Poppies

Whiteknight

I have seen information online about a campaign to sow poppy seeds (Papaver rhoeas)along roadside verges so that next year to mark the centenary of the start of world war 1 these red poppies will flower.

The cost to buy the seeds appear to be very cheap so I am thinking it might be worth throwing some seed along local verges in the hope that some of the seeds take hold and flower .

However doing some research it would appear that farmers would consider poppies a weed and because the seed can stay active for years I am a little concerned that they could damage local agricultural land and other species.looked at the costs and you seem to get thousands of seeds very cheaply)

Wondered what the green fingered members thought about this - are poppies a pest or would you like to see them flowing at the roadside?

A._Badger

Papaver rhoeas is regarded as a weed by arable farmers and it is routinely sprayed against (along with other weeds) so I doubt it would constitute a problem,.

Indeed, farmers these days are encouraged to leave a strip around the edges of fields where these and other wildflowers (aka 'weeds') can flourish. If you look at arable fields you will see this very frequently.

Cally_Smart

What a beautiful,fitting tribute that would be.....Lest we forget

Farway

Lovely idea, I will chuck some seed on waste ground around here, and in a flower border I tend at Age Concern