Shirley Poppy

Shirley poppies are fleeting and exquisite: large tissue-paper flowers in white, pink, salmon, red and bicolours, 18 to 24 inches tall, that open at dawn and drop their petals within a day or two, but the effect in the garden and the vase is incomparable. They were selected from the wild corn poppy of European fields in the 1880s by a vicar in Shirley, England, which is where the name comes from.

Direct sow where they will grow, since they dislike transplanting: in autumn in zone 6 and milder, or as early in spring as the ground can be worked, pressed onto the surface, because the seed needs light and cool conditions. Thin to 6 to 9 inches in full sun and average to poor soil that drains, and give them nothing else. Sow a second batch three weeks later for a longer season.

For cutting, harvest in bud, just as the sepals split and before the petals unfurl, and sear the cut end in a flame or boiling water for a few seconds to seal the sap; that extends the vase life from a single day to three to five. The seed pods dry well. Bees and hoverflies work the flowers, and the plants self-sow prolifically on bare ground. Deer leave them alone.