Moroccan Poppy (Papaver atlanticum) Info

This modest, simple sundrop of a poppy loves sunny, dry weather. Its blooms are similar to Papaver pilosum, but the leaves are less deeply serrated and smaller, and the pods are narrow and club-shaped.  Flowers rise on stalks from a rosette of leaves, as is typical of poppies.  The stalks are delicate, and the flowers move in the slightest breeze. It blooms throughout the summer, and if you deadhead it (pick off the dead flowers), it will get more flowers.  A native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and sometimes called the Atlas Poppy, this is a Sun plant that has a lot of Saturn in it.  It's fairly short for a poppy (6-12") and likes growing in rock crevices.  This is a perennial in temperate areas but also reseeds easily when it's happy.  It is drought-tolerant (although even drought-tolerant plants need water) and likes poor soil. It's great for rock gardens. Make sure it doesn't get too wet in the winter, or it will rot. Top

How to Grow Moroccan Poppy

Barely cover  seeds. They germinate in 10-21 days at 68F and will not grow if it is too hot. Thin seedlings by cutting off the tops with a scissors, leaving only the 2 or 3 healthiest per pellet. Pot them when they have at least a second pair of leaves.  Watch out for damping off (they all keel over)--good air circulation (use a slow fan) and not letting them be sopping wet will help prevent it. Pot up in somewhat sandy soil.   Transplant out togrow in full sun and poor, dry soil.  This plant does well in rock gardens and xeriscapes.  General growing info Top

© 2004, 2014 Harold A. Roth; No reproduction without permission