Propagation: Saving Oriental Poppy Seeds, 1 by altagardener

altagardener wrote:
Simplest thing in the world... but to allow any plant to form seeds, you have to leave the flowers on, and not deadhead (i.e. remove them). The, so long as it gets pollinated, seeds will form in what looks like a typical poppy seed head (see attached photo, in the white circle).
You have to let these seed heads dry - they will turn a tan colour. As they dry, small openings will develop around the top of the green part, just beneath the central disc with the black radiating lines on it.
The seeds can easily be shaken out of the dried seed head into a bowl, and then stored in a container in a cool, dry place. If they are still slightly green, or dampish, let them dry in the open first before storing. Or you could just scatter them immediately where you want more to come up.