100% Certified Organic & Demeter Certified Bio-Dynamic Seed
Grown, harvested, dried and packed on Transition Farm
NOTE - If ordering from Western Australia, please check the POSTAGE page for further information
Shirley Poppy 'Mother of Pearl'
Shirley Poppy 'Mother of Pearl'
Papaver rhoeas
‘Mother of Pearl’ is a beautiful mix of iridescent and smoky colours in plum, mauve, pink, raspberry and white including speckled, tip and vein highlights and unusually pollen colours adding interest to the tissue paper flower petals. Ethereal blooms that are very attractive to bees and pollinators.
‘Mother of Pearl’ was bred by Sir Cedric Morris, a painter, gardener and flower breeder - who used to wander the fields and hedgerows looking for softer poppy shades. Harriet Baker writes, “The flowers in his paintings are sensuous and living, revealing the intensity of his engagement with the subtleties of plant colouration and personality. “
Easy to grow, vigorous plants that produce an abundance of blooms over a 6-week period in late spring/early summer with small structural seed pods that work well with dried arrangements. The delicate and unusual combination of the almost not real petals and the colours make these wonderful for design work. Although the flowers are short lasting, they leave a strong impression.
SEED COUNT: 450 approx.
Germination: Lot#32686 86% JAN2024
Seed Raising, Growing and Harvest Information
| Plant Type | Site | Spacing | Height | Sowing Depth |
Days to Germination |
Days to Maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy Annual |
Full Sun | 15 - 20cm apart | 30-60cm | 4-6mm | 14-28 days @ 16-24°C |
55-65 days |
DIRECT SEED(recommended) - Sow mid Autumn - late Winter. Poppy seeds are very tiny - mix with sand to help disperse. Sow seeds into depressions or furrows of well amended soil. Cover lightly. When plants have 3 leaves, thin to 15-20cm for strong plants. Thin early so as not to disturb roots. Given proper spacing, plants will produce more blooms.
TRANSPLANT- Shirley poppies DO NOT like root disturbance. We are successful with soil blocks. Place 2 seeds in each cell. LIGHTLY COVER with vermiculite. Poppy seeds prefer cooler temperatures for germination. DO NOT place on a heat mat. They also prefer fluctuations in day and night temperatures.
Keep evenly moist and use a soft spray of water so as not to dislodge seed.
When the plants have 2 true leaves, thin to one per cell. Transplant at 15-20cm spacing in well amended soil when plants have 3-4 leaves. Plants thrive in cooler temperatures and survive frosts.
NOTE - Poppy seed is super fine, like caster sugar. To not drop all seed in one spot, mix the seed with a little fine sand.
HARVEST - Harvest blooms just as they are opening and before bees find them. Individual flowers are short lived—lasting 3 to 4 days if stem ends are seared 7 to 10 seconds in boiling water. Buds will continue to open on cut stems.
