Culinary & Medicinal Herb Seeds
We carry a diverse variety of herb seeds, including culinary herbs, medicinals, ethnobotanicals, native plants of the PNW, and nectar and pollen rich flowers attractive to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. All varieties are open pollinated, we do not sell hybrid seeds. Average seed life is 3 years. Please allow 1-2 weeks for shipping.
Poppy, Opium
Poppy, Opium
(Papaver somniferum)
Common Names
Opium Poppy, Poppyseed Poppy, Poppy.
Botanical Name
Papaver somniferum
Plant Family
Papaveraceae (Poppy Family)
Life Cycle
Annual
Native Range
Mediterreanean
Hardiness Zone
2-11
Habit
Light grey-green leaves with gorgeous ornamental-looking flowers in pink, purple, lavender, white and red two-toned hues. To 4ft tall and 1ft wide.
Sun/Soil
Full sun, regular garden soil.
Germination/Sowing
The seeds can be scattered on the ground in the fall or early spring, or started in flats in the spring and transplanted out.
Growing/Care
Opium Poppy's do best grown in regular veggie-garden type conditions with good soil and regular waterings throughout the season. They will self-seed for continuous successions.
Harvesting
N/A
Culinary Uses
Edible seeds are easily collected and used for baking traditional poppy seed cakes and breads.
Medicinal Uses
Once common in the household medicine chest, it is now highly illegal to extract the medicinally potent sap of the ripe seed heads. Sedative and analgesic, Robert Bulwer-Lytton, the Victorian poet, likened the effect to having one's soul rubbed down with silk.
Themes
Attracts Pollinators, Deer Resistant, Apothecary Garden, Container Garden, Low Maintenance, Cut Flowers.