On Sat, 22 May 2004 01:13:12 -0700, "gregpresley"
wrote:

it's too late in the year to plant them now. They, like
all other annual poppies, need to be started while the weather is still
cold - earliest spring in the north (like late February to late March) , and
fall in warmer zones. Some believe that frost helps to break the seed
coat - and in any case, the roots need to develop long before hot weather
strikes.

I direct seeded at the end of April here (zone 7b) in a plot in full
sun, and had blooms well before season's end. I don't know how many
successful plant for the number of seeds sown, but quite a few. It may
be ideal to start them earlier in spring, or way earlier, in the
previous fall, but they seemed to do OK.