Poppy Flower: Types, Meaning, Symbolism and How to Grow Poppies
A poppy is one of the easiest flowers to recognise. It has thin, papery petals, a dark centre, and colours that glow in the sun. One flower lasts only a few days, but a patch of poppies can bloom for weeks.
Poppies grow wild in fields and gardens all over the world. They are also one of the most meaningful flowers we have. A red poppy stands for remembrance, a white poppy stands for peace, and the bright orange California poppy is the state flower of California.
Quick Answer
A poppy flower is a bright, cup-shaped bloom from the poppy family, Papaveraceae. The best-known types are the common poppy, the Oriental poppy, the Iceland poppy, and the California poppy. Most poppies need full sun and well-drained soil, and they grow best when sown straight from seed where they will flower.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Poppy Flower?
- 5 Types of Poppies
- Poppy Flower Meaning and Symbolism
- What Each Poppy Colour Means
- How to Grow Poppies
- Common Mistakes When Growing Poppies
- Poppies in Bouquets and Cut Flowers
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Poppy Flower?
Most true poppies belong to the genus Papaver, which has more than 70 accepted species. A few close cousins sit in other genera, such as the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and the Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis). They share the same look: four soft petals, a cup shape, and a dark centre. You can read more in the poppy genus on Wikipedia.
Poppies bloom in late spring and early summer. Each flower lasts only a few days, but a healthy plant keeps opening new buds, so the show goes on for weeks.
The poppy is also one of August’s two birth flowers, along with the gladiolus. See our August birth flower guide for the full story of that pairing.
Poppy Quick Facts
- Family: Papaveraceae, the poppy family.
- Main genus: Papaver, with more than 70 species.
- Bloom time: late spring into early summer for most types.
- Sun: full sun, at least six hours a day.
- Soil: loose, dry, well-drained soil. Wet, heavy soil causes rot.
- Good for wildlife: bees love the open flowers.
5 Types of Poppies
Not all poppies are the same plant. The five below are the ones you will meet most often in gardens and seed packets.
| Type | Scientific Name | Life Cycle | Colours | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common poppy | Papaver rhoeas | Annual | Red | Wildflower meadows, remembrance gardens |
| Oriental poppy | Papaver orientale | Perennial | Red, orange, pink, white | Bold borders, cold climates |
| Iceland poppy | Papaver nudicaule | Short-lived perennial | White, yellow, orange, pink | Cut flowers, cool climates |
| California poppy | Eschscholzia californica | Annual | Orange, yellow | Dry, sunny spots, low-water gardens |
| Opium poppy | Papaver somniferum | Annual | White, pink, purple, red | Seed gardens only, where legal |
1. Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
This is the wild red poppy of fields and roadsides, also called the Flanders poppy. It is an annual, about 20 to 50 cm tall, and it self-seeds freely, so one sowing can return year after year. This is the poppy of Remembrance Day, and the one from the poem “In Flanders Fields”, written in 1915.
2. Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale)
The Oriental poppy is the show-off of the family. This hardy perennial grows to about 90 cm tall, with huge flowers up to 15 cm across in red, orange, pink, or white. It dies back after flowering and leaves a bare patch, so plant it behind other plants that fill the gap.
3. Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule)
Iceland poppies have soft, papery flowers in white, yellow, orange, pink, and cream. They are short-lived perennials, very cold-hardy, and one of the best poppies for cutting. For more blooms like these, browse our guide to flowers that start with P.
4. California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
The California poppy is not a true Papaver, but it is a poppy in every way that matters. It is a low annual, up to about 65 cm tall, with bright orange or yellow cup-shaped flowers. It is the state flower of California, and it loves dry, sunny, poor soil where other flowers give up.
5. Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
The opium poppy has large, showy flowers, and its seeds are used in baking. But be careful: the plant is the source of opium, morphine, and codeine, and growing it is restricted or illegal in many places without a permit. When in doubt, pick one of the four garden types above instead.
Poppy Flower Meaning and Symbolism
The poppy carries two big meanings at once: sleep and remembrance. The first comes from the plant itself. For thousands of years it has been linked to sleep, dreams, and rest, because the opium poppy yields the sap from which morphine and codeine are made.
The second meaning came from the First World War. Red common poppies flowered over the battlefields of Flanders, and the flower became the symbol of the fallen. People wear a red poppy before Remembrance Day, on 11 November, the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918, and in Australia and New Zealand for Anzac Day as well. Put together, the poppy says: remember, and sleep in peace. If you like bold red blooms with a story, our guide to red flowers has more of them.
What Each Poppy Colour Means
Red is the famous poppy colour, but each shade carries its own message in the old language of flowers. Red means remembrance and deep love. White means peace and sleep. Pink means love and kindness. Orange means health, joy, and success. Yellow means optimism and friendship. Blue, the rarest of all, means imagination.
The Himalayan blue poppy is not a true Papaver at all, but a Meconopsis. It is one of the rarest blue flowers in the world, and it needs cool, moist shade, which makes it hard to grow outside mountain gardens. It sits naturally with other unusual blooms that make you look twice.
How to Grow Poppies
Poppies are easy, but they have one firm rule: they hate being moved. Sow them where they will flower.
Sun and Soil
Choose a place with full sun, at least six hours a day. Poppies in shade grow tall and weak, and they flower far less. The soil should be loose, dry, and well drained.
Sowing the Seeds
Sow in fall or early spring. Scatter the tiny seeds on the surface of loose soil and press them down lightly. Do not bury them: poppy seeds need light, and they usually sprout in 7 to 30 days. Keep the soil moist, never soaking wet, until they sprout.
Water and Aftercare
Once poppies are growing, water only when the top layer of soil is dry. Too much water is the most common killer. Leave some flowers to set seed for next year, and deadhead the rest to keep new buds coming. Gardeners on r/gardening on Reddit share poppy beds and sowing times from every climate.
Common Mistakes When Growing Poppies
- Starting them in pots and moving them. Poppies grow a long taproot and sulk after transplanting. Sow direct.
- Burying the seeds. The seeds are tiny and need light. Scatter them on the surface, nothing more.
- Rich, wet soil. Poppies like poor, loose, well-drained soil.
- Too much shade. Without six hours of sun, you get few flowers.
- Planting opium poppies without checking the law. If unsure, grow one of the other four types instead.
Poppies in Bouquets and Cut Flowers
Poppies look lovely in a vase, but they need one trick. Cut them when the bud is just starting to open, in the early morning, and sear the cut stem end in hot water for a few seconds. This seals the milky sap inside and stops the flower from wilting in an hour. Iceland poppies last longest in water, which is why florists favour them. Our guide on how to make cut flowers last longer covers the same tricks for other flowers too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a poppy flower symbolise?
The poppy stands for remembrance and sleep. The red poppy is the symbol of fallen soldiers, worn before Remembrance Day on 11 November.
Are poppies easy to grow?
Yes, as long as you sow them direct in full sun and well-drained soil. They need very little water once growing. The one thing they hate is being transplanted, so never start them in pots and move them.
When do poppies bloom?
Most poppies bloom in late spring and early summer. Each flower lasts only a few days, but a plant keeps opening new buds for weeks.
Is the California poppy a real poppy?
It is a poppy in the family sense, but not a true Papaver. Its scientific name is Eschscholzia californica, and it is the state flower of California.
Can I grow poppies from seed?
Yes, and seed is the best way. Scatter the seeds on the surface of loose soil in fall or early spring, press them down lightly, and keep the soil moist until they sprout in 7 to 30 days. Do not bury them, because poppy seeds need light. For more grower views, see questions about the poppy flower on Quora.
