I've never had success at starting perennial poppies from seed, tried wintersowing them and direct surface sowing but never had the first seedling. Plants have done great though, and return bigger and better each year. I'm finally seeing a few self set seedlings form an orange one I've had for a few years. Annual poppies have been easy from seed for me. I just surface sow in late winter (both Shirley poppies and P. somniferum). I think the trick with those is to sow while its still cold, the tiny seedlings get established early before other plants and weeds shade them.
