Poppies - deadhead or not?

ampersand

I recently planted an attractive silvery foliage poppy, Tangerine Gem. It was reduced as one lot of flowering was ending. It has bloomed again and seedheads are forming, which I want for future years.

If I deadhead them now, will more flowers come this year?
At what point do I stop deadheading them to ensure seed for next year? Is it better to save seed caps or just let seed fall where it will and lift/transplant later?

Similar Sweet Pea advice too, please, re: timing for seed saving. It is lovely to have some sweetpea success at last, with long stems increasing, as I keep cutting them.

Antispam

I dont dead head either until the seed heads look like they are dry

Primrose

If I want my poppies to self-seed I wait until the heads are dry and brown and then crush them and sprinkle the seed around. Many poppy varieties only flower once - their flowers only for one day anyway before the petals fall.

ampersand

And for the sweet peas - about when should I stop cutting them to allow pods to ripen?

ampersand

Primrose wrote: »

If I want my poppies to self-seed I wait until the heads are dry and brown and then crush them and sprinkle the seed around. Many poppy varieties only flower once - their flowers only for one day anyway before the petals fall.[/QUOTE
Yes, I have some wild yellow like this ones down by the compost - just ripped a few more clumps out a moment ago.

Davesnave

'Tangerine Gem' is just the nurseryman's selling name for Papaver rupifragum, which I guess they decided was a bit boring. It is listed as a HP, but I would say 'short-lived HP.' It is supposed to flower around now, but I think I've seen it flowering at other times. Maybe individual plants don't repeat flower though, so I'd let some pods develop now.

Whether you sow in a controlled or uncontrolled manner depends on how many more you want. I just let mine get on with it themselves, and there always seem to be just a few around, so not a prolific self-seeder for me.

Sorry, don't do sweet peas.

Dustykitten

I've never had much luck with poppies - is now a good time of year to sow them as that is what they would be doing naturally?

olly300

Dustykitten wrote: »

I've never had much luck with poppies - is now a good time of year to sow them as that is what they would be doing naturally?

Most of my poppies have self sowed.

However last year I got some free seeds in June and sowed them in July. The poppies came up this year in April/May.

I only know this because they are a different colour to the other ones.

Mortal

For the timing of sweet peas, just whenever you've had enough of the flowers, but obviously before the autumn frosts. You may well find they'll be spent well before then though. and the foliage will begin to look tired.

wait until your sweet pea pods go a nice dry brown colour, collect them up and store them in a brown envelope/paper bag ready to sow in the autumn/spring
If you leave them too long they pop open and spread the seeds around. They will continue to dry out and release the seeds in the envelope instead.
Then treat as you would normally.