This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.

• Position: full sun
• Soil: moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: June to August
• Hardiness: hardy annual



Highly sought after by designers and plant enthusiasts, this annual poppy produces its simple, sugar pink flowers on tall, slender stems from early summer. Use this classy little number to fill gaps in the border - or in naturalised settings where it will often self-seed.



• Garden care:
  These poppies tend to resent root disturbance, so plant or sow them in situ. If you don't want them to self-seed, then remove the spent flowerheads after the petals fall. If however you'd like another batch of self-sown seedlings in subsequent years, leave the seedheads intact, and when the seed has ripened, give them a gentle shake to spread their contents. When watering, avoid the 'little and often' approach, but when the soil becomes dry, water thoroughly so it can really soak in.
  
  
  
• Sowing instructions:
  Sow shallowly, directly into a well prepared bed in spring, or (for an earlier display the following year) late summer to early autumn. Water well and as the seedlings appear, thin them out to 30cm intervals keeping just the healthiest and most robust ones to develop.
  
  
  
• Sow: March to May or August to September