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An armload of Shirley Poppy Mother of Pearl
An armload of Shirley Poppy Mother of Pearl
Shirley Poppy Mother of Pearl growing in the field
Shirley Poppy Mother of Pearl growing in the field
An overhead of Shirley Poppy Mother of Pearl
A bouquet of Shirley Poppy Mother of Pearl

Shirley Poppy ‘Mother of Pearl’

Papaver rhoeas

Features

  • Dryable
  • Easy to grow
  • Medium producer
  • Pollinator-friendly

Description

This long-flowering, easy-to-grow mix comes in hues spanning dusty plum, cocoa-dusted white, cream with raspberry veining, and muddy eggplant. Blooms have a delicate and ephemeral quality and are well loved by pollinators. Long stems, refined flowers, and adorable seedpods make this a perfect flower for wedding and wire work.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 24 to 30 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 55 to 65 days
Plant spacing: 9 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Shirley poppies resent transplanting. Direct-sow into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Seed can be started indoors, just take care when transplanting out not to disturb the roots too much.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting 3 to 4 days if stem ends are seared for 7 to 10 seconds in boiling water. Seedpods can be dried and used indefinitely.

Details

Description

This long-flowering, easy-to-grow mix comes in hues spanning dusty plum, cocoa-dusted white, cream with raspberry veining, and muddy eggplant. Blooms have a delicate and ephemeral quality and are well loved by pollinators. Long stems, refined flowers, and adorable seedpods make this a perfect flower for wedding and wire work.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 24 to 30 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 55 to 65 days
Plant spacing: 9 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Shirley poppies resent transplanting. Direct-sow into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Seed can be started indoors, just take care when transplanting out not to disturb the roots too much.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting 3 to 4 days if stem ends are seared for 7 to 10 seconds in boiling water. Seedpods can be dried and used indefinitely.

Sources

How to Grow

How to Grow

How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Start Flowers from Seed

There’s nothing more rewarding than starting your own seeds. The benefits include getting a jump on the season, having access to hundreds of specialty varieties that you won’t find at your local nurseries or garden center and it’s the most inexpensive way to fill up your cutting garden fast.
How to Grow Poppies
How to Grow Poppies

The tissue paper-like blooms and brilliantly colored petals of these exquisite flowers are a stunning addition to both the garden and the vase. Many leave behind textural seedpods that are excellent for handwork, bridal bouquets, and dried crafts.
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals

Hardy annuals are some of the hardest-working, most productive plants in the late spring/early summer cutting garden. They are the first annuals to bloom in the spring, and their ability to withstand cold temperatures, thrive with minimal care, and produce abundantly for weeks from a single sowing make them an indispensable addition to the cut flower garden.
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Grasses, Grains, and Pods

These unique textural elements add interest and depth to any arrangement with their rustic appeal, and they produce an abundance of cutting material from midsummer through autumn. In addition, many of these materials can be dried and used in autumn wreaths and arrangements, making them doubly valuable in the cutting garden.
Discovering Dried Flowers
Discovering Dried Flowers

Many cut flower varieties can be used either fresh or dried. Drying flowers means you can preserve the abundance from your garden to be enjoyed later when nothing is blooming. There are so many ways to use dried flowers, seed pods, and grasses: in late autumn arrangements, adorning fresh holiday wreaths, or even mixed with fresh blooms.
How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Grow Poppies
How to Grow Poppies
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Discovering Dried Flowers
Discovering Dried Flowers

Fall
Mini Course

In our upcoming free, three-part video series, you’ll learn how and when to dig up your dahlia tuber clumps, how to divide dahlias to multiply your stock, and how to successfully store dahlias for an abundance of blooms year after year