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Poppies

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  • mszajmszaj Posts: 7
    I don’t mean take cuttings I mean prune them back. Apologies for my lack of knowledge 
  • Victoria SpongeVictoria Sponge Posts: 3,502
    Hi @mszaj, you have an Oriental Poppy which is a perennial. 

    I find these plants pretty easy going and I don't think there are any rules about cutting back. I tend to cut the long thick flowering stems off, but you don't have to and can leave the seed heads as decoration.

    I don't always chop back the foliage, you can just leave it, but if it is tatty or in the way of other plants you can chop them all away quite low to the ground. You would just end up with a brown tuft of old leaves, but fresh new leaves will grow through in the same place.

    I might not do that if I had a nice variety like you have and is newly planted but once in the ground a few years they are almost indestructible. 
    Wearside, England.
  • mszajmszaj Posts: 7
    Thank you. This is year 3 but we always left them. By far the best flowering we’ve had yet. I read somewhere can cut them back now but wasn’t sure and didn’t want to do the wrong thing. Think will prob leave. Bought some pink ones this year too. 
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