White Peony Poppy Seeds — Papaver paeoniflorum

The Poppy That Out-Peonies the Peony

White Peony Poppy (Papaver paeoniflorum) is one of those plants that genuinely makes people stop and stare. The blooms are enormous — fully double, billowing masses of ruffled white petals that look so much like a peony you’ll have to explain yourself to your garden visitors. Rising on tall, elegant stems to 60–90 cm, they glow with an almost luminous quality in the border, and they’re just as breathtaking in a vase. Easy to grow, generous with its flowers, and quietly spectacular from the moment it opens.

Why Gardeners Love It

• 🤍 Enormous fully double white blooms — billowing, ruffled flowers up to 12 cm across; genuinely one of the most dramatic annuals you can grow from seed
• ✂️ Outstanding cut flower — tall stems and long-lasting double blooms make this a showstopper in cottage-style arrangements
• 🌿 Luminous in the border — the pure white blooms catch the light beautifully and combine effortlessly with any colour scheme
• 🐝 Attractive to pollinators — bees and beneficial insects love the open blooms throughout the season
• 🌱 Self-seeds reliably — once established, it returns year after year with minimal effort, naturalising gently around the garden
• 🌸 Easy to grow — direct sow onto the surface and thin; thrives in NZ cottage gardens, borders, and cutting gardens

Growing Tips for New Zealand

Scatter seeds onto the surface of moist, well-drained soil — do not cover, as they need light to germinate. Expect germination in 10–14 days in cool conditions. Sow in autumn or early spring in most NZ regions for late spring to early summer flowering. Thin seedlings to 20–30 cm apart and choose a sunny to partially shaded spot. Once happy, White Peony Poppy self-seeds gently and reliably, returning each season with very little help from you.

✋ The secret to bigger blooms: Thin your seedlings generously — it feels brutal, but giving each plant 20–30 cm of space makes a real difference to the size and quality of the flowers. The ones you leave will reward you handsomely!

What’s in the Packet

Each packet contains 20 seeds of White Peony Poppy (Papaver paeoniflorum), with sowing and growing instructions included.