Oriental Poppy – A Royal Garden Flower The Oriental poppy is also known as the Papaver orientale and is a startlingly beautiful garden flower. Though the Oriental poppy has come a long way from the original brilliant orange poppy native to Asia, it is still as seductively beautiful and hardy as the original. Poppies have a long history and have been used as medicinal and used in foods for its unique taste. Poppies have been around at least since 600 BC when images of the poppy were found in Sumerian artifacts. The ancient Greeks also used the poppy flower both medicinally and as a symbol. Interestingly enough the poppy flower also appears on the coat of arms of the Royal College of Anesthetists. However the Oriental poppy as it is today has undergone many changes to enhance them aesthetically. As far back as the 19th century horticulturists began to experiment with poppies. Starting with the common bright orange poppy and experimenting until the choice of colors and bloom types is almost endless. The only exception is there is no blue poppy, however so many colors and variations are available, and you are unlikely to notice. The Oriental poppy now comes in an exciting range of shades from primmest of pinks to silken silver white to salmon and watermelon colors. All these blooms are distinctive with the black center where the seed pods are and with a profuse mound of foliage. The Oriental poppy will take only about 7 weeks to get ready to bud and be prepared to be dazzled. If you are a first time poppy grower or a seasoned fan the Oriental poppy in bloom never fails to take the show. Even more attractive to gardeners with limited space is the fact that the Oriental poppy will grow in a variety of conditions, hydroponics, no problem, potting, not a problem even aeroponics. Plant your seeds, don't overwater them or neglect them and watch these beauties burst into bloom. Poppies do love sun so be sure wherever they are placed that you give them a full 6 hours or more of sunlight. Whether growing Oriental poppies indoors or outdoors they should be allowed plenty of height since the plants grows from 2 – 4 ft high. Also unlike many other plants the poppies bloom beautifully from warm spring until mid summer but at the peak of the heat they will become dormant. For outdoors gardeners this means that that once luxuriant foliage could leave a bare spot in your garden, plan on a second cover planting or place them in a middle or back row where the gap is not noticeable. Poppies are royal garden flowers and steal the show wherever they are planted. Plant them in early spring, care for them normally and then dazzle the neighbors with the splashy show of colors. Deadhead the flowers to encourage more profuse blooming or let them go to seed and collect the pods for more fun next year and an even larger garden full of the royal Oriental poppy. Resource Box : poppyseeddreams.com offers hard to find high quality seeds of < a rel="nofollow" href= "http://www.poppyseeddreams.com/" > Oriental Poppies, California Poppies, Papaver Somniferum (aka opium poppy), Papaver Laciniatum (aka feathery poppy), Papaver Paeoniflorum (paeony), Papaver Rhoeas, and Meconopsis Betonicifolia.