Cherished by gardeners, poppies are lovely at providing cheerful spring and summer color in gardens, containers, and bouquets.

• There are about 250 species of poppies grown across the world. They belong to the poppy family, Papaveraceae, which includes 23 genera, distributed mainly in the northern temperate hemisphere.
   
• Their delicate flowers are usually large. They can be single, semi-double, or fully double, some with deeply cut fringed petals, others resembling peonies. They are available in various colors, including rich crimson red, coral orange, peach, sunny yellow, soft pink, lavender, cream, and even blue.
   
• Many poppies have short-lived flowers, but their flower buds open in succession and reward us with a dazzling show for several weeks.
   
• Once their petals fall away, many poppies remain attractive and ornamental. They boast incredibly decorative seed pods that can be used in dried flower arrangements or left in the garden for the visual interest they bring.