Common poppies or Papaver rhoeas are endemic to the Mediterranean countryside, growing in profusion along the roads and on fallow meadows, turning the countryside red in April. They are natives of North Africa but naturalized on almost every continent. A very “common” flower indeed, and yet, if one takes time for a closer look, how very glorious with its silky petals and its luminous red and black colors.
It turns out poppies are also endemic in my garden and I just love it. In spring the garden is a profusion of red and any “thin” spots are almost invisible between masses of poppies, fumaria and wild geranium. When I need more space I just take them out when they begin to fade.
The black seeds of poppies are edible, they are put into bread or salads or turned into oil. Seeds eaten in large amounts can be mildy poisonous however (just like all other parts of the plant) The petals make a luminously red syrup, that used to be given to children because of its mild sedative properties. Young leaves can be eaten cooked like spinach or raw in salads, they are supposed to have a taste of cucumbers and hazelnuts.
Poppies grow in just about any soil. They like sunlight and a spot of rain during flowering, which is a given in spring. Instructions for sowing them are pretty precise and complicated but as they tend to freely reseed themselves without any precautions I just let them do their thing or toss a bunch of seeds/seedheads where I’d like to see some poppies next year.
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