About
Papaver (Oriental Group) 'Flamenco Dancer' is a named cultivar in the Oriental group of poppies, offered under the botanical name in the family Papaveraceae. It is sold for its summer flowering habit, producing blooms in the UK from May to August. As part of the Papaver genus it shares the structural traits of poppies, including the development of a seed capsule after flowering that releases many small seeds.
About the genus
Papaver is a genus of 70–100 species of frost-tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. It is the type genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae.
Wikipedia contributors, "Papaver", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Papaver
In the garden
Papaver (Oriental Group) 'Flamenco Dancer' belongs to the Papaver genus, the type genus of the poppy family Papaveraceae. The genus comprises a wide range of species—annuals, biennials and perennials—that occur through temperate and colder parts of Eurasia, Africa and North America. Plants in the Oriental Group are cultivated selections within that wider genus and are grown for their summer bloom period. For cultivation, aim for a site that does not remain waterlogged and provides good air movement around the foliage; many poppies perform best where roots stay reasonably dry over winter. Planting should allow room for the clump to mature and for seedheads to form if you wish to collect seed or allow natural regeneration. Avoid heavy, poorly drained soils and take care when moving or dividing established clumps, as many poppy roots resent disturbance while actively growing. In UK gardens, Oriental-group poppies suit mixed herbaceous borders and informal schemes where seasonal summer colour is required. Leave the spent flowering stems in place until seed capsules have matured if you want plants to self-sow; the capsules release numerous tiny seeds when shaken, so expect some natural spread over time.
