{"id":16426,"date":"2022-11-07T13:34:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T12:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=185"},"modified":"2022-11-07T16:35:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T15:35:12","slug":"ten-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-poppies","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/ten-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-poppies\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten facts you probably didn\u2019t know about poppies"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Sorrel Everton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 07 November 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Few flowers<\/a> are as recognisable as the poppy<\/a>. As an emblem of remembrance, it is deeply embedded in our psyches. It is an influential flower and it has a fascinating history.<\/p>\n

Here are ten facts you probably don\u2019t know about poppies.<\/p>

1<\/span>

There\u2019s not just one poppy<\/h3>\n<\/div>
There are more than 70 species of\u00a0Papaver<\/em>, in a range of shapes and colours, and ranging from annuals to perennials, to suit a range of gardens and plant palettes. Its versatility is one of its strengths and just one of the many reasons why it such a popular garden flower.<\/p>\n
Read our expert guide to growing Papaver<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>
2<\/span> Sir Cedric Morris bred a grey poppy<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Artist and gardener Sir Cedric Morris, known for his garden at Benton End<\/a>, was a keen poppy hunter. After the Second World War, Morris scoured the Suffolk countryside for variations in the common field poppy, Papaver rhoeas.<\/em> He eventually bred a range with a smoky-grey sheen to the petals.<\/p>
3<\/span>
The poppy has been cultivated for a long time<\/h3>\n<\/div>
As long ago as 2700 BCE the Minoans, a sophisticated civiliation based around Crete, are known to have cultivated poppies for their seed.<\/p>
4<\/span>
There are a surprising number of poppy variations<\/h3>\n<\/div>
The genus is wide ranging and encompasses species whose flowers can be extremely different. The opium poppy is far less elegant and fragile than the field poppy and produces flowers that are burly and flamboyant.<\/p>
5<\/span>
Some poppies are good to eat<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Culinary poppy seeds are a source of minerals, calcium and iron and are derived mainly from the opium poppy\u00a0P.\u00a0somniferum<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>