Guide to growing Mexican poppy - Argemone
The common names for the short lived perennial Argemone include the Mexican poppy and Prickly poppy.
Though a perennial it is typically grown by gardeners as a hardy annual.
Mexican poppies typically flower from early to mid summer.
Description of Mexican poppy - Argemone
Mexican poppies display a continuous display of yellow or white, poppy like flowers, which are very fragrant, from late summer to early autumn. They are best grown in the mid section of borders as they have a very spiky foilage.
How to grow mexican poppy
It is best to sow Argemone poppy seeds just below the soil surface at a depth of about 30mm in the late spring after the last frost. It is quite difficult to propergate Mexican poppies inside. If doing so then Mexican poppy seeds should be planted in peat pots around five to seven weeks before they are due to be put out (after the last frost of early Spring). They should be grown at 13 to 16 degrees Celsius, and normally take about two weeks to germinate.
When planting out they should be placed in an area that receives lots of sunshine and planted at a distance of around 25cm for smaller Argemone species and 75 cm for larger varieties.
Caring for Mexican poppies
Mexican / Prickly poppies are is easy to look after, however they are easily damaged so they should neither be staked nor transplanted (unless absolutely necessary). The poppies should be dead headed before seed is allowed to set in order to eliminate the plant spreading uncontrollably.