Have you ever seen.....

[Grandma]

.... a poppy like this?

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I'm always happy to have flowers that just 'appear' in my garden - especially annual poppies. If they turn out not to be particularly petty they're easy to pull out! But this one - well! I've been watching it grow and grow; for a time I even doubted that it was a poppy! It's now nearly 5 feet tall and has made a huge plant! The leaves are a bit more 'crinkled' than a normal poppy - (you can see a couple of 'ordinary' ones in the foreground - they're about a foot tall!) - and it's smothered in buds - literally dozens of them!

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Can't wait to see what colour it is and will be saving some seed for next year!

[goodlife]

Ohh..that does look like one happy poppy..what a monster!
I hope you post few photos of the flowers when they open up.
You haven't have a leak on you waterbutt by any chance..I'm just thinking if its had a plenty of water...

[Grandma]

Will take some snaps when the buds open, goodlife - I do hope it's not going to be all leaves and just scrawny flowers! Can't wait to see!

It does get run-off from the water butt - (and I clean the pond filters there, too, so it get lots of good 'sludge') - but so do the 'normal' poppies in front of it and they're, well, just normal!

[chriscross1966]

Looks like you'll get a decetn crop of smack off that 

chrisc

[Gadget]

Looks like you'll get a decetn crop of smack off that 

chrisc

that's just so wrong...lol

[Grandma]

OMG!!!    Do 'naughty' poppies look like that? Have I got my own little opium den?

(Anyone know how can I make it pay??? Or will I get clapped in irons just for having it in my garden?) 

[Poppy Mole]

Are you sure it hasn't escaped from the little shop of horrors?

[Gadget]

OMG!!!    Do 'naughty' poppies look like that? Have I got my own little opium den?

(Anyone know how can I make it pay??? Or will I get clapped in irons just for having it in my garden?) 

I don't know maybe we should ask Howard Marks??

[saddad]

Well it's definitely "Papaver Somniferum"... an acquaintance once told me how to extract the sap to make the naughty stuff... but I've never tried... as you can tell from it's size it can become quite a rampant weed! 

[Grandma]

Well it's definitely "Papaver Somniferum"... an acquaintance once told me how to extract the sap to make the naughty stuff... but I've never tried... as you can tell from it's size it can become quite a rampant weed! 

You've got me worried now, Saddad! I'm only letting it grow for its pretty flowers, honest.


_{(but if anyone would like to order some seeds..................!)}

[gwynnethmary]

we have these popping up in our lottie, but nowhere near the size of yours!

[goodlife]

Grandma..there nothing to be worried about opium poppies..perfectly legal to grow them but as for the opium..well that's another story..but I shan't tell anybody what you might get up to ....

[Robert_Brenchley]

I get them all over the plot, but they never get to more than three feet or so. You won't get much opium here, the sunlight isn't intense enough.

[grannyjanny]

Robert I am shocked at your knowledge of opium production .

[Nigel B]

My bet is they'll turn out to be Pink and White 'Miners Ghost' or 'Hen and Chicks'....

Probably a fair bit nearer to the real Opium trade than most think...  Not that one could grow enough of them to  do 'anything' of any consequence with.....
It's not that long ago at all, relatively, that Granny (Not you Granny-thingy) would keep herself a small stock of dried Poppy-heads to make a 'tea' with, to ease those Winter aches and pains.

[Grandma]

The first flower opened today - it's beautiful! 

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And the bumblebees love it, too!

I'll definitely be saving some seeds!

[cornykev]

Save us some seed Grandma, after all you have always been my favourite on A4A.   

[Grandma]

'Course I will, Kevvybabe - anything for you! 

[Poppy Mole]

Wow! that's gorgous.

[cambourne7]

Amazing flower would love to try and grow that