SPERLI Klatschmohn Abendfeuer

Glowing red corn poppy, 60 to 80 cm tall, flowering from June to August – one packet is enough for around 600 plants.

The story

Origins & history

The corn poppy has accompanied arable farming since its beginnings and spread across Europe together with cereal crops. Its seeds can lie dormant in the soil for many years and germinate as soon as the ground is broken. Its German name, Klatschmohn, probably comes from the clapping of its petals in the wind.

Uses

It looks loveliest in groups on sunny, lean ground, ideally alongside other summer flowers. It needs no fertiliser. Please note: do not eat any part of the plant.

Meaning

Since the First World War the red poppy has been a sign of remembrance: John McCrae’s 1915 poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ describes the poppies blooming between the graves. In Britain it is still worn in November in remembrance.

A thought for giving

Corn poppy seeds can wait for years in the ground until someone opens the soil. Some things within us wait just as patiently for the right moment.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 600 plants
• Botanical name: Papaver rhoeas
• Life cycle: annual
• Height: 60–80 cm
• Position: sunny, partial shade
• Sow outdoors: April–June, September–October
• Flowering: June–August
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Germination temperature: 15–18 °C
• Germination time: 7–14 days
• Plant spacing: 10 cm
• Row spacing: 10 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Sow directly where it is to flower from April to June, or in September and October.
2. Sow the seeds 0.5 to 1 cm deep in soil loosened with the BERGER Pflanzkelle (hand trowel).
3. At 15 to 18 °C they germinate in 7 to 14 days.
4. Sun or partial shade on lean soil without fertiliser, 10 cm apart in the row with 10 cm between rows.

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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