Poppies and Sunflowers

FastForward · Jul 3, 2009

I've got a bunch of really nice looking flowers in the front of my house - all germ'd and prop'd from seed. I've been doing them in the garden then putting them out front when ready. I've never grown poppies before so this was an experiment, and all the poppies basically flowered at very different times so they never made it out the front and pretty much died individually in the pot.

I've been left with a load of poppy heads, which I've cut off - do these things contain opium? Not sure if these are papaver somniferum - can anyone else tell?

NB: I didn't grow the poppies to make opium out of! They were meant to offset my petunias!! :)

But...seeing as I have a bunch of dead heads (!) is there a buzz I can cop?? Tea? :)

Also, check out my giant sunflowers - I haven't got stakes big enough for them, and one is growing sideways on the table. The slugs at the top of one of them and I've got multiple heads coming off it....didn't think you could top a sunflower!!

FF

Nuglover · Jul 3, 2009

Not from the seeds. You get it from the poppy itself. If you want details, PM me.

BombBP · Jul 3, 2009

Are those poppies papaver somniferum? If not, I don't think any alkaloids will be present but I may be wrong.

BombBP · Jul 3, 2009

Papaver Somniferum

They are nowhere near as pretty as yours FF. Just grow them once and they drop so many seed they will grow everywhere eventually:).

FastForward · Jul 3, 2009

Cheers BP....they're nice flowers but they're so delicate that the first wind blows them to bits. Not really great in my part of the world, but there's shitloads of seeds in these heads so I've got plenty for next year. Also, they seems to hate water.....another reason they're not great in this often rainy shithole called home :)

BombBP · Jul 3, 2009

I've been having the same problem with mine. It's been very rainy here and they are all suffering from OWing. I like them because you do nothing to them and they thrive like they are on steroids. The flowers are beautiful too.