Poppies are another classic garden plant that we all kind-of, sort-of know. Most of us know what they look like, even if we don’t know what they’re called precisely. Many of us have grown them at some point, or seen them growing in the wild. Poppies are classic wildflowers—small, beautiful, colorful. They’re also a complex plant with a long and complicated history, much of which surprised us when we started doing the research for this article. So if you’ve ever been curious about growing poppies at home, join us as we dig in and learn about this lovely flower.
What are Poppies?
From a botanical point of view, a poppy is any of a number of species of flowering plants belonging to the family Papaveraceae, specifically to the subfamily Papaveroideae. These are herbaceous plants, meaning that they have no woody parts above ground and that their stems are relatively soft and vascular. Beyond those common traits and and their iconically shaped show-off flowers, the various species of poppy are actually fairly diverse. Some are annuals, some biennials (meaning they return two years in a row), and some are perennials, though generally short-lived ones. The color of poppy blossoms is also varied; poppy flowers come in yellows, oranges, pinks, whites, and red—but more on that later. Many species die back after flowering, some produces more than one set of blossoms. So, if you’re choosing a poppy for your garden space, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting.
Poppies grow in a wide variety of climate and soil conditions, with species of poppy found around the world. The advantage of this is that no matter where you are, there’s likely a species of poppy that will grow well for you. Many do well in containers, making them surprisingly easy for patio or indoor gardens. This diversity does however make it difficult for us to suggest specific varieties in this article, so please check with your local garden club, nursery, or cooperative extension for advice specific to your region. And of course if you send us an email or jump in the comments section with questions, we’ll do our best to help!
Poppies: A Beautiful Plant, A Complex History
The history of poppies is, for lack of any better word, complex. Poppies were first domesticated by humans around 6,000 years ago, and in the intervening centuries they’ve been used in a variety of ways. While we think of poppies primarily as an ornamental plant, they have a long history as a food plant as well and are still used in that role. Poppies were likely first domesticated for their seeds, which can be used as food for both humans and livestock. Poppy seeds may be ground into a flour or paste, pressed for their nutrient rich oil, or used as a seasoning or flavoring ingredient. As poppy seeds are tiny, less than one millimeter in size, it takes a great many of them to do anything useful. Fortunately, poppies produce copious quantities of seed and reseed readily, making them an ideal easy crop for humans first learning about agriculture.
It likely didn’t take early farmers long to notice that poppies have other uses, as well. All species of poppy produces varying amounts of opiate alkaloids, which have a narcotic effect on humans and some other animals. Some varietals of poppy are purposefully bred and cultivated in order to produce drugs of various kinds. Poppy opium was among the first painkillers used by humans, and had medical and surgical uses into the early 20th century. Poppy has also been used to make opium, heroin, and other drugs, and a thriving trade in opium poppies continues to this day. This narcotic use has turned the humble poppy into a symbol of sleep, rest, or even death.
This is where poppies take on their most powerful and important symbolic role. The poppy variety Papaver rhoeas, also known as the red-flowered corn poppy, is found across Europe and grows prolifically on recently-disturbed soil. During the First World War, disturbed soil was a horribly common site as battles raged across Europe. When the fighting and dying paused, the humble poppy returned quickly. They featured in the famous and emotionally powerful 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, a Canadian surgeon serving in his country’s army during the war. The red Flanders poppy is still worn in some countries to commemorate those who died in wartime, and is especially common at memorial day events around the world. There’s something special about this—a humble little plant with a pretty red flower becoming a living representation of both the best and worst of humanity.
Poppies: Pretty, Powerful and Popular
Poppies are many things: beautiful and fun to grow, useful, sometimes used for nefarious things. They have a great many symbolic uses all around the world, most notably as a remembrance of those who gave their lives for their countries. It’s hard to know what to say about them, other than they are beautiful, easy to grow, and diverse enough that most of us can incorporate them into our garden spaces. We hope this article helps us all understand and appreciate poppies and all that they are. We also hope that next time you see a red poppy, you’ll take a moment to remember.
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