Poppies are generally easy to cultivate and they have vibrant colors making it a good option for you to place them in any segment of the garden or maybe even in your containers. Poppies are a part of the weed family and are available in over hundreds of varieties in various colors and sizes. Most gardeners find them to be hardy’s and you do not need to fuss over them, it also depends on the kind of variety you cultivate in your garden you could enjoy beautiful blossoms in various colors like yellows, blues, whites, pinks, reds, and oranges.
Poppies thrive in soil that is well-drained and enjoy plenty of sunlight. They are also known to be rabbit and deer-resistant as well as drought tolerant. They can easily adapt to any climate and thrive in almost all soils that include heavy clay and sandy. With all said and done poppies are not fond of shade, places with excessive water and heavy soils. So, if you are planning to have poppies in your garden but you face heavy rainfall then you must make sure that you offer sufficient drainage or else your poppies will develop leaf and root diseases. They will also grow well in high altitudes, meadow plantings, wildflower plantings, cutting beds, perennial beds, containers, and rock gardens.
With their vibrant and beautiful colors, they will bring splashes of vibrant shades to your garden.
Preparing the soil for poppies
Like I mentioned earlier, poppies enjoy soil that is well-drained. So, the best soil that you could choose is sandy loam. Now suppose you have heavy soil you can amend by adding bark that is finely ground or sand. Poppies do well when the water retention offers a moderate amount therefore, we always recommend adding composition to the sandy soil in a very small amount. Stick to utilizing 1/3 of your compost and do not exceed this limit. You can also mulch it lightly by utilizing a bug that helps to retain all the moisture especially if your area is dry or facing drought. Poppies are romantic and exotic and simply amazing plans to have in the garden. They will do well with moderate water retention therefore make sure that if you have sandy soils, you add composed of very small amounts.
If your poppies are planted in soil that is well-drained with moderate levels of compos it will definitely not require any nutritional supplements and you would rarely have to fertilize them. And if you really want to do so, you may go in for a slow-release, weak flower fertilizer. Make sure you clean up the petals and leaves that fall and replenish mulch whenever required however; it should be done sparingly, because mulch has a tendency to inhibit the germination of seeds. Always make sure that you allow the seedpods to ripen before you harvest them.
If you’re not aware of it, let me tell you that poppies are native to regions that include South Central Asia, the Mediterranean and California only because they have a modest level of water requirements. So, if you plan to grow your poppies in climates that are hot, make sure that you offer sufficient drainage and whenever you experience dry spells make sure you water deep into ground level and try not to wet the leaves.
That’s all for now and I do hope that you have received more clarity with the type of compost and care that is required to grow your poppies successfully. Happy gardening!