poppy flowers.

All poppy flower species belong to the poppy family. The decorative flower petals are brightly coloured various colours: red, white, yellow, orange and blue.

 Poppies emit a milky sap when you cut the stems. It’s important to seal them off. This is easy enough, just fill a mug with boiling water and dip your freshly cut stems in the hot water first to seal it off. Now you are ready to put them in your favourite vase or mix them with any other flowers.

 red blood poppy flower.

 The poppy flower is most commonly associated with both death and sleep. These two themes have come about over time both because of the poppy’s aesthetic properties, and because it is said that poppies were given as offerings to the dead by the Grecian-Romans. This symbolism has appeared in a variety of art forms. For example, the magical poppy fields of the Wizard of Oz, which caused those who passed through them to sleep for eternity. Poppies also appeared in Lieutenant Colonel John McCracken poem “In Flanders Fields,” and were occasionally worn as a sign of respect to fallen soldiers. In legends, the poppy flower was often connected to the gods of sleep, rest and oblivion. In Christian churches during the medieval era, poppies were occasionally carved into benches to represent our restful nature as we anticipate the Last Day. In more modern times, people like to use poppy seeds for their spicy flavour which can be baked into breads, cakes and pastries. Some forms of the poppy are still occasionally used for medicinal purposes. The California poppy, for instance, is sometimes used as an antimicrobial cleanser for cuts and scrapes, suppressing lactation, and as a pain reliever for tooth aches. Although, the California poppy is considered less potent than the red poppy (which was once used to create opium), it is still frowned upon to use in any medicinal concoction.

 deep red poppy flower.

 orange poppy flower.

blue poppy flower.       flowers can be both lucky and respectful, they make fantastic gifts for someone who is in transition in their life. Either dried and placed in a bag, or freshly clipped and given as a bouquet, these flowers can bring nothing but good to the recipient.