Description
Grow a garden filled with the unusual, yet beautiful, Hens and Chicks Poppy, from freshly harvested Papaver somniferum seeds. With thin crimson petals, these spectacular flowers have dark purple spots in their centers that will stand out spectacularly in the sun. This tender perennial somniferum poppy has a single large seedhead, with smaller heads clustered around the base, deriving the name, "Hens and Chicks." Due to the large amount of seed that it produces, gardeners love the Hens and Chicks somniferum for uses in baking and cultivating their oils.
Growing 24 to 36 inches tall, and 1 foot wide, these flowers possess thick stalks and broad lettuce like leaves. The colors range from deep red to light pink and are accented by purple hues. Hens and Chicks develop large, single petalled blooms, which make it a great addition to your insectary or butterfly garden. The plants will attract all sorts of beneficial insects, such as butterflies, bumblebees, honeybees and hummingbirds as well. Hens and Chicks enjoy being in a part of your garden that is deep, provides adequate drainage, and has a full view of the sun. They can pretty much grow anywhere normal plants cannot. Plant them in sandy soils, or a medium that has a bit of gravel, these beauties aren't very picky at all. The neat thing about them is, you can control the color by controlling how much sun light they get.
Before the blooms appear, these one of kind poppies develop large flower heads that curl downwards for a number of days longer than other poppy species. The pods, better known as the "chicks" are in their development stage. Not long after that, they will force open their "caps" over the flowers, causing them to crack. The stems will straighten and the flowers will open, showing their beauty in the spring.
Hens and Chicks can be grown directly outdoors in the flower garden or in raised beds. They make a perfect border plant along fences and walkways, and even go great in larger pots and containers. The plants do not transplant well, so once they are sown, you should plan on keeping them in their permanent location through the season. Somniferums are generous self seeders and will produce many seeds for the following growing seasons. Enjoy these beauties and reap the benefits of a colorful and butterfly filled garden!
