Cutting back poppies: What you need to know

Cutting back poppies is not necessary for all varieties. Whether pruning makes sense depends on whether you want to propagate the flower and whether it is a perennial species.

Cutting back poppies is not absolutely necessary

Poppies will self-seed if you leave a few inflorescences standing. If you want to control self-seeding, you should cut back perennial poppy varieties, such as the Turkish poppy or Iceland poppy, once a year.

• If you want to prevent any seed formation, cut back the flower stalks of the poppy after flowering.
• At the beginning of autumn in September, you can cut the perennial back to about 10 centimetres above the ground. This is more for visual reasons, as it is not necessary.
• The foliage withers and the plant automatically retracts into the ground before winter. It is hardly visible afterwards. If yellow, wilted leaves remain, simply cut or pluck them off.
• To protect the plant from frost, cover it with leaves, brushwood or straw in good time before the first frost.
• Good to know: Annual poppies do not require any care. After flowering, pull the remains of the plant out of the soil and dispose of them in the compost.