Let’s Talk Poppies

California Florists will understand me when I say this, poppies of all kinds are a *HOT* commodity in wedding florals. I do not mean this as a dig, we are poppy LOVERS over here. They so quintessentially represent our beloved home State—- while also providing such a magical pop of color and texture to floral arrangements of all types. BUT… we need to talk about working with poppies and the complications they can pose all from fragility to seasonality— Don’t be shy, keep reading!

Four Popular Poppies

Let’s get educated on our different kinds of poppies. There are 4 main types of poppies that typically come to mind for folks… corn poppies, opium poppies, California poppies, and Icelandic poppies. Starting off with corn poppies, also referred to as “field poppies” are short stemmed with bright red flowers. Due to the fragile nature of their petals and how fast they drop, florists don’t use corn poppies for their arrangements. Next up we have opium poppies— an iconic flower, that is medicinal. Ethno-botanically speaking, opium poppy usage (in the context of pain relief) has been recorded for over 7,000 years. It wasn’t until 1804 that morphine was extracted from opium and it completely reshaped pain management. Up next we have California poppies. These are light and delicate flowers that are most often a striking orange, and sometimes a lovely butter yellow. CA poppies are the state flower, and it is illegal to pick them unless you grow them, given their protected status. California poppies are drought resistant and a feast for pollinators. Lastly, we have Icelandic poppies, which despite the name, are not native to Iceland. Icelandic poppies are actually native to Subpolar regions of Asia and North America. These flowers are highly sought out by florists and clients because of the unique, papery texture and funky stem shapes they bring to floral arrangements.

Leah and Zach’s Poppy Forward Wedding

Leah and Zach really wanted a wildflower wedding— TONS of sunset color pops, and a creamy background that emphasized the orange. Although Icelandic Poppies can be sourced wholesale almost year round, in San Diego, the local growing season for Icelandic poppies is early February to late March. At BBFC, we prioritize supporting local as much as possible. Wholesale flowers are shipped from all around the world, and if I have the option to pick up flowers that were harvested same day from 15 miles away vs flowers cut a week ago that are shipped from 2,000+ miles away…? It’s a no-brainer to support local. We got especially lucky for this April 2025 wedding because not only were the local Icelandic poppies still looking incredible, but the California poppies were also in bloom! We even got to use some rare red and butter yellow California poppies in Leah’s bouquet. The poppies were POPPIN!!! Shoutout to beloved Rachel Nafis, who owns the urban flower farm, Psalter Farm Flowers. She’s behind these incredible local poppies and we are oh, so grateful!

Let’s discuss poppy preparation

Poppies pose a unique challenge for florists! When flowers like poppies, tweedia and daffodils, they release a latex sap which blocks water uptake, causing said blooms to close up and die. So, how do we ever manage to include poppies in arrangements? The secret weapon (for poppies at least) is FIRE! Florists burn the ends of each freshly cut stem, cauterizing the wound, allowing enough water for the flower to last. This is another reason why we love hyper-local flowers. There isn’t quite as much prep required, unlike flowers shipped from around the world.

A fun fact for you: California poppies are considered fire resistant! Given that CA poppiese are low growing and have high moisture foliage like that of succulents, the moisture helps to prevent them from lighting up in wildfires. Poppies also don’t contain highly volatile oils or resins like those of eucalyptus trees that go up in flames in seconds. From here on out, every time you see a stunning arrangement that includes poppies, we hope you’ll think about how extremely metal plants are.

Briv’s Coffee Pop-Up

When a friend asks you to partake in a pop up for Women in Coffee, you say “HELL yes.” The vibe of this event was very “girly pop”, as Gen Z likes to call it, think bubbly, light, fun and free. Maybe it’s because the light pink and white Icelandic poppy variety is called “champagne bubbles” but I’d say that the florals very much matched the desired vibe.

Representation of minorities is a core value behind BBFC, and I love to uplift others who are traditionally not given a seat at the table. The coffee industry is disproportionately male owned, but female run. Women make up approximately 70% of the growers, but only around 20% actually own the farms they work on. Coffee and flowers pose very similar sustainable and ethical consumption issues- which is why at BBFC we support local as much as we possibly can. We get flowers from Chez Whatever in Pacific Beach, Psalter Farm Flowers in City Heights, BeeWorthy Farms in Encinitas, Cielo Hills Flowers in Escondido, just to name a few of the local growers we support. This way we know our growers, we know their growing methods, AND our dollar goes that much further in supporting the local economy.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!

If your heart is set on poppies, then potentially consider hosting your event in early Spring, or trust your florist with making appropriate substitutions as needed. May I suggest some local zinnias for late summer weddings? Our zinnias in San Diego are UNMATCHED, and come in the same pops of colors that poppies provide (with even more petals!). I hope you were able to learn a fun new trick of the trade, or even that you had a nice bloom scroll where you got to oooh and ahhh at some locally grown blooms! See you next time.

Vendor Credits:

For Leah & Zach’s wedding:

photography: @rhonefilmandphoto | rhone film and photo

HMUA: @natpaynemua

venue: @greengablesweddings | Green Gables Trademark Venues

All other photos featured are owned by BBFC

Berry Blooms Floral Co.

If you’re a lover of poppies like we are, and have a funky + wildflower heart that you want captured through florals- let’s work together! Inquire below, mwah!