Most Unusual Poppy Varieties For Whimsical Garden

Poppies are cute herbaceous plants with colorful blooms that can liven up any garden. They come as annuals, biennials as well as perennials. And end of winter is the best time to start sowing them. There are many different unusual varieties especially in a Papaver genus.

Most Unusual Poppies

Papaver Orientale ‘Princess Victoria Louise’ is an unusual poppy that produces beautiful 6 to 8in blooms in light coral blush pink in summer. It does better indoors and can be sown in spring and fall. Planting outdoors is best around May.

Papaver Orientale ‘Perry’s White’ looks a lot like a white anemone only with frilly petals and black spots in its cheeks. Thid perennial grows up to 36 inches in height and 24 in spread and as most poppies requries full sun. It’s a pretty hardy plant that can withstand 5°F temperatures.

Papaver Somniferum Paeoniflorum ‘Black Peony’ is a quite unusual poppy that looks more like peony and deep purple at that, hence the name. Its beautiful frilly blooms open up in summer months and are quite showy. The hardy annual can be sown from March through September.

Venus poppies are quite a sight to see. Pom pom blooms come in bright and pale pink as well as white like Papaver Somniferum “White Swan” that is hardy in all US zones and like all poppies likes well-drained soil and full sun. Planting season for these beauties like for many others is fall or early spring.

Nemophila Maculata “Baby Five Spot” is an unusual little poppy whose petals feature beautiful purple spots on white, lavender blooms. An all-zone hardy annual makes for a beautiful edge bloom

Papaver somniferum ‘Danebrog’ (Danish Flag) is another poppy whose coloring and frilly petals make it look far from its regular relative. The green eye sits in the middle of a white petal coloring on otherwise red petals, which gives it a bit of resemblance to a Danish flag.

Papaver somniferum Poppy ‘Burgundy Frills’ is a stunningly showy annual with purple red frilly petals that open up come spring and early summer. The similar ‘Drama Queen’ variety shows less contrast in its petals between purple and red but has equally showy presence.

Meconopsis betonicifolia or Himalayan blue poppy is probably the most unusual one in its coloring. While most poppies are red and yellow, this modest but pretty-looking bloom is sky blue with a bit of purple undertone. It requires cool conditions during germination and a well-drained soil to grow. The bloom prefers partial shade and opens up in late spring and summer.