Poppies have been symbols of eternal sleep since the time of the ancient Greeks, thanks to the narcotic qualities of the famous great scarlet poppy. As much as we’re fans of The Wizard of Oz however, and the sensual, technicolour overload that fills the screen as Dorothy drifts off amongst a field of brightest red, we’re actually rather more fond of its cousin, the less risqué oriental poppy. This variety is native mainly to northeastern Turkey and northern Iran and what it lacks in opiate qualities, it more than makes up for with it’s vibrant colours: from clean white with aubergine-black blotches to salmon pinks and deep maroons, they make a brassy centrepiece for any bouquet.
In fact many of the varieties have frankly brilliant, evocative names - though quite how their evocative names tie into the flowers themselves is, as ever, questionable... For example one red shade is known as 'G.I. Joe' whereas another shade of red is known as the 'Indian Chief'. Are these two to war over the land they grow in (or rather the land one of them grows in and the other sort of just takes)? Our favourite name however has to be the simple yet smile-inducing 'Patty's Plum' which was first discovered in a Somerset compost heap by someone called...Sandra. Of course!
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![Oriental Poppy Pt](https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=c8ff038890a63d8d587918074c422779 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=68ca2ebef02a8485828243306a81584d 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=b35a28dfc83b66f3f808ea462206d433 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=4e5af521a4085afd53c079f6d1a801b9 400w)
![Oriental Poppy Pt 2](https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=94025bd6fb9c479d22499c590973205a 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=53f4ec5bbaf2722c2955b057c0fa65d7 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=44ce6437da83516567087da666c383da 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/Oriental-Poppy-pt-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=340e4ddf5fd8d5135017c59c72dc7c84 400w)