Large poppy Shirley is a very stunning, beautiful and attractive bright red single poppy variety with a dark almost black eye. It stands on greyish green fragile stems and is surrounded by thin greyish green leaves. This attractive eye catcher is well suited for any border, the natural garden, the cottage garden and for the growing in flower pots and containers, as cut flower with some cornflowers. Non hardy annual. Height: 70 cm.
ndoor sowing: march - april
Outdoor sowing: may - july
Germination: 10 - 20 days
Germination temp.: 19 - 21 °C
Sowing depth: ½ - 1 cm
Sowing in rows: 35 cm
Plant distance: 35 cm
Plant position: sunny
Flowering period: june - july
Sow indoors from march or outdoors under glass. Sow in trays filled with moist potting soil. Sow thinly and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Keep warm and don't let the temperature drop during the night. Cover the trays with clingfilm or a lid. Keep moist and warm.
Remove the clingfilm or lid when the seedlings emerge. Put the seedlings, when they're approx. 5 - 7½ cm in size in seperate pots. Harden them of for approx. 10 days during the day in may, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Put them afterwards on their permanent spot. Keep 35 cm apart.
Sow outdoors on a well prepared seedbed from the end of may, when there's no longer any danger of nightsfrosts. Sow in rows and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Put the seedlings on their permanent sunny spot with shelter and free draining soil when they're large enought to handle. This plant doesn't require a perticular soil type. Water with drought. This plant can reseed itself. Cover the plant in winter with mulch. This plant is poisonous when eaten.
