How to grow corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Papaver rhoeas · field poppy, common poppy, Flanders poppy

Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) — hardy annual 23–46 cm tall with hairy, coarsely toothed leaves and nodding buds that open into four papery petals, scarlet with a black blotch at the base; Shirley poppies also come in white, pink and orange, often double. Each flower lasts only a day or two, but new ones keep opening for weeks. Corn poppy grows best in full sun. Water it about every 7 days while it grows.

Updated: October 28, 2026

When to sow corn poppy?

It tolerates light frost: sow straight into the bed about three weeks before your last spring frost.

It flowers about 60 days after the shoots appear and keeps flowering for about 90 days.

Frost dates · When to plant

Quick facts

Type	Flower
Latin name	Papaver rhoeas
Family	Papaveraceae
Also called	field poppy, common poppy, Flanders poppy, Shirley poppy
Planted as	seed
How it is started	sown straight into the bed
Life span	grown for one season
Planting season	spring
Light	Full sun
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 5 °C
Germination	18 days
First flowers	60 days after the shoots appear
Flowering lasts	90 days
Grown in	Open ground

How long does corn poppy take from sowing to flowering?

From sowing to the first flowers: about 78 days, or 11 weeks.

Step	Day
Sowing	0
Shoots appear	18
First flowers	78
End of flowering	168

Days count from the day of sowing or planting, by the figures of the card.

Where does corn poppy grow?

479,678 records of the plant in gardens, fields and the wild worldwide; most photos come from Germany, France, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Spain.

World map: where corn poppy has been recorded — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: Berthold Naujoks-Böckmann, Luisa Fernandez, Enrica Pistorio, lachesis lachesis, Glenn Wright, Peter de Lange, Siriot (CC BY / CC0).

Corn poppy, Germany — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: Berthold Naujoks-Böckmann, Luisa Fernandez, Enrica Pistorio, lachesis lachesis, Glenn Wright, Peter de Lange, Siriot (CC BY / CC0).

Corn poppy care by growth stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun. Where summers are hot, light afternoon shade helps; it does best in cool summers.

Soil

Any well-drained soil of average fertility kept moderately moist. It does not tolerate drought, nor wet, poorly drained ground, which rots the roots, especially in winter.

Care

Sow where it is to flower as soon as the soil can be worked in spring, about 6 mm deep, since the seed germinates in darkness; seedlings appear in 14–21 days at 16–24 °C. Thin to 15–20 cm apart when the first true leaves show, and do not transplant, as the taproot resents disturbance. Sow again a few weeks later for a longer show. Water in dry spells. For a vase, cut when the buds are swollen and showing colour and sear the stem ends; the flowers last 2–4 days. Leave some seed capsules if you want it back next year — it self-seeds freely, the seed stays viable for decades, and it can become weedy. Botrytis and powdery mildew are occasional problems.

Pests and diseases of Corn poppy

1 problem is recorded for corn poppy; it has a page with symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Diseases

Grey mould

Other plants of the Papaveraceae family

Corn poppy belongs to Papaveraceae; 1 other plant of this family has a guide here.

Bleeding heartLamprocapnos spectabilis

Plant lists it is in

Cold-hardy crops for early spring

Part of: Garden flowers · Annual flowers from seed · Long-flowering plants · Flowers to sow straight into the bed

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.