowers throughout the growing season, such poppies are ideal for any gardener who wants to make a real statement with either their container garden or flower border.

Annuals in their nature, California poppies are easily included into a garden to provide a stunning splash of color wherever it may be needed. Growing relatively quickly, seeds can be sown in the fall and, as long as they're protected from the frost and cold of winter, will provide the gardener with a wonderfully early source of vivid blooms. Meanwhile, sowing another succession of seeds in the spring will ensure that California poppies grace the garden with their colors throughout much of the year. And with plants easily producing ripe pods, collecting seeds to ensure that poppy plants are always available is easy.

Perfect for providing an intense show across multiple seasons, a large variety of California poppies exist which are equally suited for life in either both flower borders or containers. Commonly used varieties such as the semi and double-bloomed Mission Bells poppy is a fantastic plant for novices and will produce a wonderful bouquet of yellow, orange, pink and red blooms. Meanwhile, for those who enjoy an intense concoction of vivid color, the Jelly Beans poppy offers something of an explosive sight.

Elsewhere, for those wanting a more sophisticated palette, a large number of annual California poppies exist. Producing large amounts of flowers, they can be used as highlights throughout a border, clashing petals with other plants or producing eye catching spots of color amidst a bed of foliage. Alternatively, a stunning spectacle can be made by using a large amount of plants in one area, causing a sea of poppies to rise from the ground. The exquisite Carmine King poppy is ideal for this, with its glossy rose tinted petal edges contrasting sublimely with its cream center. Meanwhile White Linen poppies will produce a beautiful sea of cream in the early spring, while the annual Red Chief variety can be used to create a traditional scene, with red blooms scattered amongst green foliage.

Lastly, a number of dwarf California Poppies  are also available, ideal for those needing color at the front of borders or in containers and pots. Rose Chiffon poppies produce a delicate pink petal with cream center, offset perfectly against a grey green lattice work of leaves. Meanwhile Purple Gleam offers purple blooms looking as though they've been etched with pencils, while Thai Silk varieties produce an explosion of fiery color.

With so many varieties available, poppy lovers will soon find that their passion for these stunning flowers may become uncontrollable. Learning how to grow and care for these plants is easy, with individual specimens largely looking after themselves. Continuous deadheading will ensure that plants continue to thrive and produce flowers throughout the year, while sowing in succession will allow new blooms as older plants fade and die.