Buy dried flowers, dried poppies & poppy seeds.

Poppy Pods

Poppy Pods are the seed pods of Papaver or Poppy plant. Used for centuries as a sleep aid and painkiller, poppies have always been a popular plant due to their aesthetic value and medicinal properties.

In ancient times, Poppy Pods were added to the food of infants to induce sleep, and also ground into tea as a sedative. In more recent times, Poppy Pods are used today for the carrying of bulk poppy seeds for gardens and flower arrangements.

When arranging your Poppy Pods in a flower arrangement, it's important to use a strong base of foam. The green kind is best if you intend on mixing fresh flowers with your dried Poppy Pods. If you intend on throwing in some fresh flowers, soak your green foam in a bucket or large bowl. Never do so under the tap because it will leave dry spots that can wilt fresh flowers, which won't look very good juxtaposed next to your Poppy Pods. Never over soak, as it can cause the foam to break up over time. For dried flower arrangements, the stiffer brown foam is ideal, it will hold the dried Poppy Pods upright, and is much sturdier.

When you begin constructing your Poppy Pod arrangement, cut your foam so that it stays about 1" higher than the rim of your container. This leaves room for your flowers and Poppy Pods to be arranged more naturally, with some stems flowing down the sides of the arrangement. If the foam is level with the container's rim, the Poppy Pods will stick straight up, leading to an unnatural, stiff look.

When pushing the stems of the Poppy Pods into the foam, make sure the bottom of you Poppy Pod stem stays in contact with the foam, pushing it too far can result in an air pocket, which can wilt fresh flowers you may have paired with your Poppy Pods.

When you've had enough of any Poppy Pod arrangement, be sure not to re-use the foam, as it can fall apart and make for a very haphazard looking Poppy Pod arrangement.