· have dark blue pollen. Field and corn poppies have pollen ranging in color from gray to dark blue.

· Bees gather the pollen of poppies.

· Poppies can be annual, biannual or perennial, depending on the species.

· California’s state flower is the golden poppy.

· The poppies that McCrae speaks of in his poem, “In Flanders Fields,” are the red corn poppy. In North America we grow them in our gardens and think they are beautiful. Go figure.

· The poppy is the flower of remembrance. People in the US and Canada wear poppies to honor veterans of wars.

· Always start Iceland poppies where you want them to grow. They dislike being transplanted.

· Do not water Oriental poppy after they finish blooming. Instead, let them die back and seed themselves for beautiful flowers the following year.

· If you wish to divide Oriental poppies, do so in the fall.

· There are more than 4,000 species of poppies.

· Corn poppy seeds should be scattered on the soil’s surface. Do not cover them with soil or they will not germinate.

· Many State Highway Departments in the US plant red corn poppies on the roadside and mediums to enhance the beauty of the landscape.

· Corn poppies germinate in 10 to 30 days. A soil temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit is best.

· There are 3,200,000 corn poppy seeds in one pound.

by Mary M. Alward