Poppies are among the world’s most popular flower, rivalling roses for variety, color, popularity and more importantly, many are easy to grow. There are over 100 poppy varieties with more being created constantly. Some of them are self-seeding, making them capable of filling tracts of soil without human intervention. Other poppies are not easy to grow, so the gardener can pick and choose the level of challenge desired. Warning: Most poppies are toxic to humans and animals because of alkaloid compounds.
The poppy that produces narcotics is only one variety — Papaver somniferum. The narcotic substance is in the milky liquid that is extracted from its unripe seed pod.
The nonnarcotic seeds are also used in baking and other culinary uses.
However, the other hundred-plus of varieties of poppies are decorative and non-narcotic – as benign as other colorful, ornamental flowers.
Many poppy varieties have delicate, crepe-paper-like petals that cover the rainbow, with hues of orange, light purple, cream, pink, red, yellow, blue, gray and even one called “Danish Flag” which is white in the center, with a white cross surrounded by an orange bowl – reminiscent of the New Mexico state icon. Of course, our favorite is the orange California Poppy, our state’s official flower and an indication that spring has come to Southern California.
Oriental poppy flowers can grow to be very large — 9 to 10 inches in diameter and are hardy, able to withstand winters’ colder temperatures. With all of the colors and shapes to choose from, a short investigation of poppy varieties stimulates the gardener’s imagination for creating a peaceful, beautiful environment in which to relax and daydream.
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