Papaver rhoeas Bridal Silk flower seeds
This white poppy is also known as papaver rhoeas, corn poppy, or field poppy. This beautiful delicate white flower is a bit underappreciated since her sibling got introduced, the grey variety Amazing Grey. But imagine the soft silk white petals in a more natural and wild English cottage-style garden. And then every morning you can pick a few new buds for a tiny vase to enjoy in your kitchen. Or add a few flowers to a wildflower arrangement inspired by Brigitte Girling. This white poppy belongs to the family of papaver rhoeas, also known as corn poppy or field poppy. Bees and other insects fly around the flowers all morning to enjoy the nectar.

Planting information to grow this poppy from seed:
Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 60-80 centimeters
Position: full sun but they tolerate partial shade
Start: in late winter, spring or end of summer
Number of days until plants bloom: 55-65 days
Germination: 1-2 weeks
Distance between the plants: 20 to 30 centimeters
Pinching: not necessary
Number of seeds per pack: 1000 – 1200

How do I grow Papaver rhoeas Bridal Silk from seed?
Papavers don’t like to be transplanted. Sow them in deeper seed trays and transplant them carefully when the plants are still young and not rootbound. You can also direct sow the seeds in rows and then thin them out after a few weeks. Plants flower relatively fast after sowing therefore you can sow them twice in a season. For example once around March, and the second sowing around the end of May. Surface sow the seeds and cover them lightly with fine sand or vermiculite. The seedlings from late summer or early autumn sown seeds overwinter and flower when summer starts. We can highly recommend growing a few plants in late summer/early autumn. Combine them with a few Icelandic poppies (Papaver nudicaule) or California poppies (Eschscholzia californica).

The plants self-seed very easily but due to cross-pollination, the self-sown seeds are not the same as the parent plants. Plants tend to go back to the wild variety with red petals.

The Individual flowers of this papaver variety are short-lived, often lasting 3-4 days. For the longest vase life, you can sear the ends for 7-10 seconds in boiling water. Do this directly after picking to prevent wilting. Pick flowers when the buds are about to open or just started to open. As soon as the flowers are pollinated the petals drop. The flowers can be used for arrangements that don’t have to last a week, for example, a one-day event, or for personal use.