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Are these poppies?

United Kingdom

I planted some Thompson & Morgan seeds in April this year from a packet labelled "Poppy Flanders". I think technically they are corn poppies.

Anyway, not being a gardener there all these plants sprouting up which don't look especially poppy-like to me. No sign of flowrs yet but I don't know whether to leave them and see what happens of pull them up.

They are about 10-15 cm high now and the stems have a milky white sap when broken.

The stems branch in a pretty regular pattern and have small oval leaves with straight edges. I was expecting them to have a sort of serrated edge.

Can anybody confirm from this info and the photo if they are weed or plant?

Thanks!

1 Aug, 2008

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poisonous garden plants

Answers

Daventray

i am afraid it looks like a weed barcar (chickweed)

1 Aug, 2008

Gillian

Can't remember the name but I have had experience of these. They are almost like a sedum and spread like crazy! I would say weed!

1 Aug, 2008

Barcar

Thanks folks. I'll pull them all out this weekend. Weird thing is it is only growing where I sowed the poppies and there is no sign of anything remotely poppy-like!

1 Aug, 2008

Barcar

The chickweed tip sent me looking to see what it looks like and I think it's Petty Spurge - see here http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=105. So it's definitely for the chop!

1 Aug, 2008

Treesandthi..

When did you sow youre poppies? I always shake the seed heads of mine around the border. They only show up where I have since dug.
This is why the field's in France were full of poppies during the first world war as they lay dormant and then once the soil has been disturbed (bombs mortars etc going off) they jump back to life.

1 Aug, 2008

Newtogarden..

the foliage looks the same as some of the wild poppys growing on the beach nearby, they have bright yellow flowers. I would give them a bit longer and see what happens. good luck

1 Aug, 2008

Andrewr

Definitely a weedy spurge. The white sap from broken stems is the give-away; it's a family characteristic. If the sap gets on the skin, it should be washed off immediately as it can cause a skin irritation

1 Aug, 2008

Barcar

Thanks everybody - it's all gone - quite a task - I'm sure it will come back but at least I can recognise it now. You're right about that sap Andrewr. Wishing I'd read your message before I'd finished. It stings.

Poppies were sown in April/May - just sprinkled randomly on freshly dug over ground. No idea what's happened to them. Maybe they will come next spring?

1 Aug, 2008