Red corn poppies are one of the easiest annuals to grow from seed. And if you are a poppy fan the bright red flower is a must for your backyard flower garden. Theses brilliant red tissue paper flowers will bloom from spring until the first frost, if you remove the older blooms.
Red poppies will easily re-seed themselves giving them the illusion of being a perennial. Just make sure at the end of the growing season you let a few blossoms develop a seed head. Once the seed head dries crush the pod to help distribute the seeds.
How to plant red corn poppy seeds
Prepare the soil where you are going to plant your poppy seeds by removing all grass, weeds and other materials. Work the soil so it is loose and remove the larger stones. Note: Sandy soil is excellent for growing red corn poppies in. In my clay based soil I add a lot of compost and a little sand to create a soil the poppies like.
Surface sow the red corn poppy seeds in early spring or in the fall after a frost. Red poppy seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover the seeds.
Once you weather has improved in the spring keep your area you planted the poppy seeds in moist but not soggy. Your seeds should germinate in 10-15 days. Once the seedling have started to grow and reach 2 inches tall you will want to thin them. Thin the plants to 6 to 8 inches apart.
I move the small transplants to another area of the yard and replant them. They will do well but after being moved they will blossom slower than the ones that were not moved.
Keep your red poppies watered and they will grow 18 to 24 inches tall. De-head the poppies as the flowers die off to keep a constant supply of flowers.
Red poppies are beautiful in the gardens but being such a delicate flower they do not last once cut. They simply don’t work in floral arrangements for this reason.
If you like the look of the poppy and want to have them indoors you may want to grow a few as indoor plants. For more information read how to grow poppies indoors.
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