Ron wrote:

snip
They need frost to break dormancy, and like to
gorw on cultivated ground. Best sown in the autumn (when poppies the
seedheads ripen naturally) for growing the next year.

Snip

Oh right, thanks. I sowed them in spring. Perhaps they will come up next
year if I dig over where I planted them.


I believe they can remain dormant for up to fifty years so you might have a
long wait!

But it might be worth it. We had several tons of soil removed from our
garden to a nearby field (soil level had been raised in the past, we
wanted to get back to the original). That was one summer; the owners of
the field spread the soil over an area of several 10s of square metres.
The next summer the soil was covered, absolutely covered, with a
magnificent display of opium poppies... the pink shaggy ones I detest,
the pale pink/white singles I like, and the shaggy maroon ones I
absolutely adore. It was a fabulous sight all through the season, and
the birds loved the seeds.

regards
sarah

--
Waist deep, neck deep
We'll be drowning before too long
We're neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the damned fools keep yelling to push on