Annual poppies come back every year when you leave the spring blooms on the plant so they can drop their seeds. Perennial poppies form neat, spreading mounds, while letting the plants reseed themselves leads to chaos in beds and borders.

Do poppies regrow each year?

Growing your own poppies from seed is an easy way to add striking swathes of colour to your garden, and a great filler for any unused space. Even better news? Once planted, they'll come back year after year, forming graceful drifts over time.

What to do when poppies have finished flowering?

Cut back and deadhead Oriental poppies after flowering. Cutting them right back to ground level will stimulate growth of fresh new foliage, and perhaps even some new blooms. Mulching and feeding will help to support this new growth.