Get ready for poppy season!

The days are getting longer, the trees are budding, and the birds are singing a little louder: spring has arrived!

It's the best time to sow seeds and see your garden blossom in all its colors. At Margotte Tournicote, we invite you to start your planting with our poppy seed packets, given as a gift with every order.

• Why did we choose this variety of flowers?

Poppies are a symbol of the fight for the environment. Indeed, pesticides and chemicals used in conventional agriculture are harmful to wild plants, insects, and biodiversity in general. Poppies, being very sensitive to these chemicals, often have their growth affected by their presence. This is why they often grow far from areas treated with chemicals, and are therefore proof of healthy soil.

Poppies are also a food source for many insect species: bumblebees, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators visit their flowers to collect nectar and pollen. These pollinating insects are essential for the reproduction of many plants, including the food crops we eat every day. Their presence is synonymous with preserved biodiversity.

This small part of a preserved nature approach, which Margotte Tournicote offers you, is therefore a symbol of our eco-responsibility (selection of materials free from harmful products, compostable packaging, low carbon footprint manufacturing...), and a testament to its commitment to protecting the environment and the future of our children!

•  Here's a guide to successfully sowing your poppy seeds in a few steps:

Step 1: Prepare the soil

Poppies prefer well-drained soil that is relatively poor in nutrients. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizer sheets, which can promote leaf growth rather than flower growth.

Step 2: Sow the seeds

Poppies can be grown directly in the ground or in pots. If you sow the seeds directly in the ground, you can sprinkle them on the soil and cover them lightly with earth. The seeds need light to germinate, so do not bury them too deeply, meaning no more than about one centimeter deep.

Step 3: Water regularly

Poppy seeds need regular watering to germinate and grow. So be sure to keep the soil moist, but do not overwater, to avoid drowning the seeds or rotting the roots.

Step 4: Enjoy the blooming

For spring planting, you will see poppies start to bloom around June/July. Enjoy the beauty of these vibrant flowers in your garden. Indeed, it is best not to pick poppies, as their very fragile flowers die almost instantly. The second advantage of leaving them standing is that poppies reseed naturally very easily thanks to their seeds that spread with the wind. You will then be able to see these delicate flowers bloom again every year.

These tiny seeds have the power to bloom entire fields with their scarlet color, we hope to offer you a colorful and joyful summer...

• Did you know?

Poppies are edible and even have medicinal properties!

But beware, their consumption must be limited! Indeed, these flowers contain small amounts of alkaloids that can be toxic in high doses and lead to symptoms such as headaches, nausea, or vomiting.

All aerial parts of the poppy can be eaten: leaves, petals, and the flower as a whole, not forgetting its seeds:

- the leaves are eaten raw or cooked but only before the plant stems and flowers.

- whole flowers are preferably eaten raw and have a surprising nutty taste.

- the petals can also be eaten raw in salads, for example. They are mainly used for making syrups (for pleasure or for their antitussive properties), candies, and are very popular in pastry for their color and subtle taste. Dried, they are used in the preparation of relaxing herbal teas to aid sleep.

- the seeds are used in baking under the name of poppy seeds.