An Oriental Poppy

Papaver orientale 'Raspberry Queen'

This is one of those big flowering perennial poppies and if you have a cottage style garden they are ideal to grow in a sunny corner in rich moist soil where they produce a succession of flowers from Spring well into Summer. They form a neat clump but also spread out from underground runners so you can dig up any excess plants with ease. A range of coloured cultivars, mainly in shades of crimson, orange-scarlet, pink, white and usually with a black mark at the base of the petals have been bred and all are descendants of the wild forms found growing in the Caucasus, N.E. Turkey and N.Iran. They are best suited to cool temperate climates but are adaptable to warmer ones.
2017 update: It's too hot and humid to grow them well on the coast.