Icelandic Poppy ‘Excelsior’ (341-7)

Self-seeding Annual. Papaver nudicaule — Warm, cheerful colors of red, orange, yellow, peach, and white. Large flowers with petals like tissue paper. Icelandic poppies are a great flower to cut and bring inside, where you can watch the pods split open and the flowers emerge. This is an annual variety of poppy, but it will often self seed when it's planted in a spot it likes. Icelandic poppies should be scattered on the soil surface in late winter so they get a bit of cold weather, which helps the seeds germinate. They should be thinned to about 6 inches apart. Grow them for a spot of brilliant color in the early summer garden. To cut them for indoor arrangements, be aware that the stems will drip a caustic sap, so wear gloves when cutting. Poppies last best in the vase when the bottom of the stem has been sealed by holding it to a flame. 0.5 gram packet = approximately 300 seeds.