Opium Poppy Tallulah Belle Blush Seeds - Papaver somniferum

This annual poppy called Papaper somniferum 'Tallulah Belle Blush', is a recent and really lovely variety. Its flowers seduce and attract as much with their extreme doubleness, as with the symphony of lilac, pink and soft purple hues that they render into this poetic mix. They are carried by sturdy stems emerging from a very ornamental, silvery bluish-green foliage. This variety is easy to grow, sown directly in the ground, and will thrive in the sun, in light, well-prepared soil. A must-have for romantic and wild gardens!

The opium poppy 'Tallulah Belle Blush' is a horticultural variety, belonging to the Papaveraceae or poppy family. It is derived from Papaver somniferum var. nigrum, which is found in the mountains of Asia, but also in Europe, on limestone soils where poppies usually grow. This plant, which probably originated in the regions between the Mediterranean and Anatolia, has given rise to a multitude of varieties that have long been cultivated for ornamental purposes.

'Tallulah Belle Blush' displays magnificent, undulating, bluish-green foliage tinted with silver, made up of beautifully lobed, elliptical leaves with scalloped margins. From its 30 to 45 cm wide clump of foliage, tall, 80 cm stems sprout up from June to August, bearing irresistible, solitary flowers. They are fully double and made up of countless tightly packed petals arranged into a pompom which, depending on the plant, will feature different shades of mauve, lilac, purplish or fresh pink. Summer blooms give way to a characteristic fruit, filled with small very ornamental black seeds which take on a slate blue sheen as it dries. Their aspect changes with the light because of the film of crystallized wax that protects their surfaces. Opium poppies have a taproot that is not very resistant to transplanting, so it is best to sow them in place. 

Opium poppies are comfortable in sophisticated gardens, in cloister-type gardens and gardens without gardeners. They make it possible to quickly and effortlessly create seas of infinitely delicate flowers that seem to dance on the silvery foam of their foliage, producing a stirring spectacle of vivid, dark or pastel colours. Although they are not very long-lasting in bouquets, the flowers of the opium poppy 'Seriously Scarlet' are extremely charming when planted in masses in an old orchard, at the foot of fruit trees, in front of tall daisies, the moving blades of ornamental grasses or even in pots on the patio. This annual plant, like the cosmos, has no equivalent for occupying the open sunny spaces between annuals or large perennials such as Helianthus, whose flowers take over later in the season. 

Once the flowering period is over, the fruit remains providing a precious asset for dry bouquets, but also the poppy straw, which is often perceived in more wild areas as a majestic element of the garden or a somewhat enigmatic remnant of summer.