Poppy Champagne Bubbles Discover Mix

The Poppy Discover Mix series blooms in a truly colorful range of shades (orange, tangerine, pure white, golden, strawberry, and coral). To achieve an even distribution of all these colors in your flower bed, we have a simple trick for you: sow the entire packet of seeds at once. This prevents you from selecting and sowing only seeds that might result in just one color.

The Champagne Bubbles series (Papaver nudicaule, or Iceland poppy) is an excellent and very accessible variant of popular poppies. It is often compared to the popular Italian Colibri series. The main differences and advantages are:

• Perennial: Unlike Colibri, which are annuals, Champagne Bubbles is a short-lived perennial.
• Availability and price: It is more affordable and more widely available because it is not bred exclusively in Italy.
• Germination: The seeds are pre-treated for better germination, giving you a higher chance of success.
• Flower differences: The flowers are slightly smaller (about 7 cm in diameter) and the stems are not as robust, but they bloom in magnificent shades of orange, scarlet, yellow, white, and pink.

Iceland poppies are extremely hardy plants. They are short-lived perennials that boast incredible cold resistance – they can withstand temperatures down to -35 °C! They will survive our typical winter in the flower bed without any problems and without the need for special covering.

Please be very careful with this. Like most other poppies, Papaver nudicaule is a poisonous plant and is not edible. If you have curious small children or pets, plant your poppies in areas where they will not have easy access to them to prevent any potential accidents.

Although it is a rewarding and easy-to-grow plant, it can be troubled by the following issues:

• Fungal diseases: Especially powdery mildew and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea). You can prevent them by not overwatering the plants and maintaining the recommended spacing (20–30 cm) for good air circulation.
• Pests: Slugs and snails love to feast on young and tender leaves. Occasionally, aphids may also appear on the stems and leaves.

Iceland poppy is not overly demanding, but it needs suitable conditions for abundant blooming:

• Light: A sunny location is ideal, but it tolerates partial shade very well.
• Soil: Well-draining soil is key. Poppies absolutely cannot tolerate waterlogging, which would lead to root rot.
• Watering: Maintain only moderate watering (moisture 💧💧).

The flowers of the Champagne Bubbles poppy, which also have a beautiful delicate scent, are absolutely ideal for cutting for a vase. If you cut them when the bud is just starting to open, they will last the longest to bring you joy at home.

However, they are unfortunately not suitable for drying – the petals would fall off during the drying process and lose their color.

These are the two most common problems growers face:

1. Seeds failing to germinate: You most likely covered them with soil when sowing. The seeds need light to germinate, so next time, just gently press them into the surface of the substrate.
2. Death after transplanting: Poppy reacts very poorly to root disturbance. If the root ball was damaged during transplanting into the bed, the seedling may have gone into shock and wilted. Always transplant carefully, ideally keeping the entire root ball intact from the starter tray.

This is because Icelandic Poppy seeds require light to germinate. If you were to cover them with even a thin layer of soil, they would likely not germinate at all. Simply press them gently onto the surface of the moist seed starting mix and keep it slightly damp.

Due to the small size of the seeds, direct outdoor sowing is not recommended. It is much better to start them indoors in the warmth.

• When to sow: You can start sowing as early as January and continue through April.
• Procedure: Prepare a starter tray with high-quality, well-draining seed starting mix. Place 1 to 3 seeds in each cell.
• Conditions: Maintain a stable temperature between 15 and 20 °C. Under these conditions, the first sprouts will appear in 7 to 14 days.
• Seedling stage: Let the seedlings grow and strengthen in the tray for approximately 4 to 8 weeks before transplanting them outdoors.

Yes! Although it is a short-lived perennial, it will persist in your garden very easily. Poppies readily self-seed. Simply refrain from cutting back all the flowers after they bloom (they bloom from May to August), and let a few seed pods fully mature in the bed. The seeds will fall into the soil and ensure a new generation of plants the following year.

Definitely yes! The Champagne Bubbles poppy is a great magnet for pollinators. Its beautifully colored and slightly aromatic flowers will attract bees, bumblebees, and butterflies to your garden. It is therefore an excellent choice for supporting biodiversity in your backyard.