The author of the text is Dr. Katarzyna Wróblewska
The fields painted with poppies in June are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful views in our country. We owe it to the poppy, Papaver rhoeas, a plant with small flowers whose beauty and strength lie in massive bloom.
This poppy eagerly and without reluctance inhabits poor, sandy wastelands and less intensely weeded cereal crops.Unfortunately, it is rarely used in gardens, although it is ideal for naturalistic gardens and the so-called flower meadows.
Cultivated for thousands of years, it is known for its healing properties. The morphine contained in the milk juice helps fight insomnia, it also brings pain relief, but is also highly addictive. Since poppy seeds bring about sleep and even death, in many beliefs it was associated with the deities of the underworld.
Currently, low-morphine poppy varieties are grown for food purposes, the remaining crops are under strict control. Therefore, many people avoid growing this species in the garden.If it is already grown, it is most often in varieties of exceptional beauty - full flowers, jagged petals or original color.Plants bloom quite briefly - in June / July.
The genus Papaver includes about 100 species growing throughout the northern hemisphere. They are plants with heavily cut leaves, often covered with hairs, and with characteristic four-petal flowers. Many of them are cultivated for ornamental purposes due to their sumptuous, brightly colored flowers.Among them there are annuals, such as poppy seeds, opium poppy, biennials and perennials.
The latter is the most popular eastern poppy, Papaver orientale. This perennial species catches the eye with its huge flowers blooming in June.They are most often decorated with dark spots at the base of the petals and a multitude of dark, purple-black stamens.The tissue paper petals can be scarlet red, rarely pink, salmon or white.
A real rarity is the 'Patty's Plum' variety with an intriguing dirty purple color of flowers.Despite the unusual beauty of flowers, plants of this species are rarely planted in larger groups, because their above-ground part dies after blooming. For this reason, they should be ensured that they are close to filling the gaps in the second half of summer.The eastern poppy feels best in sunny positions, in deep soils. Due to the strongly developed tap root, this poppy breeds mainly from seeds, and the varieties not found by root cuttings.
We assume a flower meadow
The Siberian poppy seed is also often characterized as a perennial, also known as the broadleaf Papaver somniferum nudicaule.This species of exceptional beauty in our conditions much more often behaves like an annual plant and dies after flowering.Siberian poppy comes from the northern regions of Europe and Asia. It is distinguished by a multitude of flower colors - from white, through yellow, orange, to red. The flowers, unlike most species of the genus, have a yellow interior.
Siberian poppy prefers coolness - it thrives best in temperatures below 15 ° C. The period of intensive growth and flowering therefore falls in spring (April - May).It can be used, for example, in spring flower beds, in naturalistic plantings (under favorable conditions, the plant can sow itself) and for planting spring compositions in containers.
